Why isn’t my Muse proactive?

Because it has no standing instruction to act and no goal to work on — so it waits to be asked. Fix both: a Soul.md block that says to work goals without being asked, and an actual goal for it to work on.

How do I edit Soul.md?

Tap the Assistant icon, then Identity, then Soul — edit directly, or ask in chat and inspect the saved file afterward. Add your own headed section at the end; do not replace the existing core truths.

Will this change what Muse can do?

No. It changes how Muse behaves and communicates, not its capabilities, connectors or limits. Approvals still gate sends, posts and spending.

Restore the lines from your backup. Worst case, Reset in Data controls wipes chats, files and tasks — which is why you back up first and never reset to fix a wording problem.

Do AGENTS.md and PROACTIVE_PREFERENCES.md work in Meta Muse?

Not as Meta documents it. Those names come from DIY agent setups. In Meta Muse, use Soul for behavior rules, Memory for what it learned, Identity for name and vibe, and goals for recurring work.

Deep dive · Personalize

Make Muse more proactive: edit its system files

If your Muse only answers when asked, that is not a broken setting — it is a missing instruction. Muse's behavior lives in plain-text files it reads every conversation, plus the goals you give it. Edit the files and it starts acting the way you asked it to. Last verified: November 3, 2026.

In short

Soul.md is who your Muse is: core truths, boundaries, personality, communication rules. This is where proactivity instructions go.
Memory.md is what it learned about you. Correct it when it acts on something wrong, old, or you never said.
Identity.md is the name, vibe and tagline. Cosmetic — but it is where you set what you call it.
Proactivity = Soul instructions + a goal. A goal (“watch this, tell me when it changes”) is what makes Muse act unprompted; Soul rules shape how it acts.
Add, don't replace. Soul's core truths stay. Keep a backup of anything you change.

The three files, and which one to change

Meta documents all three as editable. Open them from the Assistant icon (your Muse's avatar), then Identity. You can also ask in chat to make the change — but always inspect the saved file afterward.

Soul.md

Holds: core truths, boundaries, personality, communication rules. Path: Assistant icon → Identity → Soul. Change when: you want it to talk differently, report differently, or act without being asked twice.

Memory.md

Holds: what it learned: preferences, people, ongoing jobs. Path: Assistant icon → Identity → Memory. Change when: it keeps acting on something wrong, stale, or you never said.

Identity.md

Holds: name, creature, vibe, tagline. Path: Assistant icon → Identity → Edit. Change when: you want a different name or feel.

Make it proactive, step by step

1Open Soul: Assistant icon → Identity → Soul. Or ask in chat to change it — then inspect the saved file either way.
2Append your own headed section at the end. Do not replace the existing core truths — your block sits alongside them, easy to find and easy to delete.
3Reopen Soul and confirm your block saved word for word. If it didn't, the edit didn't happen, whatever the chat said.
4Test it in a fresh conversation: give Muse a task it would normally wait on, and check it acts without being asked twice. A greeting alone proves nothing.

Try it — paste into Soul.md

## How I want you to work

Be proactive: when I give you a goal, work on it without waiting to be asked, and report back with what you did and what needs my approval. Check my goals each morning and tell me only if something changed. Never send, post, or spend without asking.

What you'll get: a Muse that works its goals and reports back, instead of one that waits for the next message.

About AGENTS.md and PROACTIVE_PREFERENCES.md

Tutorials mention these files a lot, so here is the honest position: those names come from the DIY agent world Muse borrowed ideas from. Meta's documented files for Muse are Soul, Memory and Identity — the three above. If a tutorial tells you to create an AGENTS.md for Meta Muse, that is not Meta's documented path. Put communication rules in Soul and recurring work in goals instead, and don't go hunting for files the app doesn't show you.

What editing files will not do

It will not add capabilities, connectors or capacity. Soul changes how Muse behaves, not what it can reach.
It will not bypass approvals. Sends, posts and spending still ask first, whatever Soul says.
It will not fix a region block or a usage limit. Those are account and plan facts, not personality settings.
Undo is restoring your backup lines — not Reset. Reset (Settings → Data controls) permanently deletes chats, files and tasks. Never reset to fix a wording problem.

System files: questions

Why isn’t my Muse proactive?: Because it has no standing instruction to act and no goal to work on — so it waits to be asked. Fix both: a Soul.md block that says to work goals without being asked, and an actual goal for it to work on.
How do I edit Soul.md?: Tap the Assistant icon, then Identity, then Soul — edit directly, or ask in chat and inspect the saved file afterward. Add your own headed section at the end; do not replace the existing core truths.
Will this change what Muse can do?: No. It changes how Muse behaves and communicates, not its capabilities, connectors or limits. Approvals still gate sends, posts and spending.
What if I break it?: Restore the lines from your backup. Worst case, Reset in Data controls wipes chats, files and tasks — which is why you back up first and never reset to fix a wording problem.
Do AGENTS.md and PROACTIVE_PREFERENCES.md work in Meta Muse?: Not as Meta documents it. Those names come from DIY agent setups. In Meta Muse, use Soul for behavior rules, Memory for what it learned, Identity for name and vibe, and goals for recurring work.