Private self root
config.json
profile/
context/
topics/
reference/
contribs/
proposals/
Canonical personal context. User-owned and private.
Open-source preview
Start locally. See every change.
Holoself 0.8.0 is published on npm as holoself-ai. You need Node.js 20+ and a private location for personal context; a reviewed source checkout remains available for development and audit.
Before you begin: Holoself context can contain sensitive personal data. Keep the data root out of public repositories and review any generated packet before sharing.
Install, initialize, and link deliberately.
1
Install and initialize
Install the versioned CLI from npm and name the private data root explicitly.
npm install --global holoself-ai@0.8.0 holoself init --data-dir C:/private/my-self holoself doctor --data-dir C:/private/my-self holoself validate --data-dir C:/private/my-self
Replace C:/private/my-self with a private absolute path and use that same path in the project link. HOLOSELF_HOME and the default ~/.holoself remain supported, but explicit --data-dir makes this quickstart auditable.
2
Add your context deliberately
Edit readable Markdown under profile/ and context/. Start small: identity, work context, preferences, voice, and one current domain. Do not paste secrets.
Optional agent skill: npx skills add smota/holoself --skill holoself. Review installer changes first. The skill contains loading instructions; it does not import your data.
3
Link an independent project
holoself link add \ --project C:/work/my-project \ --self C:/private/my-self \ --lens career
The command creates project-local metadata only. It does not copy self files.
4
Resolve context for a task
holoself context \ --project C:/work/my-project \ --task "prepare interview" \ --json
Output includes selected context, lens, project, source paths, restrictions, warnings, and pending proposals.
Expected changes
Know what setup creates.
Linked project
.holoself/
link.yaml
README.md
index/
proposals/
reports/
Read-only link metadata plus local, rebuildable operational artifacts. No self copy.
Choose a workflow
Link, packet, or migration?
| Need | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Live context in an independent local project | link add | Reads canonical self without copying it |
| Portable, reviewable handoff | context --format packet | Generated output with provenance and restrictions |
| One-time legacy snapshot | export | Compatibility workflow; generated copy requires review |
| Import existing PersonalOS files | migrate --dry-run | Preview mapping before confirmed copy; source stays untouched |
Command reference
Next useful commands.
Inspect and retrieve
holoself link status --project <path>
holoself index rebuild --project <path>
holoself search "query" --project <path> --federated
holoself analyze all --project <path>
Propose and review
holoself propose --project <path> --claim "..." --source-file notes.md
holoself proposals list --project <path>
holoself proposals show <id> --project <path>
holoself proposals approve <id> --project <path>
Approval displays target, evidence, affected files, and diff, then requires explicit confirmation.
Prefer a synthetic example first?
Create a disposable test self and project. Never use real personal data until you understand generated paths and privacy behavior.