corey-mcclain-persona-engineering

name	corey-mcclain-persona-engineering
description	Adds a narrative identity layer (Persona) on top of Logic, Library, and Memory to produce AI agent outputs that cross from "technically accurate" to "recognizably distinct." The LLMP framework (Logic → Library → Memory → Persona) plus the Makoshi state-capture protocol transforms how agents think by changing the world they inhabit. Use when designing AI agents that need a distinct voice / character, when generic agent outputs feel interchangeable, when building expert personas with embodied perspective (not just role-playing prompts), when the user mentions "LLMP framework", "Makoshi protocol", "persona engineering", "agent identity", "context engineering". Trigger proactively when an AI agent is producing technically-correct but flavorless outputs — the missing layer is usually Persona, not more Logic or Library.
domain	AI Agent Architecture × Context Engineering
expert	Corey McClain
version	1

Corey McClain — Persona-First Context Engineering

AI agent performance methodology that adds a narrative identity layer (Persona) on top of Logic, Library, and Memory to produce outputs that cross from "technically accurate" to "recognizably distinct." The LLMP framework — and the Makoshi state-capture protocol — transforms how agents think by changing the world they inhabit.

Quick Reference

Component	File
Genius Context	genius.md
AGENT.md	agents/corey-mcclain/AGENT.md
Workflows	workflows/ (12 total)

Workflow Table

Tier 1 — Foundation

Workflow	Slash Command	Description
mcclain-llmp-architect.md	/mcclain-llmp-architect	Full LLMP agent construction — Logic → Library → Memory → Persona, end-to-end
mcclain-persona-forge.md	/mcclain-persona-forge	Persona construction engine — identity, backstory, worldview, voice, messy details
mcclain-makoshi-capture.md	/mcclain-makoshi-capture	State capture and preservation — Makoshi protocol for maintaining expert intelligence

Tier 2 — Practitioner

Workflow	Slash Command	Description
mcclain-backstory-engine.md	/mcclain-backstory-engine	Narrative backstory construction — the "messy human details" methodology
mcclain-transistory-install.md	/mcclain-transistory-install	Quick in-prompt persona installation for rapid testing and one-off tasks
mcclain-steady-state-install.md	/mcclain-steady-state-install	Persistent workspace persona deployment — the compound-over-time method
mcclain-voice-texture.md	/mcclain-voice-texture	Voice layer design — vocabulary, cadence, forbidden phrases, texture
mcclain-worldview-container.md	/mcclain-worldview-container	Worldview-as-container design — value system → decision patterns → output shaping
mcclain-persona-audit.md	/mcclain-persona-audit	Audit existing agents for persona layer quality — diagnose generic vs. distinct

Tier 3 — Stacking

Workflow	Slash Command	Description
mcclain-nate-full-agent.md	/mcclain-nate-full-agent	LLMP + Sovereign Memory = complete agent architecture stack
mcclain-oren-taste-persona.md	/mcclain-oren-taste-persona	Persona + Taste calibration = aesthetically-grounded agent identity
mcclain-dai-audience-persona.md	/mcclain-dai-audience-persona	Consumer Posture → Persona worldview = audience-mirroring marketing agents

Stacking Guide

Pair With	What Compounds	Recommended Workflow
Nate B. Jones	Memory architecture + Identity architecture = complete agent	/mcclain-nate-full-agent
Nick Saraev	Persona-installed agents + Self-Annealing = identity-stable self-improving agents	Use /mcclain-llmp-architect → then Saraev's DO framework
Oren	Persona worldview + Taste/CEV calibration = aesthetically-grounded agents	/mcclain-oren-taste-persona
Dai Media	Consumer Posture Profile → Persona worldview = audience-shaped agents	/mcclain-dai-audience-persona
Voice Calibration	5-Dimension Voice Scan → Persona voice layer = voice-matched agents	Use voice extraction output as input to /mcclain-voice-texture
Ghostwriting	Voice extraction → Persona installation = ghostwriting agents that ARE the client	Use /mcclain-persona-forge with voice calibration data

When to Use This Skill

Use when:

• Building any new AI agent that needs to produce distinctive (non-generic) output
• Upgrading an existing agent that's hitting the "technically accurate but boring" ceiling
• Creating marketing/content agents that need to appeal to a specific audience
• Capturing and preserving expert intelligence state across sessions
• Consulting engagements where "AI agent quality" is the deliverable

Don't use when:

• Building pure utility agents (data processing, API calls, calculations) — persona adds overhead with no output quality benefit
• Logic and library haven't been established yet — persona is Layer 4, not Layer 1
• Quick tasks where a transistory install is faster than reading this skill

Execution Prompts (structure-pure v2)

16 deterministic practitioner prompts — each carries an Output Contract, Output Skeleton, and Quality Gate. When a deliverable matches one, Read it and honor its contract instead of improvising the output shape.

• Agent Evolution — [Agent Name] — [Date] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/agent-evolution-log.md
• Stress Test Report: [Agent Name] — [Date] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/agent-stress-test-report.md
• Audience-Mirrored Persona — [Brand/Product] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/audience-mirrored-persona.md
• [Expert Name] — Expertise Distillation — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/expertise-distillation-document.md
• [Expert Name] — Identity Profile — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/identity-excavation-profile.md
• /[prefix]-[name] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/llmp-agent-build.md
• [Agent Name] — Makoshi Construct — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/makoshi-state-capture.md
• Persona Audit — [Agent Name] — [Date] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/persona-audit-report.md
• Persona Installation — [Agent Name] — [Mode] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/persona-installation.md
• Corey McClain — Persona Life Document — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/persona-life-document.md
• Skill Architecture: [Expert Name] — [Domain] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/skill-architecture-blueprint.md
• Source-to-Agent Build — [Expert Name] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/source-to-agent-master-pipeline.md
• Sovereign-Memory Agent Stack — [Agent Name] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/sovereign-memory-agent-stack.md
• Taste-Calibrated Persona — [Agent Name] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/taste-calibrated-persona.md
• Voice Texture Specification — [Persona/Agent Name] — skills/corey-mcclain-persona-engineering/references/prompts-v2/voice-texture-specification.md