set-persona

name	set-persona
description	Activate a named domain persona to set focus, priorities, and gotchas for the current session.
argument-hint	[persona-name]
allowed-tools	["Read","Glob"]

Set Persona

Keywords: persona, lens, domain focus, extends, multi-parent extension, proactive cross-refs, provider resolution, persona activation, project-local override

Activate a domain-specific lens that shapes how you approach code in this session.

Usage

• /set-persona <name> — Load a persona by name
• /set-persona — List available personas

Instructions

1. Parse $ARGUMENTS for the persona name.

2. If no argument provided:

   • Glob for personas in both locations (see below)
   • List available personas by filename (without extension)
   • Ask which one to activate

3. If argument provided:

   • Look for the persona file in this order:
     1. .claude/personas/<name>.md in the current project (project-specific override)
     2. .claude/commands/set-persona/<name>.md in dotfiles (shared/common)
   • If not found in either location, report what's available and ask the operator to pick

4. Adopt the persona:

   • Read the persona file contents
   • After reading the persona file, check for an ## Extends: <name> or ## Extends: <name1>, <name2> heading
   • If found, parse the comma-separated list of parent names
   • Resolve and read each parent persona in declaration order using the same lookup order (project-local → dotfiles)
   • Load parents in order as foundational context, then layer the child persona on top
   • Child sections supplement the parents — they don't replace them
   • Only one level of extension is supported (no chaining — parents cannot themselves extend)
   • Confirm activation with a one-line summary of what you're now focused on
   • If the persona extends parents, mention all: "Activated child (extends parent1, parent2)"
   • Apply the priorities and focus areas from that point forward in the session

5. Load proactive knowledge:

   • Scan adopted persona (and parent if extended) for ## Proactive loads or ## Proactive Cross-Refs sections
   • Paths use the provider:<name>/path scheme (e.g., provider:default/java/spring-boot-gotchas.md)
   • Resolve each path using provider resolution:
     1. Read ~/.claude/learnings-providers.json
     2. provider:default/path → find the provider with "defaultWriteTarget": true → localPath/path
     3. provider:<name>/path → find the provider by "name" → localPath/path
     4. If the named provider doesn't exist in the config, warn but don't fail
     5. If the resolved file doesn't exist on disk, warn but don't fail
   • Announce: "📚 Loaded proactive gotchas: xrpl-gotchas.md"
   • Keep this content active throughout the session

6. Resolve cross-refs on demand:

   • When loading a ## Cross-Refs entry during the session, apply the same provider resolution as proactive loads

Prerequisites

For prompt-free execution, add these allow patterns to ~/.claude/settings.local.json:

"Read(~/.claude/commands/set-persona/**)",
"Read(.claude/personas/**)",
"Read(~/.claude/learnings*/**)",
"Read(~/.claude/learnings-providers.json)"

Important Notes

• Personas set focus and priorities — they don't restrict what you can do
• A persona doesn't replace project CLAUDE.md context, it layers on top
• Project-local personas take precedence over shared ones with the same name
• If the operator says something that conflicts with the persona's priorities, the operator wins
• Personas can extend one or more parents via ## Extends: <name> or ## Extends: <name1>, <name2> — parents are loaded in declaration order, then the child layers on top
• Only single-level extension is supported (parents cannot themselves extend another persona)