---
license: mit
tags:
- ai-agent
- behavioral-dna
- i-lang
- ilang-protocol
- personality
- developer-tools
pretty_name: Imprint - AI Behavioral DNA Protocol
configs:
- config_name: default
data_files:
- split: train
path: data/*.jsonl
---

# Imprint
### *Your working imprint, portable across every agent.*
[](LICENSE)
[](#changelog)
[](https://github.com/ilang-ai/Imprint)
[](https://github.com/ilang-ai/Imprint#compatibility)
[](https://github.com/ilang-ai/ilang-spec)
> **Imprint**, *verb.* To stamp a mark that cannot be erased.
> *noun.* The mark itself, permanent, portable, unmistakably yours.
>
> In ethology, *imprinting* is the moment a young animal learns, once and
> forever, who it belongs to. In printing, an *imprint* is the publisher's
> signature pressed into every page. In both meanings, something is **marked
> at its core**, and that mark travels with it.
>
> This project is that mark, for human-AI work.
## What this is
**Imprint** is a single plugin that captures **how *you* work** and
carries it across every AI agent you use.
On first run, the skill has a short conversation with you. **Not about your
project, about you.** How you debug, how you plan, how you write commits,
what you've shipped, what went wrong, what you prefer.
That conversation becomes a **portable profile**, a working imprint, stored
alongside your code. Under 500 tokens. Structured. Readable. Yours.
Every session after that, the skill applies your imprint automatically:
your code style, your review standards, your planning rhythm, your design
taste, your git habits. Portable across any SKILL.md-compatible agent.
**Switch models. Switch platforms. Switch teams. Your imprint comes with you.**
## Install
### Claude Code (recommended)
```
/install imprint
```
[View on Claude Code Marketplace](https://platform.claude.com/plugins/imprint)
### Any SKILL.md-compatible agent (universal)
Copy `skills/imprint/SKILL.md` into your agent's skills directory. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Windsurf, Trae, Cline, Roo, and any agent that reads SKILL.md files.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/ilang-ai/Imprint.git
cp Imprint/skills/imprint/SKILL.md ~/.claude/skills/imprint/SKILL.md
```
Replace `~/.claude/skills/` with your agent's skills path.
### Hermes Agent
```bash
hermes skills install ilang-ai/Imprint
```
### Cursor
Browse and install from [Cursor Directory](https://cursor.directory/plugins/imprint).
### VS Code / VS Code forks
Search "Imprint" in the Extensions panel, or:
- [VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ILang.imprint)
- [Open VSX](https://open-vsx.org/extension/ILang/imprint)
- [Open VSX](https://open-vsx.org/extension/ILang/imprint)
The VS Code extension auto-installs SKILL.md to 14 agent directories on your machine.
## What It Overlaps With
Imprint covers ground that these skills address individually. Not a drop-in replacement for all of them, but a single file that handles the common cases.
| Instead of installing... | Imprint covers this by |
| :--------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `claude-mem` (memory) | Stores **how you work**, not what happened. ~90% smaller. |
| `Caveman` (compression) | Structured format is the default, not a mode. |
| `onboard` | Project context extraction on first run. |
| Code-review skills | Review against **your** standards, not universal rules. |
| `systematic-debugging` | Architecture first, then binary search. Lessons become immunity. |
| `superpowers` (planning) | Your rhythm, not a fixed methodology. |
| Progress-tracking skills | Auto-checkpoint on meaningful state changes. |
| TDD skills | Resources decide strategy, multi-model or single, auto-adapts. |
| Git-workflow skills | Searchable commits, README as landing page when discoverability is on. |
| `seo-audit` | Structured output is more parseable by AI search engines. |
| Copywriting skills | Tone, terminology, and rhythm derived from your imprint. |
**One file. Eleven capability areas. Depth varies by area.**
## Compatibility
| Agent | Status | Install |
| :-------------- | :----------: | :----------------------------------- |
| **Hermes** | native | `hermes skills install ilang-ai/Imprint` |
| **VS Code** | extension | [VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ILang.imprint) |
| **Claude Code** | marketplace | `/install imprint` |
| **Cursor** | directory | [Cursor Directory](https://cursor.directory/plugins/imprint) |
| **Codex CLI** | SKILL.md | copy to `~/.codex/skills/imprint/` |
| **Copilot** | SKILL.md | copy to `~/.github/skills/imprint/` |
| **Gemini CLI** | SKILL.md | copy to `~/.gemini/extensions/imprint/skills/imprint/` |
| **Windsurf** | SKILL.md | copy to `~/.windsurf/skills/imprint/`|
| **Trae** | SKILL.md | copy to `~/.trae/skills/imprint/` |
| **Cline** | SKILL.md | copy to `~/.cline/skills/imprint/` |
| **Roo** | SKILL.md | copy to `~/.roo/skills/imprint/` |
**native** = one-command install from the platform's skill registry. **directory** = listed in the platform's plugin directory. **extension** = VS Code extension with auto-install to 14 agent directories. **SKILL.md** = copy the file to the agent's skills directory.
## Your imprint is yours
The imprint is a **plain text file** sitting next to your code. You own it.
- **Read** it, no black box, no vendor cache
- **Edit** it, nudge a preference, commit the change
- **Version** it, it's just git
- **Share** it, hand it to a teammate, they inherit your working style
- **Port** it, every SKILL.md agent speaks the same file
Switch tools, the imprint comes with you. No lock-in. Ever.
## Schema at a glance
```text
META schema version, timestamps, session count
CORE global behavioral genes with confidence and scope
GENE traits (T:) and anti-patterns (A:), conditional via when:
FACT verifiable environment data (stack, deploy target, model access)
PROJECT repo-specific overrides, stack, constraints, mismatches
LESSONS cross-project traps, accumulated from real experience
PROGRESS milestone-only checkpoints, auto-summarized every 10 entries
RUNTIME current mode settings (transparency, speed, compression)
DECAY lifecycle rules for tentative genes and inactive projects
```
Core imprint stays under 500 tokens. Project and progress layers can grow.
## Example: real .dna.md
This is what an actual profile looks like after a few sessions:
```
::DNA{user}
::META{schema:2.0|updated:2026-04-18|sessions:5}
::CORE{
::CONTEXT{role:fullstack_dev|experience:4yr|model_access:2|discoverability:yes}
::GENE{style|conf:confirmed|scope:global}
T:conclusions_first
T:minimal_output|when:task_simple
T:full_detail|when:task_complex
A:verbose_without_signal⇒waste
::GENE{planning|conf:confirmed|scope:global}
T:build_first_plan_later
A:monolithic_spec⇒reject
::GENE{debug|conf:4/5|scope:global}
T:check_architecture_before_code
A:guess_from_error_message⇒wrong_direction
}
::FACT{
::ITEM{key:preferred_stack|value:react,node|conf:confirmed}
::ITEM{key:models_used|value:claude,gpt|conf:confirmed}
}
::PROJECT{repo:my-saas}
::STACK{frontend:next.js|backend:node|db:postgres}
::CONSTRAINT{auth:clerk|deploy:vercel}
}
::LESSONS{
::LESSON{id:middleware_order_matters|type:debug|scope:project|conf:confirmed}
::LESSON{id:always_check_env_vars_first|type:deploy|scope:cross_project|conf:3/5}
}
::PROGRESS{
::ITEM{date:2026-04-18|done:auth_flow|learned:clerk_webhook_needs_raw_body|next:stripe_integration}
}
::RUNTIME{transparency:quiet|speed:balanced|compression:structured_default}
::DECAY{tentative_unseen_30d=>remove|repeated_3x=>confirm|progress_10_items=>summarize}
::END{DNA}
```
312 tokens. Carries code style, debugging approach, project context, lessons, and progress across every session and every agent.
## Changelog
### v2.1 (2026-04-19)
- **Add** Hermes Agent compatibility: native install via `hermes skills install ilang-ai/Imprint`
- **Add** agentskills.io-compatible frontmatter (version, author, metadata.hermes.tags)
- **Update** compatibility table and install docs
### v2.0 (2026-04-18)
- **Schema 2.0**: CORE/PROJECT layered separation. Global genes no longer mix with project overrides.
- **Conditional genes**: `T:minimal|when:simple` + `T:full_detail|when:complex`. Context-dependent behavior.
- **Five conflict types**: user vs history, global vs project, two confirmed contradicting, multi-agent disagreement, lesson vs task. Each with explicit resolution.
- **Progress compression**: auto-summarize every 10 entries, keep file lean.
- **User transparency**: quiet/explain/audit three modes, natural switching.
- **Reflexion reframed**: part of the thinking process, not an extra API call. Zero visible latency.
- **Context drift protection**: re-read profile before major decisions in long sessions.
- **Team override**: project linter and team style rules always override personal genes.
- **Speed mode**: `RUNTIME{speed:fast}` skips reflexion for latency-sensitive work.
- **Version sync**: all manifests aligned to 2.0.0.
### v1.5 (2026-04-18)
- **Add** reflexion loop for single-model code review: AI self-critiques and fixes its own output before presenting to user
- **Improve** code review no longer uses a static checklist, now runs an active self-correction cycle checking against user's profile and lessons
### v1.4 (2026-04-18)
- **Rebrand** from all-in-one to Imprint
- **Add** Imprint design assets: banner, logo, social preview
- **Add** `.cursor-plugin/` for Cursor Marketplace compatibility
- **Add** `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` for self-distribution
- **Submit** to Claude Code official marketplace and Cursor Marketplace
### v1.3 (2026-04-18)
- **Add** plugin manifest (`.claude-plugin/plugin.json`) for official marketplace
- **Move** SKILL.md to `skills/imprint/SKILL.md` per plugin spec
- **Update** install instructions for plugin format
### v1.2 (2026-04-18)
- **Fix** enforce *one question per message* with explicit forbidden/correct examples
- **Fix** platform memory cache no longer bypasses onboarding
- **Improve** Rule 1 and Rule 2 promoted to top-level critical rules
- **Improve** onboarding wrap-up phrasing more natural
### v1.1 (2026-04-18)
- **Fix** onboarding now asks one question at a time (was dumping 4-6 at once)
- **Fix** never expose internal terminology to user
- **Add** activation rules with auto-trigger on session start
- **Add** conflict resolution, mutation, decay, priority rules
- **Add** upgraded schema with META / FACT / PROJECT / PROGRESS / RUNTIME layers
### v1.0 (2026-04-18)
- Initial release
## Contributing
Issues and PRs welcome. Keep the imprint under 500 tokens and the file
human-readable, those are the two hard constraints.
## Links
- [ilang.ai](https://ilang.ai)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/ilang-ai/Imprint)
- [VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ILang.imprint)
- [Open VSX](https://open-vsx.org/extension/ILang/imprint)
- [Cursor Directory](https://cursor.directory/plugins/imprint)
- [skills.sh](https://skills.sh/ilang-ai/Imprint/imprint)
- [Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/i-Lang/Imprint)
- [SKILL.md spec](https://github.com/ilang-ai/ilang-spec)
## License
MIT License. 2026 iLang Inc. / Palm Media Technology / Canada.
**Powered by the [I-Lang v4.0 Protocol](https://ilang.ai)**, an open standard for human-AI communication.
*Published by Claude (automated)*