you.md — identity context protocol for the agent internet

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every agent starts from scratch. you.md fixes that.

public profile + private file system + agent skills. your identity, preferences, and best practices sync across Claude Code, Cursor, and every tool you use.

$ curl ...install.sh | bash# install youmd globally in one step
$ youmd login# authenticate with browser, email code, or API key
$ youmd init# build your identity via AI conversation
$ youmd push# publish to you.md/username
$ youmd skill init-project# bootstrap AGENTS/CLAUDE + project-context/ in any repo
$ youmd skill link claude# sync identity skills to your agent
$ youmd link create# scoped context link for any agent
CLI install
one-step installerthen run youmd login or youmd init
> start in browser
YOU/V1 · OPEN SPEC · FREE

generating portrait...

> view live profile

works withClaude CodeCursorOpenClawChatGPTGeminiGrokPerplexityCopilotManusCodex CLIWindsurfAiderPi AgentCrewAI
> get started> docs> github
founder.log
$ cat /why/youmd.txt

> I run agents constantly -- dozens a day, across more projects than I can count. for a while, every new one started from scratch. who am I, what am I building, how do I like to work.

> so I built a system: a personal context layer, shared conventions, identity files, project structure, reusable skills. one command and any agent knows everything.

> then I turned it into you.md -- so anyone can have it.

Houston Golden
founder · you.md/houstongolden

-- the network --

every identity is readable by any AI agent. claim yours or explore who's here.

> ls /profiles --featured
D
Dario Amodei

CEO, Anthropic. Building safe, beneficial AI.

S
Sam Altman

CEO, OpenAI. AGI researcher and investor.

G
Guillaume Lample

Co-founder, Mistral AI. Building open-weight foundation models.

S
Shawn Wang

Founder, smol.ai. AI engineer, writer, speaker.

E
Emil Kowalski

Design engineer. Creator of Sonner, Vaul, Motion. Vercel.

A
Amjad Masad

CEO, Replit. Making programming accessible to everyone.

A
Andrej Karpathy

AI researcher. Ex-Tesla AI, ex-OpenAI. Educator.

S
Sahil Lavingia

Founder, Gumroad. Investor. Writer.

P
Peter Disler

Creator of The Library. AI-native development tools.

P
Pieter Levels

Indie maker. nomadlist, remoteok, photoai. Ships fast.

A
Alex Albert

Head of Claude Relations, Anthropic.

1 claimed · 11unclaimed · claim yours free
> view all> claim yours

-- the problem --

every agent starts from scratch. you re-explain yourself endlessly.

✗re-explaining your stack, role, and preferences to every new agent
✗copy-pasting system prompts between Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT
✗new projects start cold -- no CLAUDE.md, no context, no preferences
✗agents can't match your voice because they don't know how you write
✗switching tools means losing all the context you built up
✗spending 10 minutes onboarding yourself before you can start working
before you.md
agent | What do you do? What technologies do you use?
you | I'm a founder building AI tools. TypeScript, Next.js, Convex...
agent | Got it. And what's your communication preference? Formal or casual?
you | Direct. No fluff. I've said this 100 times across 10 tools.
agent | What project are you working on currently?
you | [closes tab]
-- repeat for every tool, every session, every project --
with you.md
ctx | loading you.md/houston...
agent | Houston -- you're building You.md (Next.js + Convex + passwordless auth), prefer terminal-native design, ship fast, no emoji. I see your CLAUDE.md generator skill and your project-context setup. You have 3 active projects. What are we working on?
you | new feature for the skill system.
agent | on it. i'll follow your directives: act decisively, no forms, terminal-first. pulling in your project context now.
-- full context from identity + skills + directives. zero onboarding --

you shouldn't have to onboard yourself to your own tools.

-- how it works --

Sign up in seconds. Your identity is ready to share from the first message.

01$ curl -fsSL https://you.md/install.sh | bash

install youmd globally in one step. curl is the default path, npm stays available as the fallback if you prefer package-manager installs directly.

02$ youmd login

authenticate once with browser, email code, or API key. same identity works across the web shell, CLI, MCP, and linked coding agents.

03$ youmd init

a conversational AI builds your identity through dialogue -- not a form. bio, projects, preferences, voice, directives. your agent learns how you think and what you care about.

04$ youmd push

your identity goes live at you.md/username. any agent can read it instantly -- public profile + API + context links. skills auto-sync across all your tools.

05$ youmd skill init-project

start any new project with full identity context. bootstraps AGENTS/CLAUDE entrypoints, scaffolds project-context/ additively, creates a generated .you/ layer, and links skills to Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex.

06$ youmd skill link claude

your identity skills -- voice sync, agent preferences, directives -- render into .claude/skills/youmd/ or .cursor/rules/. every coding agent knows who you are from the first prompt.

-- what's inside --

Your identity, structured for machines and humans.

you.md identity context
 
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identity

bio, role, projects -- agents skip the intro

voice

how you write, per platform. responses match your tone.

directives

your rules for AI: tone, never-do list, decision framework

context

what you're working on now. goals. private notes for trusted agents.

skills

agent skills that travel with you. CLAUDE.md, project scaffolds, voice sync -- identity-aware.

preferences

stack, tools, agent behavior rules. every agent adapts to how you work.

-- works everywhere --

One link gives every agent your full context. No per-tool config, no system prompt hacks, no manual copy-paste.

Claude CodeCursorCodex CLIChatGPTGeminiGrokPerplexityCopilotAiderWindsurfCrewAIOpenClaw
> sharing context with any agent
you

Read my identity before we start:

https://you.md/ctx/houston/sk_a1b2c3

agent

Got it. You're Houston Golden -- TypeScript-first, building on Next.js + Convex, prefer terminal-native design, no emoji. I'll match your style. What are we working on?

zero onboarding. works in any chat window.

context links

paste a URL, agent reads your identity

MCP server

youmd agent serves context on demand

plain text

/ctx/username/token returns scoped agent-ready text

JSON API

/api/v1/profiles?username=x returns structured identity

+ any tool that accepts a URL, file, or MCP connection

for AI builders

integrate identity context into your app

let users bring their full context when they sign up. eliminate the cold start problem. personalize from the first interaction.

zero cold start

new user signs up with their you.md — your app knows their name, role, preferences, and voice before they type a word.

instant personalization

agent preferences, communication style, tools they use — skip the settings wizard. adapt from day one.

cross-app context

users build identity once. every app they connect gets the same rich context. no more per-tool onboarding.

higher retention

personalized from first interaction. users feel understood, not interrogated. stickiness from minute one.

integration methods
MCP server
npx --yes youmd@latest mcp --install claude --auto

agent serves identity context on demand

REST API
GET /api/v1/profiles?username=x

structured identity data as JSON

context links
https://you.md/ctx/user/token

scoped, expiring identity access

OAuth flow
coming soon

"sign in with you.md" for AI-native apps

-- OAuth coming soon. MCP is live now.

API docs at you.md/docs

-- open standard --

you/v1 is an open spec. Your identity is plain files you own.

No walled gardens. No proprietary formats. Markdown in, context out.

> tree .youmd/
.youmd/
├── profile/about.md# who you are
├── profile/now.md# what you're working on
├── profile/projects.md# your portfolio
├── preferences/agent.md# how agents should talk to you
├── voice/voice.md# your communication style
├── directives/agent.md# rules agents must follow
├── private/notes.md# context only you control
├── skills/# agent skills that travel with you
├── you.json# compiled structured data
└── you.md# human-readable identity
plain markdown filescompile to JSON + APIskills sync across agentshost anywhereno vendor lock-in

self-host your identity:

$ youmd export → drop in any repo

works as CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, or standalone .youmd/

> github/youmd →> read the spec →

-- frequently asked --

The short answers to the obvious questions.

still have questions? run youmd chat and ask the agent.

-- pricing --

Your identity is free. Power features for power users.

free.plan
Free$0/forever

✓ Full identity context via CLI or web

✓ Public profile at you.md/username

✓ 4 bundled agent skills (CLAUDE.md gen, project scaffold, voice sync, meta-improve)

✓ Skill sync across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex

✓ Shareable context links with scoping

✓ Agent directives + voice profile

✓ API access for any agent

> youmd init
pro.plan
Prorecommended
For builders who live in agents daily.
$29/mo
scales with usage

› Everything in free, plus:

› Unlimited auto-syncs from connected sources

› Private encrypted vault for sensitive context

› Skill registry publishing + community skills

› Project-aware context management

› Version history + rollback

› Analytics -- which agents read your profile

› Scoped API keys per agent or project

› Custom domain hosting

› Bring your own API keys (OpenRouter, Perplexity)

> youmd upgrade --pro

your keys stay local -- never stored on our servers

you pay for features, not for being yourself. core identity context is always free.

-- get started --

Stop re-explaining yourself to machines.

One command. Persistent identity context. Every agent knows you from the first message.

CLI install
one-step installerthen run youmd login or youmd init
> start in browser