Aura Builder | Aura Help

Overview

The Aura Builder is your tool for creating personalized AI companions. It guides you through a step-by-step process to define your Aura's personality, connect relevant data sources, set up intelligent behavior rules, and configure how your Aura communicates with you.

Whether you're creating your first Aura or your tenth, the builder ensures you configure everything needed for a fully functional, proactive companion.

Accessing the Builder

You can open the Aura Builder from several places:

Dashboard: Click the "New Aura" card in the My Auras carousel
Auras page: Click the "Create Aura" button in the header
Mobile: Tap the floating + button in the bottom right corner

To edit an existing Aura, click the Aura's card and select Edit, or click the edit icon on the Auras page. This opens the same builder with your current settings pre-filled.

Builder Steps

The builder walks you through five steps. You can navigate between steps freely - changes are saved as drafts until you complete the final step.

Personality

This is where you define who your Aura is:

Name: Give your Aura a memorable name (e.g., "Dawn", "Coach Max", "Evening Zen")
Vessel Type: Choose an archetype that defines the core purpose (Companion, Coach, Mentor, Guardian)
Personality Description: Write a natural language description of how your Aura should think and communicate
Appearance: Select an emoji or avatar, and choose a color theme

Tip

The personality description is the most important setting. Be specific about tone, focus areas, and communication style. The more detail you provide, the more tailored your Aura's responses will be.

Senses

Senses are the data sources your Aura can access:

Connect external services (Google Calendar, Oura, Spotify, etc.)
Enable location sharing
Weather is automatically available once location is enabled

Each Aura can have different senses enabled. A fitness coach might need wearable data but not your calendar, while a work assistant might need your calendar but not your music.

Rules

Rules make your Aura proactive. Without rules, your Aura only responds when you start a conversation. With rules, it can reach out at the right moments.

Templates: Pre-built rules for common scenarios (morning briefing, weather alerts, meeting prep)
Custom rules: Build your own with triggers, conditions, and actions

See Behavior Rules for a deep dive into rule configuration.

Channels

Channels determine how your Aura reaches you when a rule fires:

In-app: Messages appear in your conversation (always available)
Push notifications: Get alerted on your device
Email: Receive digest emails (optional)

Review

The final step shows a summary of everything you've configured:

Aura name, personality, and appearance
Connected senses
Active rules and their triggers
Enabled notification channels

Review the summary, make any final adjustments by going back to previous steps, then click Create Aura to activate your new companion.

Vessel Types Explained

The vessel type sets the foundational archetype for your Aura. It influences the default personality traits and suggested use cases:

Vessel	Characteristics	Best For
Companion	Friendly, supportive, conversational	Daily check-ins, general assistance, emotional support
Coach	Motivating, goal-oriented, encouraging	Fitness, habits, productivity, personal growth
Mentor	Wise, thoughtful, educational	Career guidance, skill development, learning
Guardian	Protective, vigilant, safety-focused	Health monitoring, reminders, watchful oversight

Note

The vessel type is a starting point. Your personality description overrides and extends the base archetype. A "Coach" vessel with a calm personality description will be less intense than one described as "high-energy and demanding."

Writing Effective Personalities

The personality description is a natural language prompt that shapes how your Aura communicates. Here are tips for writing effective ones:

Be specific about tone: "Warm and encouraging" is better than "nice"
Define focus areas: "Focus on my fitness goals and sleep quality"
Set communication style: "Keep messages brief and actionable" or "Provide detailed explanations when helpful"
Add personality quirks: "Occasionally use humor" or "Reference motivational quotes when appropriate"
Specify what to avoid: "Don't be preachy" or "Avoid generic advice"

Example:

"You are a morning wellness coach named Zen. You're calm, mindful, and focused on helping me start each day with intention. Keep messages concise but meaningful. Reference my sleep data when relevant, and suggest mindfulness practices when my schedule is hectic. Avoid being preachy - I prefer gentle suggestions over commands."

Editing Existing Auras

To modify an Aura you've already created:

Go to My Auras or the Auras page
Click on the Aura you want to edit
Click the Edit button (pencil icon)
The builder opens with all current settings pre-filled
Make your changes and click Save

Changes take effect immediately. Updated rules will use the new configuration on their next evaluation.

Deleting Auras

To permanently delete an Aura:

Go to the Auras page
Find the Aura you want to delete
Click the trash icon on the Aura card
Confirm the deletion

Warning

Deleting an Aura removes all conversation history and configured rules. This action cannot be undone. Consider disabling the Aura instead if you might want to use it again later.

To temporarily disable an Aura without deleting it, use the power toggle on the Aura card or in the Aura's settings. Disabled Auras don't evaluate rules or send proactive messages, but retain all their configuration.