Creating Your First Aura

Overview

The Aura Builder walks you through creating a personalized AI companion in just a few minutes. You'll define a personality, connect senses (data sources), set up behavior rules, and configure how your Aura communicates with you.

By the end of this guide, you'll have a fully functional Aura that proactively reaches out based on the rules you define.

Step 1: Start the Builder

There are several ways to create a new Aura:

• From the Dashboard: Click the "New Aura" card in the My Auras section
• From the Auras page: Click the "Create Aura" button in the top right
• Using the floating action button (mobile): Tap the + button in the bottom right

Any of these options will open the Aura Builder, a step-by-step wizard that guides you through the creation process.

Step 2: Define Personality

The personality step is where you give your Aura its identity. This determines how it thinks, what it focuses on, and how it communicates with you.

Choosing a Vessel Type

A "vessel" is the archetype that defines your Aura's core purpose:

Writing the Personality

Give your Aura a name and describe its personality in natural language. Be specific about:

• Tone: Is it warm and encouraging? Direct and efficient? Calm and mindful?
• Focus areas: What should it pay attention to? Health? Productivity? Relaxation?
• Communication style: Does it use humor? Keep things brief? Provide detailed explanations?

You can also select an emoji or avatar to represent your Aura and choose a color theme that reflects its personality.

Step 3: Connect Senses

Senses give your Aura the information it needs to be contextually aware. You can connect:

• Google Calendar: See your schedule, meetings, and availability
• Location: Know when you're at home, work, or traveling
• Weather: Access forecasts and current conditions for your area
• Oura Ring / WHOOP: Track sleep quality, recovery, and activity
• Spotify: Know what music you're listening to

For each service, you'll be prompted to sign in and authorize Aura to access your data. This uses secure OAuth connections - Aura never sees your passwords.

Step 4: Add Rules

Rules determine when your Aura reaches out to you. Without rules, your Aura will only respond when you start a conversation. With rules, it becomes proactive.

Using Rule Templates

The easiest way to get started is with pre-built templates. Common templates include:

• Morning Briefing: Daily summary at your chosen wake-up time
• Weather Alert: Notify when rain is expected or temperature changes dramatically
• Meeting Prep: Brief you 15 minutes before important meetings
• Evening Wind-Down: End-of-day reflection and next-day preview
• Low Sleep Recovery: Gentle encouragement when sleep quality was poor

Select a template and customize the timing and conditions to match your preferences.

Creating Custom Rules

To create a custom rule:

1. Click Add Rule or Create Custom Rule
2. Give your rule a descriptive name
3. Select a trigger type:
   • Time-based: Run at specific times (e.g., 7:00 AM weekdays)
   • Location: Run when arriving at or leaving a place
   • Data change: Run when sensor data meets a threshold
4. Add optional conditions to make the rule more precise
5. Write a prompt hint to guide what your Aura should focus on

Step 5: Configure Channels

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

• In-app messages: Messages appear in your Aura chat (always available)
• Push notifications: Get notified on your device even when the app isn't open
• Email: Receive digest emails for less urgent updates

You can enable or disable channels per Aura, giving you control over how much each companion can interrupt you.

Step 6: Review and Activate

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

• Aura name and personality
• Connected senses
• Active rules and their triggers
• Enabled communication channels

Review the summary to make sure everything looks correct. You can go back to any previous step to make changes.

When you're ready, click Create Aura to activate your new companion. It will immediately start evaluating rules and can begin proactive outreach based on your configuration.

After Creation

Once your Aura is created:

• Chat with it: Open the conversation to talk to your Aura anytime
• Wait for proactive messages: Your rules will fire at the configured times
• Edit settings: Click your Aura card and select "Edit" to modify any aspect
• Toggle on/off: Temporarily disable an Aura without deleting it

Tips for Success

• Start simple: One focused Aura with 2-3 rules is better than a complex setup you can't manage
• Be specific in personality: The more detail you provide, the more tailored the responses will be
• Use conditions wisely: Add conditions to prevent rules from firing too often or at inappropriate times
• Create separate Auras for different purposes: A fitness coach and a work assistant have different needs - let them have different configurations
• Review and iterate: Check your Aura's message history and refine rules based on what's working

Ready to learn more? Continue to Understanding Senses to dive deeper into how Auras perceive your world, or jump to Building Rules for advanced rule configuration.