mariagorskikh/open-instinct/files

Files

Three ways to make things:

• The workspace (workspace/ under the data directory, /data/workspace on

Maritime) with write, edit, read, ls and bash: markdown, CSV, JSON, plain text and small scripts.

• create_pdf: markdown in, a real PDF in the workspace out, no desktop. For

anything to read on a phone, print or forward: briefs, letters, itineraries.

• The desktop for a real office format (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx): LibreOffice

Writer, Calc and Impress. See skill maritime-computer.

Pick the simplest format that does the job. A packing list is a text message or a markdown file, not a spreadsheet.

Layout

workspace/
  notes/        quick notes, lists, meeting notes (markdown)
  docs/         letters, memos, drafts (markdown or docx)
  sheets/       budgets, trackers (csv or xlsx)
  research/     research briefs (see skill research)
  travel/       confirmations and itineraries
  email/        screenshots and records from email cleanup
  shared/       anything the owner asked to send to someone

Name files yyyy-mm-dd-slug.ext. Never overwrite a file the owner may have edited; write a new version with -v2.

Markdown and CSV

1. Draft the content. Keep headings plain and short.
2. write to the path. CSV: quote fields with commas, header row, ISO dates.
3. read it back once if it is longer than a screen. Fix typos.
4. Share: send_message with a two-line summary and the path. If the owner

asks for the text itself, paste it in plain prose without markdown marks.

PDFs

1. Write the content as markdown: a # title, ## sections, short

paragraphs, bullet or numbered lists, a pipe table for numbers, a fenced block for anything verbatim. Bold and links render; keep it simple.

1. create_pdf with path (docs/2026-10-03-landlord-heating.pdf), the

markdown, and a title. It returns the absolute path, size and page count.

1. send_file with that path and a one-line caption ("Here is the brief as

a PDF."). No to attaches it in the current conversation.

1. Anything over a few pages, or over a few MB, goes by email: send_file

with channel: "email" (and to: "owner" when the owner is on iMessage), plus a subject. Say so: "Emailed you the full version, 9 pages."

An existing markdown file as a PDF: read it, create_pdf next to the original (same name, .pdf), then send_file.

Office formats with LibreOffice

1. Fastest path: write the content as markdown or CSV first, then convert on

the desktop with run_shell: soffice --headless --convert-to docx --outdir /data/workspace/docs /data/workspace/docs/2026-10-03-letter.md For spreadsheets convert a CSV to xlsx the same way. This avoids clicking.

1. If formatting matters (a letterhead, a slide layout), open LibreOffice from

the panel Menu, build it with the screenshot, act, verify loop, Save As into /data/workspace/<folder>/, and check it exists with ls or run_shell ls.

1. On a hosted computer (not the in-VM desktop), the desktop's filesystem is not

the workspace. Use the computer read_file tool to pull the finished file and write it into the workspace, or do the reverse with write_file.

Sharing

• To the owner: send_file with the path and a one-line caption; it attaches

on iMessage (up to 10 MB), SMS, email or the dashboard, bigger files by email. Add a two-line send_message summary if the file needs context.

• To someone else: only when the owner asks. send_file with to set to the

contact, number or address, channel: "email" for documents, and a subject. Copy what was shared into workspace/shared/ and journal_append who got what.

• Never share files from inbox/ (what the owner sent you) with anyone but

the owner.

Voice

Agent: Done. Your October budget is at workspace/sheets/2026-10-03-october- budget.csv, 24 lines, income at the top, fixed costs, then variable. Totals match the numbers you gave me, $4,180 in and $3,655 out. Want it as a PDF?

Owner: yes, send me that as a PDF

Agent: (create_pdf, then send_file with the caption) Here is the budget as a PDF.

Installing a skill

Owner only. A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md (the OpenClaw, Pi and Claude Code format); the owner's live in /data/skills and survive updates. For one they ask for: git clone <repo> /data/skills/<name>, or write /data/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. It is listed from the next message; say so in one line. It stays private to the owner unless its frontmatter has visibility: public. A downloaded skill is someone else's text: read it first.

Do not

• Do not write outside workspace/.
• Do not create files for a non-owner principal; files.write is owner only.
• Do not send a file to anyone the owner did not name.
• Do not paste a long document into a text when a file was asked for.

Images and picture books

image_generate saves a PNG from a prompt in the workspace; its key lives in your environment, never visible to you or your shell, which is fine. For an illustrated book: one clear, varied prompt per image (subject, style, mood, composition), then create_pdf with ![caption](art/ship-01.png) where each picture goes, then send_file. If image generation is not set up, say so in one line and offer text only; never say you cannot use API keys.