An open-source collection of AI style profiles inspired by public technical work from developers and technical leaders we admire. Each profile is a respectful, fictionalized homage — a set of prompt instructions that shapes how an AI coding assistant communicates, reasons about trade-offs, and frames feedback, inspired by publicly observable aspects of a developer's engineering style.
Works with Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and any tool that accepts a system prompt.
Please read:
pairwithprofiles are not the real people they reference. A profile is not endorsed, reviewed, approved, sponsored, or affiliated with the referenced person unless explicitly stated. Profiles are based only on public material, community interpretation, and admiration. They are intended for education, inspiration, and developer workflow experimentation. Please do not usepairwithto deceive, impersonate, harass, defame, or misrepresent anyone. SeeDISCLAIMER.mdfor the full project posture.
AI pair programming today tends toward a single average, cautious, personality-free style. Pairing with a developer you admire is valuable precisely because of how they approach problems — the order in which they prioritize trade-offs, the questions they ask first, the things they push back on.
pairwithlets a style like that be captured as a versionable prompt and re-used across AI tools.
- Share your style → write
profiles/<your-handle>.mdfollowingTEMPLATE.mdand open a PR to the official registry. Or host it in your own GitHub repo. - Try a profile → run
npx pairwith install <handle>and the profile is written to your local AI tool's configuration directory. - During a session, the assistant uses that profile's principles, heuristics, and communication style to frame its responses. It is not the referenced person; it is an assistant following the profile's guidance.
Profiles are plain Markdown with YAML frontmatter. No custom runtime, no server — just files. The CLI handles writing each profile into the format each tool expects.
Install a profile and select it from the Claude Code /agents picker. The assistant uses that profile's style for the session.
Use any installed profile on the fly without switching sessions:
/pair-with merencia review these changes
/pair-with caarlos0 what do you think about this API design?
/pair-with alice help me write this migrationThe assistant reads the profile for that handle and responds using its style — the heuristics, tone, and typical reasoning — for that specific task. Again: the assistant is not the person, and does not speak for them.
Use the create-profile skill to generate a draft from a GitHub handle, public links, and optional reference material you provide:
/create-profile
/create-profile caarlos0
/create-profile caarlos0 carlosbecker.com linkedin.com/in/caarlos0
/create-profile merencia merencia.com ./my-style-notes.md
/create-profile caarlos0 https://github.com/caarlos0/dotfiles/blob/main/skills/pair-with-caarlos0/SKILL.mdThe skill asks for a GitHub handle if not provided, fetches the public profile, repos, and any URLs you pass, reads any local file, and generates a draft profiles/<handle>.md following the template — including the mandatory non-impersonation header. You review and adjust it before saving. See PROFILE_POLICY.md for the rules it follows.
npx pairwith installRun without arguments to leave everything ready to use and ready to contribute:
- Creates
~/.claude/agents/and~/.claude/skills/if they don't exist - Installs the
pair-withandcreate-profileskills globally - Lists available official profiles and asks which ones to install (or pass
--all) - Asks for your GitHub handle and scaffolds
profiles/<handle>.mdfrom the template — ready to fill in and open a PR - Prints a summary and next steps
npx pairwith install --all # install all official profiles without prompting
npx pairwith install --skip-profile # skip profile scaffolding# Bootstrap everything (skills + profiles + scaffold your own)
npx pairwith install
# Install for all detected tools (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)
npx pairwith install merencia
# Install for a specific tool
npx pairwith install merencia --for claude
npx pairwith install merencia --for copilot # writes ~/.copilot/agents/merencia.agent.md
npx pairwith install merencia --for cursor # writes ~/.cursor/rules/merencia.mdc
npx pairwith install merencia --for all
# External repo (profile hosted in someone's own repo)
npx pairwith install user/my-profile
# External collection repo (pick a specific handle)
npx pairwith install user/profiles-repo#alice
# Full URL also works
npx pairwith install https://github.com/user/repo
# Preview a profile before installing — recommended for external sources
npx pairwith print <source>Always a good idea with an external source: run npx pairwith print <source> first, read it, and make sure it only contains what you'd expect in a style profile. Profiles are prompt instructions — see SECURITY.md.
| Format | Resolution |
|---|---|
<handle> (no /) |
Official registry → merencia/pairwith/profiles/<handle>.md |
<user>/<repo> |
External repo. Layout auto-detected. |
<user>/<repo>#<handle> |
External collection; picks the specified handle. |
| Full GitHub URL | Same logic, direct. |
--for |
Where it installs | Auto-detected? |
|---|---|---|
claude |
~/.claude/agents/<name>.md |
Yes, if ~/.claude/ exists |
cursor |
~/.cursor/rules/<name>.mdc |
Yes, if ~/.cursor/ exists |
copilot |
~/.copilot/agents/<name>.agent.md |
Yes, if ~/.copilot/ exists |
all |
All of the above | — |
If no --for is passed, the CLI installs for all auto-detected tools. If nothing is detected, defaults to Claude Code.
Invoke an installed Copilot agent with copilot --agent=<name> "<task>" (or /agent interactively).
When fetching an external repo, the CLI looks in this order:
profile.mdat root → single-profile repo.claude/agents/*.md→ extracts from thereprofiles/<handle>.md→ collection repo (requires#handleif multiple)- Single
.mdwith valid frontmatter at root → uses that
If nothing matches, fails with a clear message explaining the accepted layouts.
npx pairwith list # list available official profiles
npx pairwith search <term> # search by name
npx pairwith installed # show installed profiles across all tools
npx pairwith installed --for cursor # filter by tool
npx pairwith remove <handle> # remove from all detected tools
npx pairwith remove <handle> --for claude # remove from a specific tool
npx pairwith update <handle> # update an installed profile
npx pairwith print <handle> # print profile body to stdout (good for inspection)- Resolves the argument → determines the source (official registry vs. external repo).
- Shallow-fetches the content (no full
git clone— viaraw.githubusercontent.comwhen possible, GitHub API otherwise). - Validates YAML frontmatter (
nameanddescriptionrequired) and required sections. - Shows a short safety notice the first time per session, then writes to the tool-specific directory.
- Prints:
✓ Installed.
Conflicts (profile already installed) prompt for confirmation before overwriting, unless you pass --force.
---
name: merencia
description: A style profile inspired by Merencia's public technical writing — pragmatic, refactor-first, direct.
model: sonnet
---
> **Non-impersonation notice.** This is a community-created AI style profile inspired by publicly observable aspects of technical work associated with the named developer. It is not the real person, does not represent them, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with them unless explicitly stated.
# Principles
...
# Decision heuristics
...
# Tone and communication
...
# Dialogue examples
...| Section | Required? | What to put |
|---|---|---|
| Non-impersonation notice | yes | The standard header from TEMPLATE.md. Do not skip. |
| Principles | yes | Non-negotiable technical values the profile emphasizes ("this profile prefers explicit code over magic"). |
| Decision heuristics | yes | How the profile chooses between options ("when in doubt between abstracting and duplicating, this profile prefers duplication until the third occurrence"). |
| Tone and communication | yes | Formal/informal, verbose/terse, direct/diplomatic — how the profile should sound. |
| Typical reasoning | recommended | The order in which the profile approaches a new problem. |
| Anti-patterns | recommended | What the profile avoids in code, reviews, or process. |
| Stack and preferences | recommended | Languages, frameworks, and tools the profile defaults to. |
| Dialogue examples | yes (min. 2) | Realistic illustrative exchanges — not verbatim quotes. These teach the assistant the profile's style most effectively. |
| Author context | optional | Public biographical context. No private information. |
See PROFILE_POLICY.md for the full set of rules.
If a profile here references your work and you'd prefer it be removed, renamed, reframed, or otherwise changed — open an issue or a PR deleting profiles/<your-handle>.md.
- The purpose of this project is admiration and learning. If that framing does not work for you, the framing loses.
- Removal requests from the referenced person will be prioritized, handled respectfully, and do not require justification.
- Disputed profiles may be temporarily removed while reviewed.
- No endorsement is implied by the presence of a profile, and nothing here is affiliated with your employer, your organizations, or your person unless the profile explicitly says so.
Three paths, from most manual to most automated:
/create-profile(recommended) — run the skill in Claude Code. Pass your GitHub handle and any useful links. The AI fetches your public profile, repos, and references, then generates a draft following the template. You review and adjust before saving.- Fill in the template — complete
TEMPLATE.mddirectly. More work, most faithful. - Get interviewed by an AI — ask an AI you talk to often (Claude, ChatGPT) to summarize your reasoning, decisions, and tone based on conversation history. Suggested prompt:
"Based on our conversations, describe my technical reasoning, decision-making heuristics, tone, and what bothers me in code. Use concrete examples when possible."
The best source of a profile is the Dialogue examples section. Paste real conversations — editing out sensitive info — rather than trying to describe your style in the abstract.
- Public data, respectful framing — profiles are based only on public technical material (open-source contributions, public writing, public talks, documentation). Framing is always a homage, never a claim of identity. See
PROFILE_POLICY.md. - Not a quote, not a spokesperson — profiles capture an approximation of style. They do not represent the referenced person's actual statements, opinions, or positions. Do not quote a profile as if it were a direct statement from the person.
- Right to removal — referenced people can request removal, rename, or reframing at any time. No justification required.
- No malicious impersonation — profiles must not be used to deceive, defame, harass, or facilitate fraud. See
DISCLAIMER.md. - Profiles are prompts, not trusted code — the CLI never executes profile content, but the assistant will follow the instructions inside it. Inspect profiles before installing. See
SECURITY.md. - Zero proprietary infrastructure — the CLI consumes GitHub directly; the "official registry" is just the
profiles/directory in this repo. No server, no database, no account.
- Not a clone of the referenced developer. It is a style approximation based on public material.
- Not a repository of generic prompts like "you are a senior engineer…". Profiles here are specific to public technical work.
- Not a marketplace. Everything is free and open.
-
TEMPLATE.mdv1 with non-impersonation header - Reference profiles (
profiles/merencia.md,profiles/caarlos0.md, etc.) - Skills:
pair-with,create-profile(Claude Code) - CLI v1 —
install,list,search,installed,remove,update,print - Multi-tool adapters: Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot
- Published to npm as
pairwith -
inspectcommand — preview profile content with a highlighted summary before install -
--dry-run,--path <custom-dir>flags - Profile versioning (
merencia@v2as the developer evolves) - Support for clients beyond the current adapters
- Verified-profile marker when explicit consent is on file
See CONTRIBUTING.md. Quick summary:
- Profiles — open a PR with
profiles/<handle>.mdfollowingTEMPLATE.md. Include at least 2 dialogue examples and the mandatory non-impersonation header. Declare the consent tier in the PR description. - CLI / docs — bug fixes and small features welcome. Open an issue first for anything non-trivial.
If you prefer to host your profile in your own repo, no PR is needed — anyone can install it via npx pairwith install <user>/<repo>.
DISCLAIMER.md— project posture, no affiliation, no impersonation, removal on request.PROFILE_POLICY.md— rules for creating and contributing profiles.SECURITY.md— how to think about profile safety (profiles are prompts).CONTRIBUTING.md— how to contribute code, docs, or profiles.AGENTS.md— ground rules for anyone (human or AI) working in this repo.
MIT for the repository infrastructure (CLI + structure). Each profile's content belongs to its author; authors may add a usage note at the top of their own file.
This project is maintained as an open-source community tool. These policies are intended to encourage respectful use, but they are not legal advice. If you are building on top of
pairwith, distributing it commercially, or have a specific legal question, consult a qualified attorney.