build-persona — Claude Code skill: reader profile from Readwise
This skill turns your Readwise Reader library into a reader_persona.md profile so triage, quiz and other skills can tailor their output to you.
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill build-persona -a claude-codeWhat build-persona does
The skill scans your saved documents, highlights and tags in Readwise Reader, then writes reader_persona.md into the current directory. The file covers identity and role, core interests, reading habits, what you have been saving lately, taste, and topics you avoid. One section is triage guidance: how documents should be pitched to you.
It talks to Readwise through MCP tools when they are available, and falls back to the readwise CLI (readwise list, readwise search, readwise highlights). The heavy lifting goes to a subagent so your main context stays clean. A quick pass runs several fetches in parallel; an optional deep pass pulls a larger sample and rewrites the file. You need Readwise access either way — without it there is nothing to analyse.
Other skills such as triage, quiz and feed-catchup read the persona file. If the result misses the mark, edit reader_persona.md yourself or ask the skill to redo it from your feedback.
What it helps with
- build a reader profile from saved articles and highlights
- personalise triage and quiz skills for one reader
- spot which topics get read most often
- separate recent obsessions from long-standing interests
- describe how documents should be pitched during triage
Example prompts for the agent
- build my reader persona from my Readwise library
- run build-persona and show me the result
- do a deep pass on the persona and update
reader_persona.md
How to install build-persona
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill build-persona -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/build-persona/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/build-persona/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill build-persona -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/build-persona/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill build-persona -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/build-persona/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install readwiseio/readwise-skills build-persona2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/build-persona/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill build-persona -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/readwiseio/readwise-skills --path skills/build-personaManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/build-persona/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill build-persona -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about build-persona
How do I install build-persona in Claude?
Run npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill build-persona -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/build-persona/SKILL.md.
What does build-persona do?
It analyses your saved documents, highlights and tags in Readwise Reader and writes reader_persona.md describing your interests and reading habits. Other skills use that file to personalise their output.
What does the skill need to work?
Access to Readwise, either through MCP tools or the readwise CLI. Without it there is nothing to analyse.
