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What is opencues identity?

opencues identity is the CLI for your personal data file, ~/.cues/IDENTITY.md: the fields that let my email _ or draft an email to my landlord _ resolve with your real details.

What the file is

IDENTITY.md is a YAML frontmatter file where each key becomes an identity-context token: firstName: Wilfred becomes [FIRST NAME]. The fluid-blank and transform-blank pipelines can substitute those tokens into _ lookups and rewrites. In the default safe mode the model only ever sees the token names; a post-processor on your machine swaps in real values after the response, so your personal data stays out of provider logs.

The command surface

  • opencues identity: an interactive interview that walks you through the common fields.
  • opencues identity list: show current fields; --json for scriptable output.
  • opencues identity set <key> <value>: add or update one field (alias: add).
  • opencues identity remove <key>: delete one (alias: rm).

Why a CLI instead of "just edit the file"

You can edit the file by hand, but the CLI routes every write through the same validator the runtime mandates: key-shape checks, value caps, token-collision rejection, and a capacity ceiling (64 fields). That validator is the chokepoint for anything that mutates IDENTITY.md, so a typo'd key or oversized value is refused at write time instead of silently misbehaving at lookup time.

The tokens work in both pipelines: lookups like my github _ resolve to the stored value, and drafting rewrites can sign off with your real name.

When to reach for it: once, when you first turn on identity context; then again whenever a detail changes. Everything in between is automatic. The whole feature is opt-out-able by setting identity-context-mode: off.

Related: What is IDENTITY.md? · Identity context · Security model · GitHub repo