> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bollyai.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Multiple Instances

> Run multiple Bolly personalities with isolated memory, mood, and configuration

Bolly supports multiple instances — each with its own personality, memory, mood, drops, and configuration. Think of each instance as a separate companion with its own identity.

## How instances work

Each instance gets its own directory under `~/.bolly/instances/`:

```
~/.bolly/instances/
├── default/        # Your main Bolly instance
│   ├── soul.md
│   ├── mood.json
│   ├── memory/
│   ├── drops/
│   ├── chats/
│   └── skills/
├── work/           # A work-focused instance
│   └── ...
└── creative/       # A creative writing partner
    └── ...
```

## What's isolated per instance

| Component          | Shared or isolated                                  |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Memory             | Isolated — each instance remembers different things |
| Mood               | Isolated — each has its own emotional state         |
| Drops              | Isolated — each creates its own artifacts           |
| Soul (personality) | Isolated — each has a unique soul.md                |
| Heartbeat          | Isolated — each has its own heartbeat.md            |
| Skills             | Isolated — different skills per instance            |
| Chats              | Isolated — separate conversation histories          |
| Email config       | Isolated — different accounts per instance          |
| Voice              | Isolated — different TTS voice per instance         |
| API keys           | **Shared** — global config.toml                     |
| MCP servers        | **Shared** — global config.toml                     |

## Managing instances

Instances are managed through the Bolly UI. You can:

* Create new instances with custom names
* Switch between instances
* Delete instances you no longer need

## Use cases

* **Personal + Work** — keep work context separate from personal conversations
* **Different personalities** — experiment with different soul.md configurations
* **Project-specific** — create an instance for each major project with relevant memory
* **Shared device** — each user gets their own instance

## Heartbeat staggering

When multiple instances are running, their heartbeat cycles are staggered with 30-second delays between each. This prevents all instances from firing simultaneously and overloading the API.