How to Migrate from Pre-7.x PAI Installations to LifeOS: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Rename the PAI/ directory to LIFEOS/, replace the pai shell alias with lifeos, and run the bootstrap installer to fully migrate from pre-7.x PAI to LifeOS.

LifeOS is the direct continuation of the Personal AI Infrastructure (PAI) project—the only breaking change in the 7.x release is that the entire PAI/ directory tree has been renamed to LIFEOS/ and the launch alias pai has been superseded by lifeos. This migration guide walks you through the technical steps required to upgrade your installation while preserving your data and avoiding un-constituted Claude sessions.

What Changes in the PAI to LifeOS Migration

The migration consists of three tightly-coupled architectural adjustments that you must apply together:

1. Directory rename — all user data, hooks, and memory now live under ~/.claude/LIFEOS/. The old PAI/ directory is no longer created. According to LifeOS/install/hooks/lib/paths.ts at line 32, a compatibility shim ensures that code still referencing PAI/ falls back to the new location (e.g., PAI_DIR → LIFEOS_DIR).

2. Launch-alias migration — pre-7.x installations used a shell alias called pai that either executed cd ~/.claude && claude or ran bun ~/.claude/PAI/ACTIONS/pai.ts. After the rename, launching with a bare claude command bypasses the constitutional system prompt (LIFEOS_SYSTEM_PROMPT.md) and runs un-constituted—without the security banner, verification layer, or mode handling. As documented in LifeOS/Workflows/Setup.md at line 56, you must locate and replace the stale pai alias in your shell rc file.

3. Bootstrap script assistance — the top-level install.sh script detects old aliases during bootstrap and rewrites them automatically. If you skip the bootstrap step and manually execute bun <configRoot>/LIFEOS/TOOLS/lifeos.ts, you must perform the alias migration manually. The auto-detection logic appears in LifeOS/install/install.sh at lines 271–328.

Why the Alias Migration Matters

Running Claude without the lifeos alias has serious consequences:

• The constitutional system prompt (LIFEOS_SYSTEM_PROMPT.md) only loads when the harness starts with the -s … flag that the lifeos alias supplies
• Without the alias, you get a raw Claude session with no LifeOS mode banner, no verification, and no built-in skills
• All downstream tools (hooks, memory-reviewer, pulse UI) expect the LIFEOS/ namespace; leaving old PAI/ paths dangling causes silent failures or data written to wrong locations
• A shim continues reading legacy PAI_* environment variables for one release cycle, after which the installer retires them automatically (LifeOS/install/hooks/lib/paths.ts line 84)

Migration Checklist for PAI to LifeOS

Follow these six steps to complete your migration:

Step	Action
1. Backup shell rc	Copy ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or your $SHELL rc file to a safe location
2. Detect stale alias	Search for alias pai= or alias kai= lines referencing /PAI/ or bare && claude — the install.sh regex at line 301 detects these patterns
3. Comment out old line	Prefix the stale alias with # or remove it entirely
4. Add new lifeos alias	Insert the LifeOS launcher alias (see exact command below)
5. Reload rc	Run source ~/.bashrc (or your shell's equivalent)
6. Verify	Run lifeos — you should see the LifeOS mode banner and constitutional prompt

Automatic Migration with the Bootstrap Script

The simplest path is letting the official installer handle everything. According to LifeOS/INSTALL.md at line 107, the bootstrap script backs up your rc file and fixes aliases automatically:

# Run the official installer – it will back-up your rc and fix the alias for you

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS/main/LifeOS/install/install.sh | bash

The script prints "Found stale pre-7.x alias – migrating to lifeos…" and updates your rc file without manual intervention.

Manual Migration: Editing Your RC File

If you prefer manual control or bypassed the bootstrap, follow this bash example:

# 1. Back up your rc

cp ~/.bashrc ~/.bashrc.backup

# 2. Open the file in an editor

nano ~/.bashrc

Find and comment out the old block:

# Old pre-7.x alias (do not use)

# alias pai='cd ~/.claude && claude'   # ← commented out

Add the new alias from LifeOS/INSTALL.md step 7:

# New LifeOS launch alias – retains your muscle memory

alias lifeos='bun $HOME/.claude/LIFEOS/TOOLS/lifeos.ts -s $HOME/.claude/LIFEOS/LIFEOS_SYSTEM_PROMPT.md'

Reload and test:

# 3. Reload configuration

source ~/.bashrc

# 4. Verify the migration

lifeos   # should display the LifeOS banner and system prompt

Verifying the Directory Migration

Confirm your filesystem reflects the new structure:

# Old PAI directory should no longer exist

[ -d ~/.claude/PAI ] && echo "PAI dir still present!" || echo "PAI dir cleaned."

# New LIFEOS directory should contain expected sub-folders

tree ~/.claude/LIFEOS | head -n 20   # glance at USER/, MEMORY/, HOOKS/, etc.

Key Files in the Migration

File	Role
LifeOS/INSTALL.md	Describes upgrade path and exact alias to add
LifeOS/Workflows/Setup.md	Documents launch-command wiring and stale pai alias handling
LifeOS/install/install.sh	Bootstrap script that auto-detects and rewrites old aliases (lines 271–328)
LifeOS/install/hooks/lib/paths.ts	Compatibility shim mapping legacy PAI/ to LIFEOS/
LifeOS/TOOLS/lifeos.ts	The launcher invoked by the lifeos alias

Summary

• LifeOS 7.x renames PAI/ to LIFEOS/ and replaces the pai alias with lifeos
• The lifeos alias is mandatory—without it, Claude runs un-constituted without security features
• Use install.sh for automatic migration or manually edit your shell rc file following the exact alias pattern
• Verify with lifeos command—look for the mode banner to confirm constitutional prompt loading
• Legacy PAI_* environment variables work temporarily via shim, but migrate paths before next release

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I keep using the old pai alias?

Your alias likely points to cd ~/.claude && claude or bun ~/.claude/PAI/ACTIONS/pai.ts. The first launches raw Claude without LifeOS features; the second fails when PAI/ is removed. Neither loads LIFEOS_SYSTEM_PROMPT.md, so you lose the security banner, verification layer, and mode handling.

Do I need to move my data from PAI/ to LIFEOS/ manually?

No—the installer creates ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ and a compatibility shim in LifeOS/install/hooks/lib/paths.ts redirects legacy PAI/ references automatically. However, new data writes go to LIFEOS/, so verify your tools point to the correct namespace.

Can I keep both aliases during transition?

Technically yes, but the pai alias will break or run un-constituted once PAI/ is gone. The migration shim supports legacy PAI_* environment variables for one release cycle only. Replace pai with lifeos immediately to avoid silent failures.

How do I verify the migration succeeded?

Run lifeos and check for three indicators: (1) the LifeOS mode banner appears at startup, (2) the constitutional prompt loads with security warnings, and (3) tree ~/.claude/LIFEOS shows USER/, MEMORY/, HOOKS/, and other expected subdirectories.

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