Custom Instructions Overview
Custom instructions let you configure default preferences that apply to all your conversations with AI. Think of them as persistent guidelines that shape how AI responds to you.Custom instructions are applied to every message in every conversation, helping AI understand your preferences, context, and communication style without repeating yourself.
Why Use Custom Instructions?
Save Time
Avoid repeating the same context or preferences in every conversation
Consistent Responses
Get responses formatted and styled the way you prefer
Personalized AI
AI understands your background, role, and specific needs
Better Results
Provide context once, get relevant answers every time
Setting Custom Instructions
1
Open Settings
Click your profile avatar in the top-right corner, then select Settings.Keyboard shortcut:
Cmd/Ctrl + ,2
Navigate to Custom Instructions
In the settings sidebar, click Custom Instructions under the Chat section.
3
Fill in your preferences
You’ll see two main sections:
- About You: Context about yourself
- Response Preferences: How you want AI to respond
4
Save and apply
Click Save to apply your instructions to all future conversations.
Custom instructions take effect immediately for new messages.
About You Section
Tell AI about yourself to get more relevant, personalized responses.What to Include
Professional background
Professional background
Your role and expertise:
- Job title and industry
- Areas of specialization
- Years of experience
- Technical skills
This helps AI calibrate technical depth and suggest appropriate solutions for your skill level.
Goals and projects
Goals and projects
What you’re working on:
- Current projects
- Learning goals
- Technologies you’re exploring
- Problems you’re solving
Preferences and constraints
Preferences and constraints
How you work:
- Preferred languages or frameworks
- Tools you use
- Constraints (team standards, legacy systems)
- Platform requirements
Context and interests
Context and interests
Personal context:
- Educational background
- Hobbies related to your work
- Side projects
- Areas of interest
Good “About You” Examples
- Developer
- Data Scientist
- Student
- Product Manager
Response Preferences Section
Define how you want AI to format and structure responses.Response Style
- Formality Level
- Detail Level
- Technical Depth
Set the tone:Professional:Casual:Educational:
Output Format Preferences
Code formatting
Code formatting
How you want code presented:
Structure and organization
Structure and organization
Response structure:
Documentation style
Documentation style
For technical documentation:
Explanation approach
Explanation approach
Teaching style:
Good Response Preferences Examples
- Developer - Concise
- Developer - Detailed
- Data Analyst
- Content Creator
Advanced Custom Instructions
Using Variables
Reference your custom instructions within responses:Conditional Instructions
Set preferences for different scenarios:Domain-Specific Instructions
Tailor AI responses to your field:- Web Development
- DevOps
- Machine Learning
- Academic Research
Tips for Effective Custom Instructions
Be specific but concise
Be specific but concise
Good balance:✅ Just right:❌ Too lengthy:
- Provide concrete details about your context
- Avoid unnecessary verbosity
- Focus on what actually affects responses
- Update as your needs change
Focus on what matters
Focus on what matters
Prioritize information that affects responses:✅ Include:
- Technical stack and versions
- Constraints (team standards, compliance)
- Preferred patterns and styles
- Current learning goals
- How you want information presented
- Personal details unrelated to work
- Company gossip or politics
- Irrelevant background information
- Preferences that don’t affect AI output
Update regularly
Update regularly
Keep instructions current:
- Update when you switch projects
- Revise when learning new technologies
- Adjust when you find AI missing context
- Refine based on response quality
Test and iterate
Test and iterate
Improve over time:
- Start with basic instructions
- Notice when AI responses miss the mark
- Update instructions to address gaps
- Test with new conversations
- Refine based on results
- v1: “I’m a developer”
- v2: “I’m a React developer”
- v3: “I’m a React developer, show TypeScript examples”
- v4: “I’m a React developer using TypeScript. Show functional components with hooks, avoid class components”
Examples by Use Case
Software Engineering
Data Science
Technical Writing
Student Learning
Managing Multiple Profiles
For users with different contexts (work vs personal, different projects):Workaround Strategies
- Comment Sections
- Primary Focus
- Update Before Sessions
Use comments to separate contexts:
Privacy and Custom Instructions
Custom instructions are stored securely and encrypted. They are used only to personalize your AI interactions and are never used to train AI models or shared with third parties.
- ✅ Include: Professional context, technical preferences, work style
- ⚠️ Careful: Specific company information, confidential projects
- ❌ Avoid: Passwords, API keys, sensitive personal data, client information
Troubleshooting
Custom instructions not being followed
Custom instructions not being followed
Check these items:
- Instructions saved successfully
- Not too lengthy (under 1500 characters recommended)
- Instructions are clear and specific
- Not conflicting with message-specific instructions
- Simplify instructions
- Make preferences more explicit
- Remove ambiguous statements
- Mention preferences directly in messages to test
Responses too different from expectations
Responses too different from expectations
Possible issues:
- Instructions too vague
- Preferences conflict with the task
- Model interpreting instructions differently
- Add specific examples to instructions
- Clarify with “always” or “never” statements
- Test with different phrasings
- Provide both “do” and “don’t” examples
Instructions seem ignored for specific tasks
Instructions seem ignored for specific tasks
Why this happens:
- Task requirements override general preferences
- Model prioritizes message-specific context
- Instructions too broad for specialized tasks
Next Steps
Assistants
Create specialized assistants with custom instructions
Prompts Guide
Learn advanced prompting techniques
Memory System
Understand how AI remembers context
Settings
Explore other customization options
Set custom instructions once and enjoy personalized AI assistance in every conversation!

