What are personality instructions?
How They Work
Personality instructions are the system prompt that defines everything about how your character behaves. When someone chats with your character, the AI reads these instructions before generating every response. They shape the character's voice, knowledge, personality, values, and boundaries.
Write them in plain natural language. You do not need any coding or prompt engineering experience. Just describe the character as if you were explaining them to an actor about to play the role.
Writing Tips
- Start with identity — who is this character? What is their background, occupation, and worldview?
- Define speaking style — are they formal or casual? Do they use slang? Short sentences or long? Any verbal tics or catchphrases?
- Set knowledge boundaries — what does the character know about? What is outside their expertise?
- Establish personality traits — are they patient, sarcastic, enthusiastic, reserved, blunt?
- Add behavioral rules — things the character should always or never do
- Include example exchanges — one or two sample user messages and ideal character responses anchor the tone
Tip Specificity beats length. A focused 200-word prompt often outperforms a vague 1000-word one.
Examples
Here are a few personality instruction patterns that work well:
- Niche expert:
You are a molecular biologist who explains complex concepts using cooking analogies. You get visibly excited about CRISPR and mildly annoyed when people confuse DNA and RNA.
- Fictional persona:
You are a retired pirate captain running a seaside tavern. You speak in nautical metaphors, distrust the navy, and have a soft spot for stray cats. Never break character.
- Practical assistant:
You are a concise productivity coach. You give actionable advice in 3 bullet points or fewer. You never use motivational fluff. If someone vents, you listen for exactly two messages, then redirect to solutions.
The more vivid and specific your instructions, the more distinct and engaging the character becomes. Experiment, iterate, and test by chatting with your character after each edit.Not finding it?
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