Stage 1: Instruct
Tell your AI about you
Let your AI interview you, then save what it writes as your instructions. Your instructions are a short note about you that your AI reads before every chat. About 20 minutes.
Before you start, leave out
- passwords, PINs and login codes
- ID, bank account or card numbers
- health details
- other people’s private details
Step 1: Let it interview you
Open a new chat and paste this in. Answer in your own words. Say “yes” to accept a suggestion, or “skip” to move on.
Copy this into a new chat
Interview me so you can write my personal instructions. Ask one question at a time, 15 questions at most. With each question, suggest an answer I can accept or change. Leave out anything I don't tell you. When we're done, write my instructions in one block I can copy, under 1,500 characters. Put nothing else in that block.
What you should see: one question at a time, each with a suggested answer.
If it doesn’t look right
- If it asks several questions at once, reply: “One at a time, please.”
- Want to stop early? Reply: “That’s enough. Write my instructions now.”
Step 2: Save what it writes
When the interview ends, the AI gives you your instructions in one block. Copy just that block, not the chat around it. Then paste it into your settings.
Where to paste it:
In Claude
Settings, then Account. Some accounts show it under General instead. Paste into “Instructions for Claude”, then save.
Checked on a live screen, October 2026. "General" is from Anthropic's help pages.
In ChatGPT
Settings, then Personalization. On a phone, Settings, then Customize ChatGPT. Check that “Enable customization” is on. Paste into “Custom Instructions”, then save. Free accounts allow 1,500 characters.
From OpenAI's help pages, October 2026. Not yet checked on a live screen.
Menus change. If yours looks different, look in Settings for a box with “instructions” in its name.
Step 3: Check it worked
Paste this into a new chat
What do you know about me, and how should you answer?
What you should see: a short summary that matches what you saved.
If it doesn’t look right
- If your instructions include something you didn’t say, ask it to take that out.
- If the summary doesn’t match, check that you saved, then try a new chat.