ManuAI
VI

Lesson 77 · 3 min

Set standing instructions once

Many chatbots let you save instructions that apply to every chat, so you stop repeating who you are and how you like answers.

Behind every chatbot is a hidden set of instructions called a system prompt. It tells the model how to behave before you type anything. Many apps let you add your own layer on top, often in settings called custom instructions or personalization, and some allow separate instructions for each project.

Good standing instructions are short and practical. Who you are, what you usually need, and how you like answers: "I am a primary school teacher in Da Nang. Answer in Vietnamese unless I write in English. Keep answers short and use examples from daily life."

Leave out anything private. These instructions are stored by the service, so skip ID numbers, passwords, health details and anything you would not tell a stranger.

Review them now and then. If answers start feeling odd in a way you cannot explain, an old instruction you forgot about might be the cause.

Do it now

Write your standing instructions

  1. 1. Find the personalization or custom instructions area in the settings of the chatbot you use. If it has none, keep the text in your notes and paste it at the start of chats.
  2. 2. Use the prompt below to draft your instructions.
  3. 3. Save them, then open a new chat and ask a normal question to see the difference.
Help me write short standing instructions for a chatbot.
About me: [ROLE, CITY, WHAT YOU USE AI FOR].
How I like answers: [LANGUAGE, LENGTH, TONE].
Write it in under 80 words, in plain sentences, with no private details.

Quick check

Which of these should NOT go into your custom instructions?

Which of these should NOT go into your custom instructions?

Keep going

Next →Five prompt habits that always help

More on this

Words from this lesson

System prompt
Background instructions set by the app maker, hidden from you, that tell the AI how to behave in every conversation.
Data privacy
Keeping personal or confidential information under control, including deciding what you type into AI tools and where it is stored.
Memory
A chatbot feature that saves facts about you between conversations so you do not have to repeat them.