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What You’ll Learn

  • What custom instructions do
  • How to write effective ones
  • Examples for different use cases
  • Common mistakes to avoid

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What Custom Instructions Do

Custom instructions are text you add to a project that every AI reads before responding. They’re like briefing notes that ensure all 5 AIs understand:
  • Who you are
  • What you’re working on
  • How you want responses formatted
  • What constraints exist
  • What to avoid
They persist across all conversations in the project. You write them once and they apply automatically.

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How to Add Custom Instructions

  1. Open your project settings
  2. Find the Custom Instructions field
  3. Write your instructions
  4. Save
Every new conversation in this project will include these instructions as context.

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Writing Effective Instructions

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Be Specific, Not Vague

Weak:
“Give me good answers about marketing.”
Strong:
“I’m the marketing director at a B2B SaaS company (ARR $5M, 200 customers). Our ICP is mid-market companies (100-500 employees) in the healthcare sector. We use HubSpot for CRM and Webflow for our website.”

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State Constraints

Tell the AIs what’s off-limits or non-negotiable:
“We cannot use paid social media advertising due to regulatory restrictions in our industry. Focus recommendations on organic, content-driven, and partnership-based growth strategies.”

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Define Your Audience

Who will read the outputs?
“All outputs should be suitable for sharing with our board of directors. Assume they understand business metrics but not technical implementation details.”

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Set Format Preferences

How do you like your responses?
“Use bullet points over paragraphs. Include data when available. Keep responses under 500 words unless I ask for more detail.”

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Examples by Use Case

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Product Development

We're building a mobile fitness app for busy professionals (25-45).
Tech stack: React Native, Node.js, PostgreSQL, AWS.
Current stage: MVP with 500 beta users.
Competitor set: Peloton, Nike Training Club, Freeletics.
Key constraint: 2-person dev team, 6-month runway.

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Content Marketing

Brand voice: Professional but approachable. Never corporate-speak.
Target audience: Technical decision-makers (CTOs, VPs of Engineering).
Content goal: Thought leadership that drives inbound demo requests.
Topics we own: Developer productivity, AI-assisted workflows, team scaling.
Avoid: Generic advice, content that sounds like everyone else's blog.

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Strategic Planning

Company: B2B logistics platform, Series B, 150 employees.
Current focus: International expansion (EMEA first).
Key metrics: CAC ($1,200), LTV ($18,000), NRR (115%).
Board priorities: Path to profitability within 18 months.
Decision framework: Data-driven, but willing to take calculated bets.

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Research & Analysis

I'm a doctoral researcher studying AI governance.
Analysis should be rigorous and cite sources where possible.
Consider perspectives from: US, EU, and East Asian regulatory environments.
Methodology preference: Comparative case study analysis.
I value nuance over simplification.

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Common Mistakes

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Too Long

Don’t write a novel. AIs have context limits. Keep instructions to 200-400 words max.

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Too Prescriptive About AI Behavior

Don’t micromanage how AIs should think. Focus on what you need, not how they should work internally. Don’t:
“Claude should analyze first, then GPT should verify, then Gemini should synthesize…”
Do:
“I need thorough analysis with verification of claims and a final synthesis.”

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Contradictory Instructions

Check that your instructions don’t conflict. “Be concise” and “provide comprehensive analysis” in the same instruction set confuses the AIs.

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Stale Instructions

Update your instructions when your project evolves. Instructions written at project start may not reflect current needs.

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Tips

  • Start with 3-5 bullet points. Add more only when you notice the AIs missing important context.
  • Your project description and custom instructions work together - don’t repeat the same information in both.
  • Test your instructions: send a message and see if the responses reflect your constraints. If not, refine.
  • Good custom instructions save you from writing “remember, we’re a B2B company…” in every message.

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Still Need Help?

Reach out to us at [email protected] or use the feedback button in the app.