Lesson 1 of 5 · about 5 min
Saved instructions: your own custom assistant
When you finish, you can write saved instructions that make an AI assistant do one job the same way every time.
Stuck? Ask the AI tutorWhy save instructions
If you retype the same request every week, you are doing work a machine can remember. Many AI products let you save a set of instructions, sometimes called a custom assistant, a project or a profile, depending on the product and plan. The assistant then follows those rules each time you start.
This is the simplest way to build a tool without code. You are not programming. You are writing a clear job description for a helper. The skill is writing it well.
The parts of good instructions
Strong instructions usually cover five things. Role: who the helper is. Audience: who it serves. Rules: what it must always and never do. Format: how answers should look. Fallback: what to say when it does not know. Missing any one leads to the helper guessing.
A weak instruction is “Help with customer emails.” A strong one is: “You help the staff of a small garden shop reply to customer emails. Be warm and brief. Always ask for the order number if a customer mentions a problem. Never promise a refund; say a team member will confirm. If you are unsure, say so and suggest the customer call the shop. End with the shop’s name.”
Give examples
Examples teach faster than rules. Add one or two samples of a good answer. “Here is a reply I like: …” The helper will copy the style. Keep examples free of private customer details, and remove anything you would not want shown to other users.
Also say what to avoid. If an assistant tends to be too wordy or too cheerful, tell it: “No more than four sentences. No exclamation marks.” Small, specific rules shape behavior better than big vague ones.
Worked example: a study helper
A teacher in Lima wants a helper for her students. She writes: “You are a patient study coach for secondary school students. Ask what they already know before explaining. Never give the final answer to homework; give hints and ask them to try. Use simple words. If a question is outside school subjects, say you can only help with study topics.”
She tests it with a student-style question: “Just give me the answer to number five.” The helper offers a hint instead. Her saved instructions worked. She then adds a rule about being kind when students are frustrated. Instructions improve as you test them.
Practice now
- Choose one repeated task at work or school. Write saved instructions with role, audience, rules, format and a fallback, then try them in an AI tool that lets you save them or paste them at the start of a chat.
- Add one sample of a good answer to your instructions and compare the results before and after.
Use any AI assistant you have. Do not paste private, client or patient information into it.
Check yourself
1. Which set of parts makes instructions strong?
2. Why add examples of a good answer?
3. What should instructions say for when the helper does not know?
Ask the AI tutor
Ask anything about this lesson, in any language. The tutor is an AI: it can be wrong, and it never needs your personal details.
AI-drafted. Checked by an automated validator and a separate AI reviewer; a person has not read every lesson. Translations and tutor answers are AI-made. Found a mistake? Tell us. AI can be wrong. General information only, not professional advice. Not affiliated with any AI company named. Current University is not accredited.