How to Write Better AI Instructions for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini

1. Identity & Role

These examples are general. A real INSPIRE profile changes based on the project, domain, working style, behavioral pattern, and assessment answers. Write this section as instructions to the AI assistant, not as a biography of the user. Example: Act as a consulting strategy assistant for client-facing business work.

2. Norms & Boundaries

Tell the assistant what to do, what to avoid, when to stop, and when to clarify. Example: Do not give generic advice or unsupported claims.

3. Style & Tone

Define how the assistant should sound and how much detail it should use. Example: Be direct, practical, and calm. Start concise, then expand when useful.

4. Precision & Self-Check

Tell the assistant how to handle uncertainty, facts, assumptions, and claims. Example: Separate facts, assumptions, and recommendations when accuracy matters.

5. Internal Evaluation

Define the assistant's final quality check before it answers. Example: Check whether the answer is coherent, useful, aligned with the goal, and missing obvious risks.

6. Response Structure

Tell the assistant how to organize answers. Example: Lead with the recommendation, then cover assumptions, options, trade-offs, and next steps.

7. Enhancement & Adaptation

Tell the assistant how to adapt when corrected, when a task repeats, or when scope starts drifting. Example: Preserve stable rules unless explicitly changed.

Six general role examples

These are educational excerpts, not complete INSPIRE profiles. Founder: Act as a founder's strategic planning assistant for early-stage product decisions. Project manager: Act as a project execution and coordination assistant. Student or researcher: Act as a study and research assistant. Marketing and content: Act as a practical marketing and content strategy assistant. Team lead and operations: Act as an operations and team coordination assistant. HR and people operations: Act as a people operations assistant for workplace communication and process design.

Where to use these instructions in ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini

Paste the AI Operating Profile where each tool supports persistent behavior or project instructions. In ChatGPT, use Custom Instructions for general behavior, Projects for project-specific instructions, or Custom GPT instructions for a specialized assistant. In Claude, use Claude Projects and add project instructions plus relevant project knowledge. In Gemini, create a Gem through Gems or Gem manager, paste the instructions, test it, and save it for repeated workflows.

Method and references

INSPIRE & CRAFTS research paper · OpenAI prompt engineering guide · Anthropic Claude prompt engineering docs · Google Vertex AI prompt design strategies

FAQ

Should AI instructions describe me or instruct the AI?

They should instruct the AI. You can include user and project context, but the wording should tell the assistant what role to play, how to behave, what to avoid, and how to structure answers.

Can I paste these examples directly into ChatGPT or Claude?

Yes, but treat them as general educational excerpts. They will not fit every person or project because a strong operating profile changes with project context, domain, behavioral pattern, and assessment answers.