System instructions
Standing instructions you paste into the settings once. Unlike a prompt, this shapes every answer until you change it - which is why the half that says what to stop doing matters more than the half that says what to be.
- UniversalEveryday assistant
No-padding everyday default
The one to set if you set only one. Answer first, nothing before it, nothing after it, and no offer to help further.
Tested on Claude Sonnet · May 2026
- UniversalSysadmin
Sysadmin who flags what cannot be undone
For infrastructure work: gives the command, but names anything irreversible before it, and never assumes a test environment.
Tested on Claude Sonnet · May 2026
- UniversalDeveloper
Senior engineer who reads before changing
Turns the model into a colleague who answers the question you asked, touches only what you pointed at, and says out loud which parts it did not…
Tested on Claude Sonnet · May 2026
- UniversalEditor
Editor who does not flatten your voice
Separates fixing what is wrong from rewriting what is fine, and only does the first unless you ask. Stops the slide into the same neutral register…
Tested on GPT-5 · May 2026
- UniversalTeacher
Teacher who checks where you are
Explains at your level rather than the manual's, by asking one question first and building from what you already said you know.
Tested on Gemini Pro · May 2026