The instruction file

Build-along · ~15 min at your own keyboard

Each agent starts blank. The instruction file is what it reads first: your voice, the never-do list, who the owner is, and where files go. Write it once and every role in your system follows it. Keep only what every run needs: there's no magic length, but each extra line competes with the ones that matter, and the test questions in step 6 tell you whether the important rules are landing. Update it when an agent makes the same mistake twice. One more thing: a 'never' in this file is an instruction, not a lock. Where a tool lets you remove a permission (sending, deleting), remove it too.

Ladder · Level 6The long version: Standing instructions that stick ↗

Your starter: Instruction file outline

Instructions

Make it yours: Replace every bracket with facts from your setup as it is today, not as you plan it. Keep the never-do lines you agree with and add your own.

# Instructions for every role

## Who I am
- Owner: [name], [business], [town]
- Customers: [who they are, in one line]
- What we sell: [one line]

## Voice
1. Short sentences. Plain words.
2. [your rule]
3. [your rule]
4. [your rule]
5. [your rule]
I would say: "[a real sentence of yours]"
I would never say: "[a sentence that is not you]"

## Never do
- Never send anything. Write a draft and stop.
- Never delete a file, row or message.
- Never invent a number, price or date.
- Never contact a customer.
- [one more that fits your business]

## Where things go
- Draft emails: [exact folder or label]
- Notes and summaries: [exact document]
- Anything you are unsure about: [where it waits for me]

## Test it in a fresh chat
- What are you not allowed to do?
- Where does a draft email go?

The coach checks that what you paste back is your own work. The starter pasted back unchanged won't pass.

Do this

0/6

Checkpoints

▸The instruction file has four blocks: who, voice, never do, where things go.
▸A fresh chat answers both test questions correctly from the file alone.

The three ways this goes wrong

The agent ignores a rule you wrote. — Move that rule to the top and rewrite it as a flat command. Remove any rule that contradicts it.
The file grew to three pages and answers got worse. — Cut it to what every role needs. Put role-specific rules in that role's own instructions.
Each role has a different version of 'never do'. — Keep one shared block and paste it identically into every role. Change it in one place, then re-paste.

Dated facts in this lesson: Claude Projects let you set project instructions and attach shared files that every chat in the project reads (researched Oct 1, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); ChatGPT custom GPTs take standing instructions and uploaded knowledge files (researched Oct 1, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); Claude Code reads a CLAUDE.md file in the project folder at the start of every session (researched Oct 1, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); Claude Memory is editable and available on Free, Pro and Max. "Instructions for Claude" holds personal preferences in Settings. Free accounts get 5 Projects (researched Oct 4, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); ChatGPT has agent, Projects (project-only memory, files, instructions), memory toggles in Settings > Personalization, and Scheduled Tasks at chatgpt.com/schedules. Workspace agents ("ChatGPT Work", July 2026) are on Business and Enterprise. Agent quotas: Plus 40 messages a month, Pro 400. Secondary source (researched Oct 4, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); Gemini "Personal context" is on by default and needs "Keep Activity". "Saved info" also holds facts. Gems are being replaced by Skills in Q4 2026. Reported dates conflict (rollout around Oct 13, migration around Nov 17, 2026; Workspace March 2027) (researched Oct 4, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); Microsoft 365 Copilot has Notebooks, Agent Builder agents, Pages, Copilot Cowork and Researcher and Analyst agents. Personal Copilot has Memory and Personalization settings, and Notebooks with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium. Secondary source (researched Oct 4, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); Grok has Projects (files and instructions), "Personalize with Memories" under Data Controls, and Automations on a paid tier. SuperGrok Heavy ($300) runs parallel agents. Secondary source (researched Oct 4, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it); Perplexity has Memory (also on Free), Spaces (files and instructions; Pro allows 50 files per Space; not on Free), Tasks (at most hourly) and Computer on Max. Secondary source (researched Oct 4, 2026, not yet confirmed by a person: check the source before you rely on it).

Share what happened

Paste your instruction file (remove any private names or keys) and the agent's answers to the two test questions.

Strip API keys, passwords, and tokens before you paste. Swap them for [KEY].

🔒 Don't paste confidential, personal-health, or payment info.