# Write instructions for your Chirp

> Tell your Chirp what it's for and how to talk, or paste a Custom GPT's instructions as they are.

Source: https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/chirps/instructions  
Plans: Essentials, Creator, Business, Academy  
Last checked: 2026-10-26

When you're done, your Chirp knows its job, its tone and its limits.

**Who can do this:** anyone who can edit the Chirp, on any plan.

**What you'll need:** a few sentences about what the Chirp should do. Moving a Custom GPT? Open it in
ChatGPT, click **Configure**, and copy everything in its **Instructions** box.

## Add the instructions

1. Open the Chirp and find **2. Instructions**.
2. Write or paste the instructions into the box. A Custom GPT's instructions work here as they are.

   ![The Instructions section of Garden Helper: a few sentences of instructions and the character count under the box.](https://mjmtbasmrtksluvlnema.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-media/web-optimized/chirps/instructions/SS-CHIRP-015-01__instructions__essentials__detail__v01.webp?v=4886bd6b57)

3. Click **Save**, then try the Chirp in the preview. If it's already published, click **Publish
   changes** so visitors get the new instructions too.

The box takes up to 100,000 characters; the count under it shows how much you've used. If both the
instructions and the description are empty, a reminder says **Add instructions so your Chirp knows what
to do**. You can still save.

## What to include

Good instructions answer four questions, in plain sentences:

- **What is it for?** "You help people plan meals for the week."
- **Who is it talking to?** "Busy parents who cook on weeknights."
- **How should it sound?** "Warm, short answers, no jargon."
- **What should it never do?** "Never give medical advice; suggest a doctor instead."

If the Chirp has knowledge files, say when to use them: "Answer from the attached guides first, and say
which guide you used."

## Keep them private

Under **6. Capabilities**, **Keep instructions confidential** is on for every new Chirp: the Chirp is
told to politely decline when a visitor asks to see its instructions. Leave it on unless you're happy
for anyone to read them. It's an instruction to the AI, not a lock, so a determined visitor may still
coax parts out: never put passwords or private details in instructions.

## If it doesn't work

- **The Chirp ignores part of the instructions.** Put the most important rule first and say it once,
  clearly. Very long instructions with many rules are harder for any model to follow.
- **Visitors still get the old behaviour.** You saved but didn't publish: click **Publish changes**.