Project Instructions
Every project has an Instructions field: a short piece of guidance you write once, and the AI follows it in every conversation that belongs to that project.
It saves you from repeating yourself. Instead of opening each new chat with "remember, we write in a formal tone and we never mention prices", you write that once in the project's instructions and it applies from then on — for you and for every member of the project.
Where Instructions live
- Click Projects in the left sidebar.
- Open a project by clicking its card.
- On the right-hand side of the project screen, find the Instructions panel.
The panel sits between Members and Memory in the right-hand column.
The right-hand panels — Members, Instructions, Memory, and Files — are hidden on narrow screens. Use a wider window or a desktop browser when you want to read or edit the instructions.
Who can edit them
| What | Owner | Member |
|---|---|---|
| Read the instructions | ✅ | ✅ |
| Change the instructions | ✅ | ❌ |
Only the project's owner — the person who created it — can write or change the instructions. Everyone else in the project can read them.
The small edit (pencil) icon at the top-right of the Instructions panel only appears if you are the owner. If you are a member, you see the text of the instructions but no edit icon.
Being the owner of a project has nothing to do with your role in the company account. The owner is simply whoever created that project. See Projects overview for the two levels inside a project.
Writing your first instructions
Before anything is written, the panel shows:
No instructions set. Click edit to add.
To add them:
- Open the project as its owner.
- In the Instructions panel, click the edit icon.
- A text box opens, with the hint Instructions for the AI when working on this project...
- Type your guidance.
- Click Save.
While it saves, the button reads Saving.... When it's done, a short Instructions saved message confirms it, the text box closes, and your instructions appear in the panel as plain text.
Editing and cancelling
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| edit icon | Opens the text box with your current instructions already loaded, ready to change. |
| Save | Stores what's in the box and closes the editor. Shows Saving... while it works. |
| Cancel | Closes the editor without storing anything. Your previously saved instructions stay exactly as they were. |
To change instructions you already wrote, click the edit icon again. The box opens with the existing text, so you can adjust a line rather than retype everything.
To remove your instructions entirely, open the editor, clear the box, and click Save. The panel goes back to showing No instructions set. Click edit to add.
There is one instructions field per project, and saving replaces whatever was there before. There is no version history and no undo, so if the project's instructions are long and carefully worded, keep a copy somewhere before you rewrite them.
If saving does not go through — for example if your connection drops — a Failed to save instructions message appears and nothing is changed. Try again once you are back online.
How long they can be
Instructions can be up to 10,000 characters long. That is a lot of room — several pages of guidance — so you are unlikely to run into the limit in normal use. The text box simply stops accepting more once you reach it.
Longer is not automatically better. A short, specific set of rules is easier for the whole team to read and agree on than a long document. Write the things that would otherwise be repeated in every conversation, and leave the rest out.
What to put in them
Instructions are free text — there is no fixed format. They work best for the standing rules of the work, the things that are true for every conversation in the project. For example:
- Tone and style — how formal the writing should be, which language to answer in, how long answers should be.
- Audience — who the output is for, so answers are pitched at the right level.
- Focus — the subject the project is about, and what matters most about it.
- Things to avoid — topics, claims, or wording that should never appear in the output.
- Format — whether you want bullet points, tables, short paragraphs, or a particular structure.
Write them as plain sentences, the way you would brief a new colleague on their first day.
Instructions, Memory, and Files
A project gives the AI context in three different ways, and it helps to know which one to reach for.
| Part | What it holds | Who can change it |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions | How the AI should behave — the standing rules for the project | Owner only |
| Memory | Facts about the work: decisions, preferences, deadlines, contacts | Any member |
| Files | The documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and images the team works from | Any member |
A simple way to decide:
- If it's a rule ("always answer in Turkish", "never promise a delivery date") → Instructions.
- If it's a fact ("the client signed off on the second concept") → Memory.
- If it's a document → upload it to Files.
See Projects overview for how Memory and Files work.
Good to know
- They apply to the whole project. Every conversation started in the project follows them — including conversations other members start, and conversations that already existed before you wrote the instructions.
- They are visible to everyone in the project. Members can read them, so don't put anything confidential in the field.
- They only affect this project. Your regular chats outside the project, and your other projects, are not touched.
- Changing them takes effect from your next message. Update the instructions and carry on chatting — there is nothing else to switch on.
Tips
- Write them right after you create the project. New members inherit the instructions along with everything else, so the earlier they are in place, the more consistent the project's output is.
- Say what you want, not just what you don't want. "Answer in short paragraphs, no bullet lists" works better than "don't write badly."
- Revisit them when the work shifts. If the project moves on to a new phase, the old guidance can quietly work against you. Open the editor and bring it up to date.
- Agree on them as a team. Only the owner can save changes, so if a member wants something added, they should ask the owner rather than working around it.
- Keep one topic per project. Instructions that try to cover two unrelated subjects end up vague. A second project with its own instructions is usually cleaner.