Tell Claude about yourself once, explained by monkey
If you keep starting chats with "so, I run a small shop, and please keep it short", you can stop. Claude has a spot in its settings where you write that once, and it's used in every chat after. Here's where it is, a note you can copy, and the one thing to watch for.
Every new chat starts from zero, so most people either explain themselves again or don't bother and get answers that don't fit. Claude's settings have a box for exactly this. Anthropic's help page says it plainly: "Any instructions you add here will be applied to all of your conversations with Claude."
Where it is
- On claude.ai or the Claude desktop app, click your initials in the bottom left corner.
- Choose Settings.
- Find the box called "Instructions for Claude" (older guides call it profile preferences or personal preferences: same idea).
- Paste your note, fill in your own details, and save. Your next chat already knows it.
The note to copy
Paste this into the box, then swap the brackets for your own details:
About me: I'm [what you do, e.g. I run a small banana shop]. I usually ask about [the things you ask most, e.g. emails to customers, prices, social posts]. I'm not technical, so use everyday words. How to answer: keep it short, a few lines unless I ask for more. Start with the answer, then explain if needed. If my question is unclear, ask me one question before you answer.
Other things worth putting in
- Where you are: "I'm in Hong Kong, so use HK dollars and metric."
- Who you write for: "My customers are mostly older people, so keep messages warm and simple."
- Your tone: "Sound friendly, not salesy. No exclamation marks."
- What you hate: "Don't use bullet points unless I ask. Don't start with 'Great question'."
- How you learn: "When you explain something new, give me one real example first."
The one gotcha
It really does apply to every chat. If you wrote "keep it short" and one day you want the long version, just say so in that chat ("give me the full detailed version this time") and Claude will go long for that answer. And if you're doing one big job, like planning a wedding, put those details in a project's own instructions instead: those "only apply to chats within that project", so they don't leak into everything else.
Understanding Claude's personalization featuresAnthropic's help page for Instructions for Claude, project instructions and skills
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