Playbook · All four assistants · 5-min read
The family profile: one block you paste once
A lot of the time spent “bossing” an assistant around goes to re-explaining the same details about your family, like the kids’ ages and practice nights. Write it down once and paste it where the assistant will keep using it.
Step 1: fill in the blanks
Swap the [brackets] for your family. It’s kept under 1,500 characters on purpose, because that’s the custom-instructions limit on ChatGPT Free and Go. Plus and higher get 5,000.[1]
About our family (use this in every answer): - We are a family of [number]: [parents/guardians] and [number] kids, ages [ages]. - School: [public school / homeschool, grades]. Work: [one parent runs a business / shift work / etc.]. - We live in [region and climate]. We shop at [store]. - Food: [allergies, dislikes]. Weeknight dinners: 30 minutes or less. We watch the budget. - Our calendar is [Google / Apple / Outlook]. Busy days: [e.g. Tue and Thu practice]. How to help us: - Keep it short. Plain words, bullet lists, answer first. - End every plan with a checklist we can tick off. - If something important is missing, ask me one question. Don't guess dates, prices or medical facts. - Never buy, send, book or delete anything without asking me first. - Don't repeat full names, addresses, school names or account numbers.
My advice: leave out full names, your address and school names. The assistant doesn’t need them to sort your week.
Step 2: paste it where it sticks
| Assistant | Where to paste | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Settings → Personalization → turn on Enable customization → Custom Instructions. On the phone apps it’s Settings → Customize ChatGPT.[1] | Works on all plans and applies to every chat right away.[1] A project’s own instructions override these inside that project.[2] |
| Claude | User preferences (in settings), or the instructions of a project. | Claude Free includes user preferences, memory and up to 5 projects.[3] |
| Gemini | Make it a skill: Settings → Skills → Create manually. Name it family-profile.[4] | Gemini can apply a skill on its own when it fits, or you type /family-profile. Skills need age 18+.[4] Gems still work until November but are going away. |
| Copilot | Save it as a Word or OneNote doc in OneDrive, then ask Copilot to use it. | That’s Microsoft’s own suggestion for bringing your context to Copilot. Memory and instructions from other AI tools don’t carry over on their own.[5] |
Step 3: check it worked
Without asking me anything, sketch our Tuesday after school (pickups, practice, dinner, homework) and tell me which details about our family you used.
If it doesn’t mention your kids’ ages or your practice nights, the profile isn’t being read. Check that customization is turned on, or that you’re chatting inside the right project.
Two gotchas
- Shared ChatGPT projects don’t see your profile. A shared project only uses its own memory, not your personal custom instructions or memories.[2] If you share a “Family” project with your spouse, paste the profile into the project instructions too.
- Old custom GPTs ignore it. OpenAI says GPTs don’t use saved memory or custom instructions.[6] One more reason to move off them. See the GPT retirement guide.
Tested by Dave Not yet
I haven’t run this exact setup with my family for a full week yet. When I do, this box will say what happened, good or bad.
Sources
- OpenAI Help: ChatGPT custom instructions
- OpenAI Help: Projects in ChatGPT
- Claude: Pricing
- Gemini Apps Help: About the transition from Gems to skills
- Microsoft: Copilot pricing for individuals (incl. FAQ)
- OpenAI Help: GPTs in ChatGPT
All checked Oct 18, 2026 unless noted. Prices change. If something’s out of date, reply to any newsletter issue and I’ll fix it.