> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.artific.nl/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.artific.nl/en/for-everyone/assistants/personalising.md).

# Making an assistant yours

Personal instructions and memory: two ways to stop repeating yourself.

Both are found under **Preferences** at the top of a chat. The button only appears when the assistant supports at least one of them, so you will not see it everywhere.

Everything here is **yours alone**. Colleagues using the same assistant are unaffected and cannot see what you have set.

## Personal instructions

Standing instructions included in every conversation you have with this assistant.

Use them for the things you would otherwise type every time:

> *Always answer in Dutch.* *Keep answers short: bullet points where possible.* *I work in Finance, so assume familiarity with accounting terms.* *When you quote a policy, always name the document.*

Good candidates are stable preferences about **how** you want answers: language, length, format, tone, and what you already know. If you find yourself typing the same correction in every conversation, it belongs here.

## Memory

Where the assistant supports it, memory holds facts about you that carry between conversations.

The **Memory** section lists what is stored. You can:

* **Add a memory** yourself, such as *"I prefer concise replies."*
* **Edit** one that is not quite right.
* **Delete** anything you do not want kept, and undo the deletion if you change your mind before saving.

Entries are marked according to where they came from: created manually, edited by you, or not yet saved.

There is a limit on how many memories you can keep. The panel shows how many you have used and warns you as you approach the limit; when it is full, remove something before adding more.

### What is worth remembering

| Worth keeping                                             | Not worth keeping                                      |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Your role and department                                  | One-off facts about today's task                       |
| Your language and format preferences                      | Anything that changes weekly                           |
| Recurring context, like which team or product you work on | Anything confidential you would rather not have stored |

{% hint style="info" %}
Review your memories occasionally. An entry that was true when you wrote it will quietly skew answers after you change roles.
{% endhint %}

## Saving

**Save** applies your changes. Closing with unsaved changes asks whether to discard them.

## Personal instructions or memory?

They overlap. As a rule:

* **Personal instructions** for how you want the assistant to behave. You write them, they stay as written.
* **Memory** for facts about you that build up over time.

If an assistant offers only one of them, use that. If it offers neither, your administrator has not enabled them.