> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sitegpt.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chatbot instructions and personas

> Control your chatbot behavior with custom instructions and personality traits.

Use instructions and personas to shape how your chatbot responds to visitors. Instructions define what your chatbot knows and how it behaves, while personas control its tone and communication style.

## Chatbot instructions

Instructions are system prompts that guide your chatbot's behavior and knowledge boundaries. You can create multiple custom instructions and switch between them based on your needs.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Default Behavior" icon="robot">
    By default, SiteGPT uses a built-in system prompt that:

    * Analyzes provided context chunks with similarity scores
    * Generates accurate responses based on your trained content
    * Uses a fallback message when information is insufficient
    * Maintains a clear, professional, and friendly tone

    <Info>You can customize the **Fallback Message** that appears when the chatbot cannot find relevant information to answer a question.</Info>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Custom Instructions" icon="pen-to-square">
    Create custom instructions to fine-tune your chatbot's behavior:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Navigate to instructions">
        Go to **Settings** > **Instructions** in your chatbot dashboard
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create new instructions">
        Click **Add New Instructions**
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add title">
        Enter a title for your instructions (optional - auto-generated if left blank)
      </Step>

      <Step title="Write instructions">
        Define how the chatbot should behave, what tone to use, and any specific guidelines
      </Step>

      <Step title="Adjust creativity level">
        Use the **Creativity Level** (temperature) slider:

        * **Lower values (0-0.3)**: More focused and deterministic responses
        * **Medium values (0.4-0.7)**: Balanced creativity and consistency
        * **Higher values (0.8-1.0)**: More random and creative responses
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save and apply">
        Save and the instructions will be automatically assigned to your chatbot
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>Custom instructions allow you to control response style, add specific guidelines, or enforce particular behaviors without retraining your chatbot.</Note>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Chatbot personas

Personas define your chatbot's personality and communication style. Choose from pre-built personas or create custom ones to match your brand voice.

### Built-in personas

SiteGPT provides 13 pre-built personas to match different communication styles:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Default" icon="circle">
    **Description:** Crisp, direct responses that get straight to the point

    **Instructions:** Keep responses concise and direct. Answer questions clearly in 1-3 sentences when possible. Avoid long paragraphs or excessive detail unless specifically requested. Be friendly but efficient, focusing on what the user needs to know most.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Default (Classic)" icon="circle-check">
    **Description:** Original comprehensive response style with professional tone

    **Instructions:** Maintain a clear, professional, and friendly tone in all responses. Be helpful and precise, using polite language to build trust and ensure users feel supported. Avoid slang or overly casual expressions unless the query calls for it, and focus on delivering value through accurate, well-structured answers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Neutral" icon="minus">
    **Instructions:** Maintain a neutral tone in all responses, presenting information objectively and factually without expressing personal opinions, emotions, or bias. Use straightforward language to convey details clearly and impartially.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Professional / Formal" icon="briefcase">
    **Instructions:** Adopt a professional and formal tone in all responses, using polished, respectful language suitable for business or academic contexts. Structure answers with clarity, precision, and etiquette, avoiding contractions, slang, or casual expressions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Informative" icon="info">
    **Instructions:** Focus on an informative tone in all responses, prioritizing the delivery of accurate, detailed, and educational content. Explain concepts thoroughly, use examples where helpful, and organize information logically to enhance understanding.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Engaging" icon="sparkles">
    **Instructions:** Use an engaging tone in all responses, drawing the user in with conversational language, questions, or relatable anecdotes to make interactions dynamic and interactive. Encourage curiosity while keeping the content lively and user-focused.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Inspirational" icon="lightbulb">
    **Instructions:** Employ an inspirational tone in all responses, motivating and uplifting the user with positive, encouraging language. Highlight potential, growth, and optimism, weaving in motivational insights to inspire action or reflection.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Playful / Funny" icon="face-smile">
    **Instructions:** Respond in a playful and funny tone, incorporating light-hearted humor, puns, or witty remarks where appropriate to keep things fun and entertaining. Balance jokes with relevance to ensure the response remains helpful and enjoyable.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Sales Expert" icon="chart-line">
    **Description:** Persuasive and results-focused, great for converting visitors into leads

    **Instructions:** Act as a skilled sales professional. Focus on understanding visitor needs, highlighting key benefits, and gently guiding toward taking action (booking demos, requesting quotes, signing up). Use persuasive but non-pushy language. Always look for opportunities to capture lead information or schedule follow-ups.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Consultant" icon="user-tie">
    **Description:** Advisory approach that builds trust through expertise

    **Instructions:** Position yourself as a trusted advisor and industry expert. Provide valuable insights, ask qualifying questions to understand their business needs, and offer strategic recommendations. Focus on education first, then naturally transition to how your solutions can help. Build credibility through knowledge.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Problem Solver" icon="wrench">
    **Description:** Focuses on pain points and positions solutions effectively

    **Instructions:** Lead with empathy for their challenges and pain points. Ask probing questions to uncover specific problems they're facing. Present your solutions as the clear answer to their struggles. Use language that shows you understand their frustration and have the expertise to help.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Urgent & Action-Oriented" icon="clock">
    **Description:** Creates urgency and drives immediate action with limited-time offers

    **Instructions:** Create a sense of urgency and scarcity in your responses. Highlight time-sensitive offers, limited availability, or competitive advantages they might miss. Use action-oriented language and strong calls-to-action. Focus on getting them to take the next step immediately.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Selecting a persona

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to personas">
    Go to **Settings** > **Personas** in your chatbot dashboard
  </Step>

  <Step title="Browse personas">
    Browse the available built-in personas
  </Step>

  <Step title="View details">
    Click **View Details** to see the full instructions for each persona
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select persona">
    Select the radio button next to your preferred persona
  </Step>

  <Step title="Apply changes">
    The persona will be automatically applied to your chatbot
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Custom personas

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Create Custom Persona" icon="plus">
    Create a custom persona to match your unique brand voice:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Navigate to personas">
        Go to **Settings** > **Personas** in your chatbot dashboard
      </Step>

      <Step title="Access custom section">
        Scroll to the **Custom Personas** section
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add new persona">
        Click **Add New Persona**
      </Step>

      <Step title="Enter details">
        * Enter a title for your persona
        * Write a description (optional)
        * Define the personality traits and communication style in the instructions field
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save and apply">
        Save and the persona will appear in your custom personas list. Select it to apply it to your chatbot.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>You can switch between personas at any time without retraining your chatbot. Changes take effect immediately.</Note>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Manage Personas" icon="list-check">
    You can edit or delete custom personas:

    **Edit**\
    Click the edit icon next to a custom persona to modify its instructions

    **Delete**\
    Click the delete icon to remove a custom persona (you cannot delete the currently active persona)

    <Warning>Built-in personas cannot be edited or deleted. Create a custom persona if you need to modify the instructions.</Warning>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Custom responses" icon="message-text" href="/features/custom-responses">
    Override AI responses with pre-written answers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Conversation starters" icon="comments" href="/features/conversation-starters">
    Add quick prompts to guide conversations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Training your chatbot" icon="brain" href="/setup/training-your-chatbot">
    Add content to improve chatbot knowledge
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="gear" href="/navigating-your-chatbot/settings">
    Configure additional chatbot behavior
  </Card>
</CardGroup>