This is the “how to think” guide. For a line-by-line description of every setting and what it does, keep the Shape Settings Reference open in a second tab.
What makes a Shape good
A Shape is not a system prompt. It’s a character with a job in a conversation. The good ones share five things:A point of view
It wants something, talks a certain way, and reacts like a specific person with real opinions.
The right length
It matches the chat. Two lines in a fast group chat; a paragraph when the scene calls for it.
Memory that lands
It remembers the people and the running jokes, so the conversation has continuity.
Social timing
It knows when to jump in and when to shut up. This is what separates a chat member from a spam bot.
From zero to activated
You don’t have to do everything at once. Here’s the path most great creators take.1
A first Shape, in 5 minutes
In the Create Shape flow, pick a name, write a short backstory with a real point of view, choose a response style, and hit create. That’s it. You now have something to talk to. Don’t overthink it. You’ll learn more from one real conversation than from an hour of filling fields. (Brand new? Start with the Quickstart.)
2
A good Shape, after a few tweaks
Chat with it, notice what’s off, and fix the two or three things that matter: tighten the preset so replies are the right length, add a couple of conversational examples that nail its voice, and pick an engine that fits the vibe. This is where most of the quality comes from.
3
A great Shape that belongs in the chat
Give it memory and continuity, a few quirks that make it feel specific, boundaries so it stays in character, and social intelligence so it reads a group chat instead of spamming it. Then watch it live and keep tuning. Great Shapes are grown, not written in one sitting.
The anatomy of a Shape
You build the top of that stack in the Create Shape flow, and refine the rest in the Creator Dashboard. Let’s go layer by layer.1. Identity: name and short backstory
The name is the display name in chat, and it seeds the Shape’s username. The short backstory is the single most important field you’ll write. It’s the one-breath answer to “who is this?” Keep it to a sentence or two with a clear point of view. You’re establishing the essentials, not the autobiography.2. Personality: keywords beat paragraphs
In the dashboard’s Personality section you can set traits, tone, age, likes, dislikes, conversational goals, a longer story, and appearance. The trap is writing essays. Short, concrete keywords outperform paragraphs because they’re harder for the model to contradict.
For well-known characters and archetypes, write less. The model already knows what a tsundere or a Victorian detective sounds like, so give it the unique 10% and let it fill in the rest. (More on this in When Less Is More.)
Voice, quirks, and boundaries
Three things turn a competent character into a memorable one:- Voice. How it talks. Clipped or flowery? Lowercase texting or full sentences? Does it ask questions or make statements? The fastest way to set the voice is two or three lines in conversational examples, which the model reads as the character’s actual speech.
- Quirks. The specific, repeatable details people quote later: a catchphrase, a thing it always notices, a running bit. One or two beat a dozen. Put them in traits or knowledge.
- Boundaries. What the character won’t do, written in-character. “Refuses to break character,” “deflects personal questions with a joke,” “won’t give medical advice.” If your Shape may produce mature content, set the sensitive-content toggle honestly so it’s handled correctly.
3. The preset: how it actually writes
The preset (sometimes called the response style) is the instruction layer that controls how a Shape talks, separate from who it is. It’s where you nail length, format, and rhythm. Two template variables do the heavy lifting:{shape}is the Shape itself.{user}is the person it’s replying to.
Human (No Roleplay) to Long Roleplay, Balanced, and Custom) and then edit the text. Picking a named style can also auto-suggest a fitting model.
Go deep on prompt craft
The full, code-grounded guide to writing fields that work: what the model actually sees, weak vs strong examples, and the mistakes to avoid. The single best read for leveling up your Shapes.
4. Knowledge and training: feed the right things
These two features look similar but do different jobs.Knowledge
Facts the Shape should know: lore, backstory, custom command responses, how it treats specific people. Stored as entries and pulled in by relevance when a conversation touches them.
Training
Examples of how it should reply. Input/output pairs that guide tone and style. They’re not word-for-word scripts. The more representative examples you add, the better it learns your voice.
Then make it smart and social
A personality is the foundation. Two more things turn a good character into a great chat member, and each gets its own chapter.- Make it smart. A memory so it remembers people and inside jokes, the right model to run on, and skills it can use. That’s Chapter 3.
- Make it social. Knowing when to talk and when to listen in a group, tuned with Free Will. That’s Chapter 4, and it’s the thing only Shapes does well.
Worked example: “Sage,” a study buddy
Let’s assemble everything into one real Shape. Sage helps a group of friends study without being a humorless tutor.1
Identity
Name: SageShort backstory:
A patient grad-student tutor who explains hard things simply and celebrates small wins. Calm, encouraging, never condescending.2
Personality
Traits:
patient, encouraging, clear, lightly nerdyTone: warm, plain-spokenGoals: explain simply, check understanding, hype small wins, never make {user} feel dumb3
Preset
4
Knowledge (sparingly)
Add only group-specific facts the model can’t know, like
The group is studying for the AP Bio exam on May 12; focus areas are genetics and cell respiration. Skip general biology; the model already knows it.5
Engine + memory
Pick a solid reasoning-capable engine for accuracy, leave LTM on so Sage remembers what each person struggles with, and turn on time awareness so it can say “we covered this yesterday.”
6
Social intelligence
In the group study chat, set Free Will to reply when mentioned plus keep the convo going, and leave always have something to say off, so Sage helps when asked instead of interrupting the study session.
The personality checklist
A character that feels like someone usually has:- A short backstory with an actual point of view.
- Personality written in keywords, not paragraphs.
- A preset that controls length and format, using
{shape}and{user}. - A clear voice (shown in conversational examples), one good quirk, and real boundaries.
- Only the knowledge the model couldn’t already know.
What’s next
Your Shape has a personality. Now give it a memory, the right brain, and a few skills.Chapter 3 · Make it smart
Memory, the right model, and the skills it can actually use.