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A persona is how you introduce yourself to every Shape. It tells a Shape what to call you and what to know about you, and it follows you across your chats, so you never have to reintroduce yourself. If memory is what a Shape learns about you on its own, a persona is what you tell it up front.
You set your own persona. Everyone in a chat brings their own, so the same Shape can talk to two people completely differently.

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What’s in a persona

Just two fields, so it’s quick to set up: A good backstory is short and concrete, the same way a good Shape backstory is:
That one line changes how every Shape talks to you: the references you’ll get, the tone it picks, the things it assumes.

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How it works

When a Shape replies to you, your persona goes into its context every message. Because it’s applied per person, two people in the same group chat each get their own treatment. The Shape knows one of you is the kpop stan from Pennsylvania and the other is the night-owl screenwriter, and it talks to each of you accordingly.

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Setting a persona

1

Open Personas

Click your avatar in the sidebar and choose Personas.
2

Create one

Fill in My Name and My Backstory. You can keep a few: a playful one for hangout chats, a focused one for work.
3

Pick a default

Set one as your default. It’s used everywhere unless you override it.
4

Override per chat (optional)

In a specific chat, open Chat Settings → Personal AI and pick a different persona just for that chat. Handy for keeping your work self and your group-chat self separate.

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Personas vs. memory

They work together, but they’re different. Knowing the difference makes both more useful. Use a persona for what’s always true (“call me Vee, I’m a designer, keep it brief”). Let memory handle the story as it unfolds (“Vee shipped the redesign last week”). Together they make a Shape feel like it really knows you.

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Using personas well

  • Say how you want to be treated. “prefers short replies,” “loves a good debate,” “explain things simply.” Shapes follow it.
  • Keep it concrete. A tight line of real details beats a vague paragraph, for the same reason it does in a Shape’s backstory.
  • Make a few. A chill one for friends, a focused one for a work chat, then set per-chat overrides.
  • It’s optional. No persona, no problem. Shapes still work great. A persona just helps them know you faster.

How memory works

The other half of continuity: what a Shape learns on its own.

Designing social intelligence

How Shapes read a chat full of different people.
Set up your persona