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What Are Custom Assistants?

Custom assistants let you give the AI a set of instructions it will follow in every chat response. Instead of repeating “keep questions neutral” or “respond in Spanish” in each message, you write those instructions once in an assistant, activate it, and the AI behaves that way automatically. You can create multiple assistants and switch between them — for example one for customer surveys and another for internal feedback forms.

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How to Create an Assistant

1

Open the add-in

Click Extensions → ChatGPT for Google Workspace → 🚀 Launch GPT to open the sidebar.
2

Open Settings

Click the Settings icon (gear) in the top-right corner of the sidebar.
3

Open the Assistants page

Scroll to the Assistants row and click Manage.
4

Create a new assistant

Click Create assistant at the top of the page.
5

Give it a name

Enter a short name that describes its purpose — for example Customer Survey or Formal Spanish.
6

Write your instructions

In the Instructions field, describe how the AI should behave. Be as specific as you need — see the examples below.
7

Save

Click Save. The assistant is now created and set as active.

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How to Switch Between Assistants

Switching is done from the same Assistants page where you manage them.
  1. Open Settings → Assistants → Manage.
  2. Tap any assistant in the list to make it active — a checkmark appears next to the active one.
  3. Tap the active assistant again to deselect it and go back to Default (no custom instructions).
  4. To switch to a different assistant, simply tap another one.
The active assistant is remembered across sessions. Every chat message you send will use its instructions until you change it.

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Editing and Deleting Assistants

On the Assistants page:
  • Click the pencil icon next to an assistant to edit its name or instructions.
  • Click the trash icon to delete it. You will be asked to confirm before it is removed.

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Writing Effective Instructions

Instructions tell the AI exactly how to behave. The clearer and more specific they are, the better the results.

Tone and style

“Keep survey questions neutral and unbiased. Avoid leading wording.”

Question format

“Prefer multiple-choice questions with 4–5 balanced options.”

Language

“Always respond in Spanish, regardless of the language of my request.”

Audience focus

“Write questions suited to a non-technical customer audience.”

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More instruction examples

Tone:
  • “Keep questions concise and easy to understand.”
  • “Avoid double-barreled questions that ask two things at once.”
Question format:
  • “When generating a survey, include a mix of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.”
  • “Always add a neutral ‘Prefer not to say’ option to demographic questions.”
Content rules:
  • “Never write leading or loaded questions.”
  • “When analyzing responses, summarize the top three themes.”
Language:
  • “Respond in French. Maintain a professional register.”
  • “Translate all summaries into Japanese.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

There is no fixed limit — you can create as many assistants as you need.
No, only one assistant is active at a time. To switch, tap a different assistant in the list. To use no custom instructions, tap the active assistant again to deselect it.
The active assistant is automatically cleared and the AI reverts to Default behavior.
Assistants apply to the chat. The instructions you write are passed to the AI alongside your message every time you send a chat request.
Yes — instructions can be up to 2,000 characters. The character count is shown below the input field as you type.

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Next Steps

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