Put each instruction at the right scope
Open claude.ai in your browser and check the selected account before practicing. This chapter uses the Web interface. Control placement can change; local files are available only after upload or a supported connection. This exercise does not require installing Desktop.
This lesson helps you save a useful preference without making it interfere with every task. Outputs below are teaching illustrations.
Account instructions: broad preferences across conversations. Project instructions: rules for one body of work. Chat request: the current task. Style changes presentation, not truth, approval, or permission to send.
Avoid "always answer in three words" if you sometimes need an explanation. A useful preference says when to make an exception.
Save one small account preference
The personalization article checked September 30, 2026 directs users to initials, Settings, and Instructions for Claude. Read existing instructions first rather than deleting them blindly.
Use plain English unless I request another language.
Start with the direct answer. Explain when needed for understanding or checking.
Do not present guesses as facts. Mark missing information.
For work drafts, use short paragraphs without promotional wording.
When I request detail, do not omit an important fact merely to be brief.
Save and open a test chat. Do not store a password, client data, or a temporary fact such as "there are 48 registrations" here. Project facts belong in a maintained source, not a global style preference.
Test with a short source
Draft a manager update from this source only, no more than 80 words.
Source: two course units are ready. Unit 3 is being edited.
No completion date was supplied. The manager has not approved the format.
Do not add praise, a date, or a decision. This is a draft to check.
Illustrative output:
Two course units are ready. Unit 3 is still being edited,
and its completion date was not supplied. Your approval
of the course format is needed before moving ahead.
Check style and facts. "The course is progressing wonderfully" is not a source fact. If the preference makes the answer too short to understand, revise the preference rather than correcting only this answer.
Keep course rules inside the Project
Add focused Project instructions when available:
This project prepares internal course drafts.
Manager updates use: Ready, Missing, Decision needed.
Employee updates must not present an option as an approved format.
Course facts come from project knowledge, not global account preferences.
Run the same source inside the Project. Then ask an unrelated question outside it. The course format should not be forced on every topic.
If unavailable, include instructions at the start of the practice chat. Do not buy a plan just for this exercise. Official pages contain some inconsistent entitlement wording, so use the dedicated current Projects guide and your actual account.
Change audience without changing facts
Now write for employees, no more than 60 words.
Explain that preparation is underway and the date and format
will be shared only after approval.
Do not ask employees to make a decision assigned to the manager.
Illustrative output:
Two course units are ready and another is being edited.
The date and format will be shared after approval.
There is no final invitation or approved date yet.
Compare with the manager version. Audience changed, approval status did not. A request for an upbeat tone can accidentally introduce "See you soon" or "Registration is open." Preserve source rules alongside tone.
Style examples and Skills
If your interface offers a style control, test with the same source. Current documentation also describes Skills for repeatable behavior and formatting. These are not necessarily the buttons in an old guide, and differ from Claude Code output styles.
You can provide a small style example without installing anything:
Desired style: short, direct sentences without a marketing introduction.
Style example only: "The document is ready. Budget approval is still needed."
Do not copy facts from that example into this draft.
Use only the course source I supplied.
"Style only" matters: examples can otherwise leak facts into the answer. Use your own writing or material you have permission to use.
A workflow and three exercises
Choose instruction scope, save, test with a source, change audience, compare facts, and revise rules that cause repeated mistakes. Not every one-time correction deserves a permanent preference.
Easy: measurable preference
Save one language or length preference. Success: explain what changed rather than saying it "sounds better."
Intermediate: correct scope
Put the course format in a Project and test outside it. Success: course rules do not affect unrelated work.
Challenging: no factual leakage
Use the budget style example when the course source has no budget. Success: suitable tone without invented budget facts.
Troubleshooting and maintenance
Preference not followed: check saving, conflicting rules, and the current request. Instructions are guidance, not a guarantee.
Everything too short: replace "always brief" with a conditional rule.
Tone changes facts: separate style examples from knowledge and compare with source.
Duplicated instructions: keep a small set you can explain and test.
Ready-looking draft: professional style is not approval. Check text and audience before copying, sharing, or sending.