To reduce responses that simply agree with you, use ChatGPT’s Custom Instructions to ask it to assess your claims independently, identify assumptions and counterarguments, express uncertainty, and disagree respectfully when warranted. This sets a response preference; it does not guarantee unbiased answers or a proven reduction in sycophancy.
What to put in ChatGPT Custom Instructions
Use this as a starting point, then adjust the wording to suit the feedback you want:
Do not agree with me merely to be supportive. Assess my claims independently. Identify important assumptions, check the strongest counterarguments, and tell me when the evidence is weak or uncertain. If you think I am mistaken, explain why respectfully and directly. Do not invent objections when my reasoning is sound; distinguish facts from your interpretation.
This is practical prompt-writing guidance, not wording prescribed by OpenAI or a formula shown to reduce sycophancy in testing. It makes the desired behavior explicit while asking ChatGPT not to manufacture disagreement.
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How to add the instruction
- On web or desktop: Open Settings → Personalization → Custom Instructions, make sure customization is enabled, and enter the text. OpenAI’s Custom Instructions guide documents the feature and controls.
- On iOS or Android: Open Settings → Customize ChatGPT, turn on Enable customization, and enter the text.
- Review it in use: Try the instruction with a claim or decision where you want scrutiny. If the answer is still too agreeable, clarify what you want it to test—for example, the strongest counterargument or the assumptions your conclusion depends on.
OpenAI says changes apply immediately across chats, including existing conversations, and can be edited or disabled later. Its Help Center says Custom Instructions are available on all plans on web, desktop, iOS, and Android.
Which personalization controls affect the response?
Custom Instructions are the most direct documented control for stating how you want ChatGPT to approach your claims. Other settings can shape style or provide context, but the cited OpenAI pages do not describe them as anti-sycophancy guarantees.
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| Control | What it adjusts | How it may help here |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Instructions | Guidance about what ChatGPT should consider in responses; applies across chats. OpenAI Help Center | State directly that you want independent evaluation, counterarguments, and clear uncertainty. |
| Personality | Communication style and tone; changing it does not change capabilities or safety rules. It works alongside custom instructions and saved memories. OpenAI Help Center | A more candid or professional tone may make direct feedback feel more natural, but tone alone is not evidence of less sycophancy. |
| Characteristics | Response qualities such as warmth and enthusiasm; these work alongside personality, custom instructions, and saved memories. OpenAI Help Center | You can adjust warmth or enthusiasm if that contributes to the responses you perceive as overly agreeable. |
| Memory | Relevant context and preferences. Memory controls can vary by plan, region, platform, and workspace settings. OpenAI Help Center | Check the controls available in your account and consider whether remembered preferences conflict with the response style you want. |
How to tell whether the instruction is helping
Look at the substance of ChatGPT’s response, not simply whether its tone sounds less warm. A useful answer should engage with the claim, surface relevant assumptions or counterevidence, and distinguish what is established from what is uncertain. If it disagrees, it should explain why; if your reasoning holds up, it should not invent objections just to challenge you.
Custom Instructions express a preference, not a guarantee of accuracy, objectivity, or disagreement. The OpenAI Help Center pages cited here describe personalization features; they do not report a measured reduction in sycophancy or a success rate for a particular instruction.
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