Custom prompt — steer the AI mid-session

In the right-side Screen Reference panel of /interview, there's a text area labeled Custom Prompt. Type any instruction there; every subsequent AI answer reads it as a system-level hint. Survives across the whole session — clear it manually when you want it gone.

What you can put in it

Specific guidance you want the AI to apply to every answer. Examples that work well:

• "Focus on my experience at Stripe and de-emphasize Toptal contracting."
• "Use STAR structure but skip the Result section if it's <30 words."
• "This interviewer is the Director of Engineering — assume they care about scale, not just code."
• "I'm targeting Series-B startups, lean toward 'I built X solo' framing."
• "Reference my CMU master's wherever it fits the question."
• "Avoid jargon — interviewer is a recruiter, not an engineer."

The custom prompt is additive to your selected tone, model, resume, and the question itself. It doesn't replace any of those — it layers on top as steering.

When to use it

• Mid-interview, you realize the interviewer cares about something specific. Type it in immediately, every following answer pivots accordingly.
• Targeting a specific company / role. Set it before the session: "Pivot answers toward [company]'s focus on [specific area]."
• Skipping a section of your background. Maybe you're not proud of a particular role and want to never bring it up: "Don't reference my time at [company]."
• Format constraint. "Maximum 60 words per answer." — the AI will tighten everything.

When NOT to use it

• Don't write a script. "Always say X" produces robotic answers. Use it for direction, not lines.
• Don't override the tone. Pick the tone in topbar Settings; use Custom Prompt for content steering, not voice.
• Don't paste sensitive data. The custom prompt is sent to the AI provider with every request. Don't put credentials, NDA-protected info, etc.

How it interacts with other settings

Setting	Wins when conflicting
Tone	Tone wins the voice. Custom prompt wins the content.
Model	No conflict — the prompt is fed to whatever model is selected.
Resume	Resume is treated as ground truth about your background; custom prompt steers WHICH parts to emphasize.
Inline advice	The AI still surfaces advice pills; the prompt influences which sources it cites.

Where it lives in the code

apps/web/app/interview/_components/right-panel/custom-prompt.tsx. Stored in session-scoped React state; persists for the session, NOT across sessions. Want it to persist? Use the Custom Instructions setting (planned, not yet shipped).

Gotchas

• Long prompts cost tokens. Each request includes your full custom prompt. A 500-word prompt at 5-8 questions per session adds up. Keep it tight.
• The AI follows the spirit, not the letter. If you say "never use bullets," it might still use bullets occasionally when the question structure demands them. The model isn't a strict template engine.
• Switching mid-session is fine. Update the text; the next answer reflects the new prompt.

Still stuck?

Help & Feedback → Contact us with category "How do I…?" — tell us what steering you wanted and what the AI did instead.

Video walkthrough

Coming soon.