Time: ~30 minutes
Skill level: Beginner
What you'll have by the end: A working custom copilot tuned for a specific task, with a solid system prompt and the right tools enabled.

What you're building

A custom copilot that you'll actually use. Not a demo. We're going to start with a real use case, write a real system prompt, and end up with something that saves you time.

Step 1: Pick your use case (5 minutes)

The best first copilots are built around something repetitive. A task you do every week (or more), where the pattern is consistent but the content varies each time.

Good examples:

• Writing status updates or project summaries
• Turning rough notes into structured documents
• Drafting responses to a certain type of request
• Analyzing feedback or survey responses
• Answering questions about a specific domain you know well

Pick one. Be specific — "help me write things" is too broad. "Help me write weekly sprint update emails for a technical team, non-technical audience" is a use case.

Write it down in one sentence: This copilot helps me [specific task] for [specific context or audience].

Step 2: Write your system prompt (10 minutes)

The system prompt is the instruction you give your copilot. It tells the copilot what role it plays, what good output looks like, and any constraints it should follow.

A solid system prompt for a first copilot covers four things:

Role — What kind of expert is this copilot playing?

"You are an internal communications writer for a technology company."

Task — What does the user give it, and what does it produce?

"When given bullet points or rough notes about a team's weekly work, you produce a polished sprint summary email."

Audience or context — Who is the output for?

"The audience is non-technical stakeholders: executives and product managers who want outcomes, not implementation details."

Format and constraints — Length, structure, tone.

"Emails should be 200–300 words, structured with: a one-sentence summary of the week, 3–4 bullet points of accomplishments, and a brief note on what's coming next. Tone: professional, clear, no jargon."

Put it together into a single system prompt. It doesn't need to be perfect — you'll iterate. Aim for one solid paragraph or a short structured block.

Step 3: Create the copilot (5 minutes)

1. Click + Create your own copilot in the sidebar.
2. Enter a name. Make it descriptive: what the copilot does, not what it is. "Sprint Update Writer" not "My Copilot 1."
3. Add a brief description. This shows up in the sidebar and helps others understand what it's for.
4. Paste your system prompt into the System Prompt field.
5. Leave the model on the default (Anthropic Claude) for now.
6. Enable any tools your copilot needs. For a writing-focused copilot, File Upload is often useful. If you need current information, add Search internet.
7. Click Save.

Step 4: Test it with a real example (5 minutes)

Don't test with a made-up prompt. Use something from your actual work.

Give it the input it's designed to receive — your rough notes, your draft, your data — and evaluate the output honestly.

Ask yourself:

• Does it capture the right information?
• Is the format right?
• Is the tone right?
• What would I change?

Then go back and adjust your system prompt based on what you found. This is normal. Most good system prompts go through 2–3 iterations.

Common refinements:

• Too long? Add: "Keep responses under [X] words."
• Wrong tone? Describe it more specifically: not "professional" but "direct and concise, no pleasantries."
• Missing something? Add explicit instructions: "Always include a section on blockers."
• Too generic? Add context: "Our team works on a mobile app. We use React Native."

Step 5: Set it up for ongoing use (5 minutes)

A few things that make a copilot easier to use over time:

Add conversation starters. In the settings, add 2–3 examples of exactly how you'd start using it. These appear above the input box and make it faster for you (and anyone you share with) to get started.

Share with a teammate if you think they'd benefit. Settings → Sharing → add them as a Viewer. They get access immediately.

Link a knowledge base if your copilot needs to reference specific documents. Learn about knowledge bases →

Next steps

• Custom copilots full guide — all the settings in detail
• Connecting your organization's knowledge — add documents your copilot can reference
• Scaling a copilot across your team — get your team using what you built