Context-Management Playbook for Leading AI Assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity)

Below is a practical, side-by-side guide that shows exactly how to turn four popular assistants—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity—into truly context-aware power tools.

Chatgpt

Core Context Levers

1. Turn on Long-Term Memory

   • Profile → Settings → Personalization → toggle “Memory” ON.

   • Verify by asking: “What do you remember about me?” (ChatGPT echoes saved facts).

1. Create or Edit Custom Instructions

   • Profile → Custom Instructions: fill the two boxes (user profile + response style).

   • Use the first box for durable facts (role, tone, brand guidelines).

   • Keep within the 1,500-character limit; update quarterly.

1. Build Purpose-Specific GPTs

   • Profile → My GPTs → Create; walk through GPT Builder prompts6789.

   • Upload reference docs (PDFs, CSVs) in the “Knowledge” pane for rapid RAG grounding.

   • Publish privately or to the GPT Store for team reuse.

   • GPT I created for writing PRD’s Product GPT

1. Housekeeping

   • Quarterly: prune obsolete memories in Settings → Personalization → Manage Memories.

   • Use “Temporary Chat” for sensitive tasks (no memory writes).

Claude (Anthropic)

Core Context Levers

1. Start a Project Workspace

   • Left sidebar → Projects → “+ New Project”

   • Add a clear name and description; set visibility (private vs. org-wide).

1. • Source: https://freshvanroot.com/blog/how-to-use-claude-projects/

2. Upload Project Knowledge

   • Inside the project, hit “+” to add PDFs, DOCX, code snippets.

   • Claude automatically indexes files; a 200,000-token window per project.

3. Set Project Instructions

   • “Set Project Instructions” → write persistent role, style, guardrails.

   • Example: “Act as a senior UX writer; responses ≤ 150 words, use Acme style guide.

4. Use Artifacts for Large Outputs

   • Ask Claude to generate code, diagrams, or docs; view in “Artifacts” pane

   • Promote finished artifacts to project knowledge for future recall.

5. (Upcoming) Enable Memory

   • Keep watch: Anthropic is rolling out global memory analogous to ChatGPT’s.

Gemini (Google)

Core Context Levers

1. Enable Personalization

   • Model drop-down → Personalization (experimental) → connect Search history.

   • Optionally share preferences (dietary, length, translation rules).
     📸 Screenshot Here

2. Create a Custom Gem

   • Left panel → Gems → “Create Gem”.

   • Name + detailed instructions; upload docs for “Knowledge” section.

   • Use ROADS (Role, Objective, Details, Examples, Style) prompting guide.

1. Leverage Built-In Gems

   • Try “Learning Coach” or “Coding Partner” for quick wins; clone & tweak.

2. Long-Context Uploads (Gemini 1.5 Pro)

   • Gemini Advanced can ingest up to 1 million tokens, drop entire manuals or slide decks, and query them.

3. Memory for Preferences

   • Gemini Advanced: toggle “Saved Info” in sidebar; instruct with “Remember that…”.

Perplexity

Core Context Levers

1. Activate AI Profile (Personalize)

   • Profile → Settings → Personalize → describe tone, format, goals.

1. Enable Memory (Beta Rollout)

   • Same Personalize page → turn ON “Reference Saved Memories”.

   • Add durable facts with “Remember that…” in a new thread.

2. Organize Threads with Collections

   • Library → Collections → “Create Collection”.

   • Add a “Collection AI Prompt” to enforce role or style across all threads.

3. Run Multi-Step Projects (Labs)

   • Mode selector → Labs → choose template or start free-form.

   • Labs auto-generates reports, dashboards, or web apps; assets are downloadable from the “Assets” tab.

4. Citations & Clean-Up

   • Use inline thumbs-down on any answer to drop irrelevant memories.

   • Periodically export or delete stale collections.

Quick Comparison Table

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