---
title: Create a chatbot
description: Name your assistant, write its instructions, and pick how it answers — a walkthrough of every setting on the create form.
sidebar:
  label: Create a chatbot
  icon: plus
---

Name your assistant and give it instructions on how to behave (this is called the system prompt). Here is a walkthrough of every setting. This is quick — you can always change everything later. From your [dashboard](https://teachanything.ai/dashboard), click **New chatbot** and fill out the form.

## Name and description

1. **Name**

    What your assistant is called, e.g. "BIO 101 Study Helper." Students see
    this name.

2. **Description (optional)**

    A short note about what the assistant covers. This is mostly for you, to
    tell your assistants apart on the dashboard.

## Instructions (the assistant's personality)

The **instructions** field is the most important setting. It tells the assistant how to behave — its tone, what it should focus on, and any rules you want it to follow. Write it in plain English, as if you were briefing a teaching assistant on their first day.

:::tip[A good starting point]

> You are a friendly teaching assistant for an introductory biology course. Answer using only the uploaded course materials. Explain concepts simply, use examples, and encourage students to think through problems rather than just giving away answers. If something isn't covered in the materials, say so and suggest the student ask the instructor.
> :::

You don't have to get this perfect. Start simple, watch how it answers, and adjust.

## How it answers

A few settings control the style of the answers:

**LLM model**

The underlying large language model (LLM) is the "engine." We offer multiple
open-access LLMs; the default is a strong general-purpose choice. See
[Customize your assistant](/instructors/customize#choosing-a-model).

**Temperature**

Lower values keep answers focused and predictable — best for factual course
material. Higher values make answers more "creative."

**Max tokens**

This is a cap on how long (detailed) or concise each answer can get. 100
tokens are equal to roughly 75 English words.

**Show sources**

When on, answers list which of your files they drew from, so students can
check the original.

## Save it

Click **Create**, and your assistant appears on your dashboard. It doesn't know anything yet — the next step is to feed it your course materials.

**[Next: Upload your materials](/instructors/upload-materials)**

Add PDFs, Word docs, slides, and notes for your assistant to learn from.