---
title: Customize your assistant
description: Tune the tone, pick an LLM, control max tokens and temperature, and decide whether answers cite their sources.
sidebar:
  label: Customize
  icon: sliders
---

Once your assistant is answering questions, you'll want to shape how it responds. Open your assistant's settings to adjust any of the following. Changes take effect right away.

## The instructions field

This is the single biggest lever you have. The instructions tell the assistant how to behave. A few ideas you can add:

- **Set the tone** — warm and encouraging, formal, Socratic, concise.
- **Set boundaries** — "Only answer using the course materials," or "Don't give away full solutions to homework; give hints instead."
- **Handle gaps gracefully** — "If the answer isn't in the materials, say so and point the student to office hours."

:::tip
Rewrite the instructions whenever answers aren't landing the way you want. It's the fastest way to change behavior.
:::

## Choosing a model

The **LLM** is the engine that writes the answers. We offer several open-source
LLMs, and they all work the same way from your point of view — you don't need to
know the technical differences.

**Stick with the default**

The default LLM is a well-rounded choice that works for most courses. When
in doubt, leave it.

**Try another if needed**

If answers feel too short, too long, or off-tone, switch LLMs and compare.
It's a safe experiment — nothing else changes.

**[Choose an open-source LLM](/instructors/choose-a-model)**

What each model is good at — multilingual, STEM, long documents, coding — so
you can match one to your subject.

## Temperature and max tokens

**Temperature**

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

**Max tokens**

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

## Show sources

Turn **Show sources** on and every answer lists which of your materials it drew from. This helps students verify answers and go read the original passage. It's a great trust-builder for academic use.

## Appearance (for embedded assistants)

If you [embed the assistant](/instructors/share-and-embed) on a website, you can match it to your site's look:

- **Light or dark** theme
- **Position** — bottom-right or bottom-left corner
- **Button and chat colors**

**[Next: Share and embed](/instructors/share-and-embed)**

Give students a link or drop the assistant into your course site.