Guiding a reply
Write direction for a character or the narrator instead of speaking as yourself.
Usually what you type is a message from you. Guide reply switches the composer so that what you type is direction for the next reply instead: you describe what should happen, the model writes it, and your direction never appears in the conversation.
Switching who you write for
The Guide reply picker sits in the composer's left group, between Attach file and the model button. It offers:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Myself | Send a message as yourself. The default. |
| A character in this chat | Guide that character's next reply. |
| Narrator | Guide the setting and events. |
Pick anything other than Myself and three things change: the placeholder becomes What should [name] say or do next? (or What should happen in the next scene? for the narrator), the send button becomes Generate reply, and a removable Guiding [name] chip appears. Switch back to Myself to send an ordinary message again.
Your direction is not a message. "Describe what should happen in the next reply. AI generates it; your direction is not sent as a chat message." Write what should happen — "she finally admits she was there that night" — not what you would say.
The shortcut
You don't have to open the picker. From a normal composer:
The colon form works for any name; /as Mira she admits it works for single-word names. A full-width ： is accepted. narrator also answers to 旁白, ナレーター and 내레이터. The composer shows the reminder "Shortcut: /as Name: direction guides the next reply."
If the name doesn't match anyone in the chat you'll get "No character with that name in this chat. Use /as Name: direction." and nothing is sent.
Guiding the narrator
A narrator turn is written from outside the characters for that one reply: no character viewpoint, no first-person voice, no dialogue or inner thought unless your direction asks for it. Character voice and formatting resume on the next ordinary turn.
Because of that, two slash commands are dropped on a narrator turn — Narration style and Only character POV. The rest still apply.
What you need
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Signed in | The picker is hidden otherwise |
| At least one message in the chat | "Start a conversation before guiding a reply." |
| No attachments and no quote in the draft | "Remove attachments and quotes, or switch back to yourself to send them." Those need a visible message from you |
| Not in a bounty attempt | Guiding is unavailable while an attempt is running |
Direction is capped at the same length as a message — 5,000 characters.
Steering it further
- Slash commands ride along. Attach a length, pacing or custom directive to the same turn and it applies to the generated reply.
- Reply suggestions are hidden while you're guiding — the chips are drafts of your next message, which isn't what you're writing.
- Regenerating re-applies your direction, along with any slash commands you sent with it, so a reroll answers the same brief rather than reverting to a plain reply.
- In a group, a card can hold more than one person: "For cards with multiple people, name who speaks or acts in your text." A direction also takes precedence over a Who replies pick, which is suppressed for that turn.
What comes back is an ordinary reply from your current model — you can edit it, regenerate it, fork from it or read it aloud like any other.
Related
- Slash commands — the other one-turn controls, and how they combine with direction
- The chat screen — where the picker sits in the composer
- Group chats — guiding one character out of a cast
- Directing prose — the equivalent when you're writing long-form