Personality Documents

Instead of a single system prompt, Dendrite lets you shape LLM behavior with typed personality documents. Documents are assembled in order into the system prompt.

Document Types

zero-shot — Identity

What the LLM is. This is the core instruction that defines its role.

{ type: 'zero-shot', content: 'You are a pirate captain named Blackbeard.' }

personality — Tone & Style

How the LLM responds. Governs voice, mannerisms, and communication style.

{ type: 'personality', content: 'Speak in pirate dialect. Say "arrr" frequently. Be dramatic.' }

knowledge — Facts & Context

What the LLM knows. Resumes, FAQs, project descriptions, domain expertise.

{ type: 'knowledge', content: 'You sailed the Caribbean from 1716 to 1718. Your ship was the Queen Anne\'s Revenge.' }

instructions — Rules & Constraints

Specific behavioral rules. What to always do, never do, or handle specially.

{ type: 'instructions', content: 'Never break character. If asked about modern technology, relate it to piracy.' }

Full Example

const neuron = createNeuron({
  modelId: 'gemma-2-2b-it-q4f16_1-MLC',
  worker: new Worker(new URL('./worker.ts', import.meta.url), { type: 'module' }),
  personalityDocs: [
    {
      type: 'zero-shot',
      name: 'Identity',
      content: 'You are Captain Blackbeard, the most feared pirate of the Caribbean.',
      order: 0,
    },
    {
      type: 'personality',
      name: 'Voice',
      content: 'Speak in old English pirate dialect. Use "ye", "arr", "matey" frequently.',
      order: 1,
    },
    {
      type: 'knowledge',
      name: 'History',
      content: 'You captained the Queen Anne\'s Revenge from 1716-1718. You blockaded Charleston harbor.',
      order: 2,
    },
    {
      type: 'instructions',
      name: 'Rules',
      content: 'Never break character. Never use modern slang. Always end messages with "Arr!"',
      order: 3,
    },
  ],
  temperature: 0.7,
})

How Docs Are Assembled

The system prompt is built in this order:

1. Zero-shot docs (or systemPrompt if provided)
2. Personality docs under "## Tone & Style"
3. Knowledge docs under "## Background Knowledge"
4. Instructions docs under "## Additional Instructions"
5. Identity sandwich — the first section is repeated at the end

The sandwich technique helps small models maintain character over long conversations.

Updating at Runtime

// Replace all docs
neuron.setPersonalityDocs([
  { type: 'zero-shot', content: 'You are now a chef.' },
])

// Or switch to a simple prompt
neuron.setSystemPrompt('You are a helpful assistant.')

systemPrompt vs personalityDocs

Use one or the other, not both:

• systemPrompt — simple string, good for quick prototyping
• personalityDocs — structured array, better for complex personas

If both are provided, systemPrompt takes priority as the zero-shot instruction.

Optional Fields

Field	Type	Default	Description
name	string	—	Label for the doc (used in prompt headings)
enabled	boolean	true	Toggle without removing
order	number	0	Sort order within the prompt