Janitor AI custom prompts: what to write and why

Here's what the records say about the setup you're writing for:

• Free chat runs on the built-in JLLM model, with unlimited chats and swipes across millions of bots
• The free context window is about 9k tokens per chat (the records give 8,000-9,000)
• The paid Janitor+ tier ($12.99 monthly) lists 5x more context, plus extra swipes on frontier models
• Custom characters are on file as a feature, so you can build the bot the prompt works with

One honest limit: the records don't document a named custom prompt field or a menu path for it, so I won't invent one. What I can do is tell you how to write the prompt so it earns its place in that context budget. That part doesn't depend on where the box sits.

Why it matters so much: every word of your prompt is read again with every reply, alongside the character's description and the recent chat. A long, rambling prompt eats room the story needs. A tight one leaves space for the model to remember what happened ten messages ago.

Next comes a table, "The apps side by side", that sets Janitor AI beside five other apps, including memory and custom characters, which is useful if you're wondering whether a different app would need less prompt work.

If you're arriving from Character AI to get more control over your bots, my steps for clearing out your Character AI chats cover tidying up the old account first.

My rule of thumb is a few tight lines, not a page. Say what you want once, in plain words, and cut anything that repeats the character's own description. If the bot already has a personality written into it, the prompt only needs to add what the character sheet doesn't cover: style, length of replies, point of view.

Here's what I'd cut first from a bloated prompt:

• Long lists of words the model should never use
• Instructions that repeat the character description
• Several examples of "good replies" when one would do
• Rules for situations your story never reaches

If your prompts are short and your scenes are short, I'd stay free. Unlimited JLLM chats and swipes are already generous, and you won't feel the context limit much in a quick scene.

The catch I don't like: as a rule you won't get a subscription refunded, unless the terms or the law say otherwise. So don't buy Janitor+ to "see if it fixes things". Trim your prompt on free first, and only pay if the story still falls apart because of space, not because of the prompt.

For everything else about the app, from the character library to the plans and the memory complaints, my full Janitor AI review goes through it in one place. Prompts are one lever. The review helps you judge whether the rest of the app suits you.

• Point of view and tense: for example, the character speaks in first person and you describe your own actions
• Reply length: a rough size, so the model doesn't write a wall of text or a single line
• Pacing: slow build, or quick scenes, stated once
• What to keep consistent: names, places and relationships that matter to your story
• What not to do on your behalf: for example, never write your character's thoughts or choices

That's it. Five short lines can do more than a page of rules, and they're easy to adjust later when you see what the model does with each one. If you use the same style across several bots, keep a copy of your best version so you don't rewrite it from memory every time.

Models follow clear, positive instructions better than long lists of don'ts, and in a tight context window every sentence has a cost.

A few things I'd leave out. Don't paste huge prompts shared by strangers without reading them: they're often written for a different model, and half the lines may do nothing on JLLM. Don't stack contradictory rules, like "be concise" and "describe everything in detail".

And don't use the prompt to fight the platform's rules: Janitor AI's content policy already allows adult content, so a prompt only needs to describe the tone you want.

My personal favourite trick is the consistency line. Tell the model which three or four facts must never change, like a name or a home town. Other reviewers report that free JLLM memory fades fast, with drift or forgotten details within 20-30 messages, so naming what matters most is cheap insurance.

If all this sounds like more tinkering than you want, that's a fair reaction. Some apps put more work into built-in memory so you don't have to write rules. My list of Janitor AI alternatives ranks apps that share Janitor AI's roleplay focus, some with memory features on file.

Other reviewers report that recall is solid inside one sitting, then slips clearly once a chat stretches over several days. That matches how a fixed context budget behaves. It also means there are two different problems that look alike: the model ignoring your style instructions, and the model forgetting story facts. The fixes are different.

If the style drifts, restate it in a short line inside the chat. A gentle reminder of the reply length or point of view often pulls the model back. I'd do this instead of making the prompt longer, because a longer prompt only makes the space problem worse.

If story facts drift, keep them short and put the ones that matter most where the model sees them: in the character sheet or in your consistency line. Names, relationships and places are what break immersion fastest when they change, so those deserve the room.

And if neither helps, it may be a sign the story has simply outgrown the free context. That's the one situation where I think paying for Janitor+ makes sense, since 5x more context is exactly what a long story is short of. I'd still set a budget: $12.99 a month is fair for a heavy roleplayer, but too much if you only drop in a couple of times a week.

One thing I'd avoid is restarting the chat every time something drifts. You lose the parts that were working, and you teach yourself to blame the prompt for what is really a space limit. A short summary at the start of a fresh chat carries the story over better than a blank slate.

For quick answers on the wider basics, like cancelling a plan, deleting chats or how these apps make money, my help section collects the short guides in one place.

That's also why I think Janitor AI is a relaxed place to write prompts. On apps with a strict policy, people waste their prompts arguing with a filter. Here, the prompt can focus on the story: voice, pacing and consistency. That's a better use of a small context window.

What a prompt can't do is add features the app doesn't have. The records list no voice calls, no images, no video and no group chat for Janitor AI. No wording will make a bot send a picture or call you. If those matter, you're looking at a different app, not a better prompt.

The second habit is honesty about the model. JLLM is the free built-in model, with a JLLM-short option on the free plan too, and Janitor+ adds more swipes with frontier models. A prompt written for a huge context may just overflow on free. Write for the model you actually use.

The third is patience. Change one line at a time, and see what that line does over a few replies. If you change five things at once, you won't know which one helped. Keep the old version somewhere before each edit, so you can roll back when a change makes replies worse. Small, tested steps beat a full rewrite every time you feel stuck.

The facts here come from official pages, and the page explaining how apps on this site are checked lists which sources count. That's also why this guide gives writing advice and not menu paths: the records simply don't document the prompt settings screen.

If you just want a companion that remembers you without homework, the prompt work may feel like a chore. Nomi AI lists memory as a feature and has a free plan of 50 messages a day; on SpicyChat, the $5.95 monthly Get a Taste plan adds a memory manager that stores key details. Both allow adult content under their policy, so you're not trading away the level for convenience.

Some readers come to Janitor AI after hitting a wall on Character AI and want to know where that app stands. I keep that topic separate, and my page on what Character AI permits for NSFW covers it. Here, the point is simply that on Janitor AI you spend your prompt on the story, not on the rules.

Pay for Janitor+ only when your stories are long enough that space, not wording, is the problem. At $12.99 a month with 5x more context, it's a sensible upgrade for heavy roleplayers and an unnecessary one for casual chats. Remember that subscriptions are generally non-refundable, so decide on free first.

And if you notice you're spending more time fixing prompts than enjoying the story, that's your sign to look at an app with more built-in memory. There's no shame in letting the app do the work. My suggestion is to give both styles a fair go on free plans: a lean prompt on Janitor AI for a week of evenings, and a companion app with built-in memory for the same stretch.