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---
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sidebar_position: 86
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title: Customizing Prompt Templates
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sidebar_label: Prompt Templates
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description: Learn how to customize the prompt templates that define goose's behavior in different situations
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---
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import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';
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import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
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import { PanelLeft } from 'lucide-react';
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goose comes with built-in prompt templates that guide its behavior in different situations. You can edit these templates to customize how goose responds, creates plans, decides what to save during compaction, and more.
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## How It Works
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goose's default prompt templates are defined in the codebase and embedded in the application. You can override any default by creating a custom version in your local config directory (either directly or via goose Desktop).
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When you customize a template:
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- Your customizations persist across goose updates
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- Changes to defaults in the codebase don't affect your customized templates
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- You can reset to default templates at any time
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- Changes take effect in new sessions
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Your changes can range from major updates to minor adjustments such as:
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- Edit `system.md` to have goose respond in Dutch by adding an instruction to "Reply in Dutch"
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- Edit `plan.md` to add time estimates by adding instructions to "Include an estimated time for each step (e.g., "~5 min", "~30 min", "~2 hours")."
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See [Template Variable Syntax](#template-variable-syntax) for important information about modifying template variables.
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:::info Related Configuration
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Other goose settings and features can also affect behavior or provide context, such as [config files](/docs/guides/config-files), [.goosehints](/docs/guides/context-engineering/using-goosehints), and [skills](/docs/guides/context-engineering/using-skills).
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:::
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## Managing Prompt Templates
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<Tabs groupId="interface">
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<TabItem value="ui" label="goose Desktop" default>
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goose Desktop users can manage templates from the `Settings` page.
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**To customize a template:**
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1. Click the <PanelLeft className="inline" size={16} /> button in the top-left to open the sidebar
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2. Click `Settings` in the sidebar
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3. Click the `Prompts` tab
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4. Click `Edit` next to the template you want to change
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5. Make your changes in the editor. You can click `Restore Default` to start over from the default template at any time.
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6. Click `Save` to apply your customization
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Customized prompt templates display a `Customized` badge.
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**To reset a template to its default:**
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1. Click the <PanelLeft className="inline" size={16} /> button in the top-left to open the sidebar
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2. Click `Settings` in the sidebar
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3. Click the `Prompts` tab
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4. Click `Edit` next to the template you want to reset
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5. Click `Reset to Default` to delete your local template file
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Or click `Reset All` at the top of the tab to delete all of your local template files.
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</TabItem>
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<TabItem value="cli" label="goose CLI">
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goose CLI users can edit template files directly in the file system.
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Custom templates are stored in:
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- **macOS/Linux:** `~/.config/goose/prompts/`
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- **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Block\goose\config\prompts\`
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**To customize a template:**
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1. Create the `prompts` directory if it doesn't exist
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2. Copy the template file name from the table above (e.g., `system.md`)
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3. Create a file with that name in your prompts directory
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4. Add your custom content and save your changes. We recommend that you start by reviewing or copying the default template (linked in the [table](#available-prompt-templates) above).
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**To reset a template to its default:**
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1. Delete the template file from your `prompts` directory
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</TabItem>
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</Tabs>
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### Available Prompt Templates
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The following default templates can be customized.
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| Template | Description | Applies To |
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|----------|-------------|------------|
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| [system.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/system.md) | General system prompt defining goose's role, capabilities, and response format | Desktop and CLI |
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| [apps_create.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/apps_create.md) | Prompt for generating new standalone apps (in development) | Desktop only |
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| [apps_iterate.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/apps_iterate.md) | Prompt for updating existing standalone apps (in development) | Desktop only |
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| [compaction.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/compaction.md) | Prompt for summarizing conversation history when context limits are reached | Desktop and CLI |
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| [desktop_prompt.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/desktop_prompt.md) | Context about the user interface and available features | Desktop only |
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| [desktop_recipe_instruction.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/desktop_recipe_instruction.md) | Instructions for executing recipes | Desktop only |
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| [permission_judge.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/permission_judge.md) | Prompt for analyzing tool operations for read-only detection | Desktop and CLI |
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| [plan.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/plan.md) | Instructions for creating detailed, actionable plans with clarifying questions | CLI only |
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| [recipe.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/recipe.md) | Prompt for generating recipe files from conversations | Desktop and CLI |
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| [subagent_system.md](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompts/subagent_system.md) | System prompt for subagents spawned to handle specific tasks | Desktop and CLI |
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Customizable templates are enumerated in the `TEMPLATE_REGISTRY` array in [`prompt_template.rs`](https://github.com/block/goose/blob/main/crates/goose/src/prompt_template.rs).
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### Template Variable Syntax
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Templates use [Jinja2](https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/) syntax for dynamic content:
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- `{{ variable }}` - Inserts a value (e.g., `{{ extensions }}` lists enabled extensions)
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- `{% if condition %}...{% endif %}` - Conditional sections
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- `{% for item in list %}...{% endfor %}` - Loops over items
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Check out the default templates (linked to from the [table](#available-prompt-templates) above) to find common variables, such as `{{ extensions }}` and `{{ hints }}`.
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:::warning
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Be careful when modifying template variables, as incorrect changes can break functionality. Test your changes in a new session to ensure they work as expected.
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:::
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## Additional Resources
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import ContentCardCarousel from '@site/src/components/ContentCardCarousel';
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import promptBanner from '@site/blog/2025-03-19-better-ai-prompting/prompt.png';
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<ContentCardCarousel
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items={[
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{
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type: 'blog',
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title: 'AI Prompting 101: How to Get the Best Responses from Your AI Agent',
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description: 'Learn different prompting styles—from instruction-based to chain-of-thought—and discover which approach works best for your needs.',
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thumbnailUrl: promptBanner,
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linkUrl: '/goose/blog/2025/03/19/better-ai-prompting',
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date: '2025-03-19',
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duration: '8 min read'
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}
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]}
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/>
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