Custom Shannon
Create personalized AI assistants with custom instructions, knowledge files, and unique personalities tailored to your exact needs
What is Custom Shannon?
Custom Shannon is Shannon AI's powerful AI personalization platform that lets you create domain-specific AI assistants. Unlike generic chatbots, Custom Shannon allows you to define exactly how your AI assistant should behave, what knowledge it should have access to, and how it should interact with users.
Whether you're building a specialized coding assistant, a customer support agent, a creative writing partner, or a domain expert for your business, Custom Shannon provides the tools to create AI experiences perfectly aligned with your requirements.
Custom Instructions
Define your AI's personality, expertise, response style, and behavioral constraints with detailed system prompts.
Knowledge Files
Upload documents that your AI can reference - product manuals, research papers, codebases, and more.
Community Sharing
Share your creations publicly or keep them private. Discover and use Custom Shans built by others.
Live Preview
Test your Custom Shannon in real-time before deploying. Iterate on instructions until perfect.
Key Features
System Instructions
The heart of Custom Shannon is the system instructions - a powerful way to define your AI assistant's core behavior. System instructions are injected into every conversation, ensuring consistent responses across all interactions.
Effective system instructions typically include:
- Role definition - Who is this AI? (e.g., "You are a senior Python developer...")
- Expertise scope - What topics should it excel at?
- Tone and style - Professional, casual, technical, friendly?
- Response format - Bullet points, detailed explanations, code-focused?
- Constraints - What should it avoid or refuse?
Knowledge File Integration
Upload domain-specific documents that your AI can reference during conversations. This transforms your Custom Shannon from a general assistant into a true expert on your specific content.
Maximum file size: 10 MB per knowledge file
Conversation Starters
Set a custom opening message that your AI sends when a new conversation begins. This helps set expectations, provide context, and guide users on how to interact with your Custom Shannon.
Custom Icons
Upload a custom avatar or icon to give your Custom Shannon a unique visual identity. Icons are automatically resized to 256x256 pixels for optimal display.
How to Create a Custom Shannon
- Navigate to Custom Shan Go to the Custom Shan section from the main navigation and click "Create Custom Shan"
- Set Basic Information Enter a name, description, and optionally upload a custom icon for your AI assistant
- Write System Instructions Define how your AI should behave - its personality, expertise, tone, and any constraints
- Add Conversation Starter Set an opening message that welcomes users and sets expectations for the interaction
- Upload Knowledge Files Add documents your AI can reference (PDF, TXT, MD, JSON, CSV, DOCX up to 10MB)
- Test with Live Preview Switch to the Preview tab to test your Custom Shannon in real-time and refine as needed
- Create and Deploy Click "Create Custom Shan" to save and immediately start using your personalized AI
Use Cases
Custom Shannon unlocks countless possibilities for personalized AI experiences. Here are some popular use cases:
code Coding Assistants
Create language-specific experts that follow your coding standards and best practices.
support_agent Customer Support
Build support agents trained on your product documentation and FAQs.
edit_note Writing Coaches
Design creative writing partners with specific styles, genres, or editorial guidelines.
school Educational Tutors
Create subject-matter experts that teach using your curriculum and learning materials.
travel_explore Travel Guides
Build destination experts with knowledge of specific regions, attractions, and local tips.
medical_information Domain Experts
Create specialized consultants for legal, medical, financial, or technical domains.
analytics Data Analysts
Upload datasets and create AI assistants that can analyze and explain your specific data.
groups Team Assistants
Build internal AI assistants trained on company processes, policies, and documentation.
Community & Discovery
Custom Shannon includes powerful community features that let you share your creations and discover what others have built.
Public vs Private
Every Custom Shannon starts as private. With a single toggle, you can make it public - sharing it with the entire Shannon AI community. Public Custom Shans appear in the Discover section where other users can try them out.
Usage Analytics
Track how often your public Custom Shans are used. Usage statistics help you understand engagement and refine your creations based on community interest.
Discover Section
Browse Custom Shans created by the community. The Discover section lets you filter between:
- All - Every public Custom Shannon
- Community - Custom Shans created by others
- My Public - Your own public Custom Shans
lightbulb Pro Tip
When creating public Custom Shans, write clear descriptions and choose descriptive names. This helps users understand what your AI assistant does and increases discoverability.
Best Practices for Custom Shannon
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Write specific, detailed system instructions | Use vague or overly brief instructions |
| Define a clear role and expertise scope | Try to make one AI do everything |
| Upload relevant, high-quality knowledge files | Dump large amounts of unstructured data |
| Test extensively with the live preview | Deploy without testing edge cases |
| Set helpful conversation starters | Leave users guessing how to interact |
| Iterate based on actual conversations | Set and forget your Custom Shannon |
Technical Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Knowledge File Size | Up to 10 MB per file |
| Supported File Types | PDF, TXT, MD, JSON, CSV, DOCX |
| Icon Size | Auto-resized to 256x256 pixels |
| System Instructions | Unlimited length |
| Conversation Starters | Optional custom opening message |
| Preview Mode | Real-time SSE streaming |
| Visibility Controls | Public/Private toggle |
| Usage Tracking | Per-conversation analytics |
Related Topics
Related Shannon AI Features
Custom Shannon works great alongside these other powerful Shannon AI features:
Projects
Organize files and chats into dedicated AI workspaces. Upload documents and have context-aware conversations.
Learn about Projects →Skills PRO
Create modular AI capabilities that Shannon 1.6 Pro can invoke during conversations for specialized tasks.
Learn about Skills →Ready to Build Your Custom AI?
Create your first Custom Shannon in minutes. Define the perfect AI assistant for your unique needs.
Create Custom Shannon