Tutorial · Task guide

Create a Custom Assistant and Set Up Agent Skills

Updated · 2026-08-12Public document
Direct answer: Open Me > Agent > My assistants and create one: a name, an identity written in plain words, a default model, and a default approval mode. New sessions pick it from the Assistant chip; the Reader's AI task sheet can switch too. Skills are granted globally under Agent capabilities, not per assistant. Creating and switching assistants is free — only real model calls in a session are billed.

Before you start

  • Foreverse v76 or later. You can create assistants without a model, but running tasks needs a connected text model.
  • A clear idea of the persona's job: tone, domain, and working habits, written the way you would brief a colleague.

Where to find it

  • Me > Agent > My assistants
  • Agent workbench > New session > Assistant chip
  • Reader > AI task > assistant switcher
  • Me > Advanced settings > Agent > Agent capabilities > Skills > Grants
  • Agent capabilities > Skills > Create skill

Step-by-step

  1. Open My assistants and create one

    Go to Me > Agent > My assistants — it sits right next to Agent workbench — and tap New assistant. The list page is also where you edit or delete assistants later.

    The editor opens with fields for name, avatar emoji, and identity.

  2. Write the identity in plain words

    Name is required; the emoji is the avatar. The identity field takes up to 5,000 characters of ordinary prose: who they are, their tone, how they work — for example 'You are a snarky but reliable fiction editor; never touch my formatting; always reply in English.' It shapes style and working preferences only; write confirmations, spoiler guard, and other safety rules stay in force no matter what you write here.

  3. Pick the default model and approval mode

    Choose a default model, or leave it on Follow recent choice so new sessions keep using whatever you last picked. Set the default approval mode — Read-only, Confirm, or Auto — then Save. A session that selects this assistant inherits both defaults in one tap.

    The assistant appears in the list with its name, emoji, and a summary of its defaults.

  4. Use it in the workbench and in the Reader

    In Agent workbench, start a new session and tap the Assistant chip at the top to pick one; a toast confirms the switch. The Reader's AI task sheet has the same switcher, and the book remembers your last assistant and model choice for next time. The menu's fixed first entry, 'Default writer · no persona', switches back to the plain agent at any time.

    Replies follow the identity's tone, and the session shows the assistant's default model and approval mode.

  5. Grant skills so tasks actually run

    Skills are a global Agent capability shared by all assistants, not a per-assistant setting. Under Me > Advanced settings > Agent > Agent capabilities > Skills, toggle the nine official grants (illustration, short video, card import, and so on) — an ungranted skill is refused at execution time with a pointer back to this page. Create skill supports building a local template, uploading a .zip/.skill/SKILL.md, restoring from the official library, or importing from a public GitHub repo.

    A previously refused task passes after the matching grant is switched on.

How to know it worked

  • The new assistant shows in My assistants with the intended name and emoji.
  • Picking it in a new session pops the 'Assistant switched' toast and the tone changes accordingly.
  • The session inherits the assistant's default model and approval mode without manual re-selection.
  • A task blocked by a missing skill grant succeeds after enabling that grant.

Cost, data, and irreversible-risk notes

  • Creating, editing, deleting, and switching assistants is free — it changes session configuration only and makes no model call.
  • Assistants add no new billing surface. Costs stay attached to what a session actually runs: BYOK through your key, official channel in credits.
  • The identity text is sent to the selected model provider as part of the session's instructions. Do not put passwords, API keys, or one-time codes in it.
  • An assistant whose default approval mode is Auto applies writes without per-step confirmation; every write still takes a version snapshot you can roll back, and ungranted skills stay blocked even in Auto.
  • Skills that generate media (illustrations, short video) bill only when they actually run; community-assistant downloads spend community quota; GitHub skill import needs network access.

Troubleshooting

No Assistant chip in my session

Likely cause: The chip appears at the top of a blank new session in the workbench; an ongoing conversation keeps the assistant it started with.

What to do: Start a new session from the workbench top bar and pick the assistant before sending the first message. In the Reader, use the assistant switcher inside the AI task sheet.

I edited the identity but the behavior didn't change

Likely cause: Existing sessions keep a snapshot of the assistant taken when it was selected; edits apply to sessions that pick it afterwards.

What to do: Start a new session, or in the Reader tap the banner 'This book's writer still uses the old setup · Tap to refresh' to restart that book's writer with the new setup.

The assistant still asks for write confirmations despite my identity text

Likely cause: By design, identity shapes tone and working preferences only — it cannot disable write confirmation, spoiler guard, or other safety rules.

What to do: If you want fewer prompts, set the assistant's default approval mode to Auto (or switch the session's approval chip); don't try to talk the persona out of the rules.

A task fails with a 'skill not granted' style refusal

Likely cause: The matching grant is off. Grants are orthogonal to approval mode — Auto does not bypass them.

What to do: Open Me > Advanced settings > Agent > Agent capabilities > Skills > Grants and enable the item the error names, then rerun the task.

Worried that deleting an assistant breaks old sessions

Likely cause: It doesn't: sessions keep the snapshot taken at selection time.

What to do: Delete freely. A book that remembered the deleted assistant quietly falls back to 'Default writer · no persona' next time.

Frequently asked questions

How is a custom assistant different from a character chat?

An assistant is a work persona for the Agent: it takes tasks, reads and writes your content through approvals, and is billed per actual model call. A character card is for immersive story chat — greetings, worldbook, roleplay. Chat with characters; hand jobs to assistants.

Can each assistant have its own set of skills?

No. Skill grants and the skill library are global Agent capabilities shared by every assistant. Per assistant you customize the identity, default model, and default approval mode.

Can the identity text lift safety limits, like skipping write confirmations?

No. The identity is wrapped between the system's safety rules, so it cannot override write confirmation, spoiler guard, or submission discipline. Approval frequency is controlled by the approval mode, not the persona.

Does the assistant work inside the Reader?

Yes. The AI task sheet in the Reader can switch assistants, and each book remembers your last assistant and model, so the next task starts pre-configured.

Sources and verification

  1. Agent and Companion guide · Foreverse · Verified
  2. Roleplay Chat guide · Foreverse · Verified
  3. Models and Usage guide · Foreverse · Verified

Coverage and verification

PlatformAndroid Agent settings
App versionv76+
Path verified

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