Google Docs adds persistent instructions for Gemini, capped at 1,000 per account

Google deployed an update to Gemini in Google Docs that allows users to set persistent instructions that the AI assistant remembers across all projects. The feature went live today for Google AI Plus subscribers and above.

Users can now input instructions via the Gemini side panel that define how the assistant should behave in all documents. According to Google, examples include "Always respond in bullet points," "When summarizing Docs, always include 3 bullet points at the top," or "Use a concise and professional tone for all my documents."

Technical specifications

• Instruction limit: 1,000 active instructions per Google Account
• Availability: US only, English language
• Access tier: Google AI Plus and higher (free Gemini users excluded)
• Visibility: Active instructions appear in the "sources" page and in Google Docs settings under the Gemini personalization section

How it works

Persistent instructions eliminate the need to repeat formatting, tone, and style preferences with each new document or prompt. Each active instruction appears as a source indicator beneath Gemini's responses. Users can review and manage all active instructions through the Gemini personalization section in Google Docs settings.

The feature addresses a documented friction point where users had to repeatedly specify the same preferences across multiple documents and sessions.

What this means

This update signals Google's move toward stateful AI assistants that maintain user preferences across sessions—a pattern also seen in OpenAI's Custom Instructions and Anthropic's Projects feature. The 1,000-instruction cap is generous for individual users but suggests Google expects enterprise accounts to accumulate substantial instruction sets over time. The US-only, English-only launch indicates Google is testing the feature's impact on response quality and computational overhead before expanding availability. The exclusion of free-tier users follows Google's broader strategy of gating advanced Gemini features behind paid subscriptions.