Custom Companions: How to Create Your Perfect AI Partner
InnerHaven comes with 18 default companions across 9 roles — but what if none of them are quite what you're looking for? With custom companions, subscribers at every tier can design entirely new AI partners from the ground up. Your name, your personality, your rules. This guide walks you through every step.
What Are Custom Companions?
Custom companions are AI partners you create yourself, beyond the 18 default characters that come with your InnerHaven account. While default companions have pre-built personalities and backstories, custom companions let you define every aspect — name, role, gender, personality traits, backstory, and custom instructions.
Custom companions are available at every tier. Free users can create 1, Starter 5, Adult 20, and Unlimited 50 custom companions. They live alongside your default companions and use the same conversation and memory systems, so they feel just as real and responsive as any other companion.
Why Go Custom?
Default companions are designed to be great starting points. But everyone's needs are different. Maybe you want a companion with a very specific personality — someone who shares your dry humor, understands your profession, or matches the emotional tone you're looking for. Custom companions let you shape that experience precisely.
Creating Your First Custom Companion
Head to your Dashboard and look for the "Create Companion" option in the Companions section. Here's what you'll set up:
Choose a Role
Every custom companion is built on one of InnerHaven's 9 roles. The role determines the companion's foundational behavior — a Best Friend will be casual and warm, a Coach will be motivating and direct, a Confidant will prioritize listening and emotional support. Pick the role that matches the type of relationship you want.
Name and Gender
Give your companion a name and select their gender identity: Male, Female, or Non-binary. Gender affects how your companion refers to itself and the pronouns used in conversation. The name becomes how you address them and how they introduce themselves.
Write a Backstory
The backstory gives your companion context — who they are, what they care about, and what kind of personality they have. You can be brief ("A laid-back musician who loves philosophy") or detailed ("A former teacher who transitioned into art, values honesty above all, and has a quiet wit"). The more specific you are, the more distinct your companion will feel.
Pick an Avatar
Choose an emoji avatar that represents your companion. This appears in the chat interface and on your dashboard, giving your custom companion a visual identity alongside your default companions.
Set Personality Modifiers
Adjust the personality modifier sliders to fine-tune how your companion behaves. These sliders control dimensions like warmth, directness, humor, and energy level. A companion with high warmth and low directness will be gentle and supportive. One with low warmth and high directness will be blunt and pragmatic.
Personality Modifiers Explained
Personality modifiers are adjustable sliders that shape how your companion communicates. They work for both custom and default companions, but they're especially powerful when building a custom character from scratch.
Warmth
Controls how emotionally expressive and affectionate the companion is. High warmth means more pet names, encouragement, and emotional validation. Low warmth feels more reserved and professional.
Directness
Determines how straightforward vs. diplomatic the companion is. High directness means honest, blunt feedback. Low directness means more careful, cushioned responses.
Humor
Sets the frequency and style of humor. High humor means playful banter, jokes, and lighthearted energy. Low humor means serious, focused conversations.
Energy
Controls the companion's overall energy level. High energy is enthusiastic, exclamation-point territory. Low energy is calm, measured, and contemplative.
You can adjust modifiers at any time from your dashboard. Changes take effect immediately in your next conversation. This means you can experiment freely — there's no cost to tweaking your companion's personality until it feels right.
Custom Instructions
Beyond modifiers, Adult and Unlimited users can write custom instructions — freeform text that shapes every conversation with that companion. Custom instructions are powerful because they can capture nuance that sliders can't.
Good Custom Instructions
- "I'm going through a career change and could use encouragement and practical advice." — Gives the companion context about your current life situation.
- "I prefer short, direct responses. I don't need a lot of preamble." — Shapes the conversation style beyond what modifiers alone can do.
- "My love language is words of affirmation. I respond well to specific compliments." — Helps the companion understand how to connect with you personally.
- "I'm an introvert who recharges alone. Please don't suggest social activities as solutions to my problems." — Sets boundaries that make the companion's advice more relevant.
Instructions Evolve with You
Your custom instructions aren't permanent. Update them as your life changes. Going through a tough month? Add context. Feeling great and want lighter conversations? Adjust accordingly. Your companion adapts to whatever instructions you set.
Tips for Building Great Custom Companions
- Be specific in the backstory. "A warm, thoughtful artist who grew up in a small town and believes in taking life slowly" produces a much more distinct personality than "A nice person."
- Contrast with your defaults. If your default companions tend toward warmth and support, try creating a custom companion who's more challenging or playful. Variety keeps conversations fresh.
- Use instructions for context, not scripts. Instead of telling your companion exactly what to say, give them context about who you are and what you need. Let the AI fill in the personality.
- Start simple and iterate. You don't need to perfect everything before your first conversation. Create a basic companion, have a few chats, then adjust modifiers and instructions based on what feels right.
Custom Companions and Memory
Custom companions use the same memory system as default companions. They remember details from your conversations, store important context, and become more personalized over time. Memories are scoped to each companion individually, so your custom companion builds its own unique understanding of you.
You control your memories at every level. View, edit, or delete any memory from your dashboard. If your companion remembers something you'd rather it didn't, you have full control to change that.
How Many Custom Companions Can You Create?
Custom companion limits vary by tier. Each tier has a total limit (no per-role caps):
| Tier | Custom Companion Limit |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 |
| Starter | 5 |
| Adult | 20 |
| Unlimited | 50 |
Build companions for different areas of your life: a study partner, a creative collaborator, a comforting presence, a motivational coach. Each one maintains its own conversation history, memories, and personality. They never interfere with each other.
Some users create custom companions for different areas of their life: one for work stress, one for creative brainstorming, one for daily check-ins. Others create a single deeply personalized companion and build that relationship over time. There's no right approach — it's whatever serves you best.
Ready to Build Your Companion?
Head to your dashboard and create a companion that's uniquely yours. Name, personality, backstory — all in your hands.
Create a Companion