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Templates provide pre-configured AI personas that specialize in different tasks. Instead of writing custom system prompts, you can select from ready-made templates, build your own custom templates, or work with advanced v2 character cards.

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Access templates

1

Open Templates

Open the sidebar and tap Templates.
2

Browse or create

Browse available templates like Math Tutor, Code Assistant, and Summarizer. Tap Create New to build your own template, or use Import v2 Card at the top of the page to load a character card JSON file.
Each template has a specialized role and personality designed for specific tasks.

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Basic vs advanced v2

  • Basic templates are ideal when you only need a description and a system prompt.
  • Advanced v2 Card adds roleplay-oriented fields such as personality, scenario, first message, alternate greetings, tags, character book JSON, and extensions JSON.
LMSA stores the full v2 card data, then builds the runtime system prompt from that card when you activate it. If the v2 card includes a first message or alternate greetings, LMSA can seed the opening assistant message automatically when the template is activated.

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Import v2 character cards

1

Import from Templates

Use Import v2 Card on the Templates page to import a JSON character card directly into LMSA.
2

Import during creation

Alternatively, open Create New, switch to Advanced v2 Card, and use Import JSON inside the modal.
3

Review before saving

After import, review the fields before saving if you want to adjust the runtime behavior or metadata.
LMSA currently supports the JSON v2 card format and converts the card into a reusable LMSA custom template.

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AI fill for v2 cards

Inside the Advanced v2 Card tab, tap Generate with AI to fill blank character-card fields. Description is required before AI generation will run. The AI uses the fields you already filled in as constraints and only generates the fields that are still blank. After generation, LMSA refreshes the derived runtime prompt so the basic prompt field stays in sync with the v2 card data.

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Select and use a template

1

Select a template

Tap on any template card to select it. It will highlight with a blue ring.
2

Start chatting

Tap the Start Chatting button at the bottom. You will return to the main chat with the template active, and a banner at the top will show which template is currently active.
When a template is active, the AI will respond according to that template’s personality and expertise. Templates work across all your conversations until you disable or change them. You can switch templates at any time by going back to the Templates page.

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Disable a template

Click the Disable button in the template indicator banner at the top. This will remove the template and return the AI to its default behavior. You can also disable templates by clearing the system prompt in Settings.

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Model quality

The effectiveness of templates varies depending on which AI model you’re using in LM Studio. Larger, more capable models (like 13B+ parameter models) will follow template instructions more accurately and produce better results. Smaller models may not adhere as closely to the template’s personality or expertise. For best results with templates, use a model with strong instruction-following capabilities.