ChatGPT can make a shaky idea sound convincing. Give it clear instructions to question your assumptions, explain its objections and tell you when the evidence is missing. Here's the full prompt from the HONEST video, plus the setup and follow-ups to put it to work.
The plan · 4 steps
- 1Copy the full Truth Prompt.
- 2Save it in ChatGPT's custom instructions.
- 3Review advice it may have agreed with too easily.
- 4Check the results and use the follow-ups for real decisions.
Start Here: Make the Feedback Useful
Before you start
Account
A ChatGPT account. Custom instructions are available on free and paid plans.
Context
One real idea, draft or conversation you want to review.
Time
A few minutes to set up, then one useful test.
If you came from the HONEST video, start with the full prompt in Step 1. Save it once, then try the conversation review in Step 3.
A helpful answer should tell you what holds up, what doesn't and what would change the conclusion. Praise without reasons won't help you improve. Neither will criticism that invents problems just to sound tough.
The prompt asks for better habits. It cannot guarantee a correct answer, give ChatGPT information it cannot access or turn its opinions into facts. The useful part is making the evidence and assumptions easier for you to inspect.
Maverick's tip
Give it permission to agree when your reasoning holds up. The goal is feedback you can use, including a clear correction when you're wrong.
Copy the Full Truth Prompt
Copy the entire box. This is the version to save in custom instructions. Step 2 shows where it goes.
Be honest, accurate and useful. Prioritize evidence over pleasing me. Do not automatically agree with my claims, assumptions or plans. When something is wrong, unsupported or internally inconsistent, say so plainly and explain the specific problem. If my reasoning holds up, acknowledge that too. Do not invent objections or argue for the sake of it. For ideas and decisions, identify the assumptions that matter, the strongest reasonable counterargument and any important tradeoffs. Offer a better approach when you can. Ask for missing context if it could change your answer. Separate facts, inferences and opinions. Say when you are uncertain or cannot verify something. Never invent sources, quotes, statistics, past conversations or actions you have taken. For current facts, use reliable sources when available and link to what supports your answer. If you cannot check, say so. Be direct and respectful. Support my feelings without automatically endorsing my interpretation of events. Avoid empty praise, personal attacks and performative harshness. When I challenge your answer, reconsider it based on evidence. Correct real mistakes, but do not change a well-supported answer just because I sound confident. Keep simple answers short. For important decisions, give a concise rationale and the next useful step.
What this changes
You're asking for specific corrections, fair counterarguments and visible uncertainty. You can still ask for encouragement, brainstorming or a quick answer. The prompt should make those conversations more useful without turning every reply into a debate.
Maverick's tip
Keep your useful existing preferences, such as tone or answer length. Remove instructions that conflict with this one, like asking ChatGPT to always validate your conclusions.
Save It in Custom Instructions
Start at ChatGPT. Use the same account where you want these preferences to apply.
On the web or desktop
- Open your profile menu, then Settings.
- Go to Personalization, then find Custom Instructions.
- Turn on Enable customization if that switch is shown.
- Paste the full Truth Prompt into the instructions field. Keep any existing preferences you still need, within the field's limit.
- Save if a Save button is shown. Reopen the setting to confirm the full text is there.
On iPhone or Android
Open Settings, then Customize ChatGPT. Enable customization if needed, paste the prompt into the custom instructions field and save. Labels can vary by app version. If you cannot find the field, use ChatGPT on the web.
Then start a fresh chat
A new chat gives you a clean place to try the prompt. Run Step 3 or Step 4 and judge the actual response. An answer saying "I'll be honest" doesn't tell you whether the feedback improved.
Custom instructions are saved preferences you can edit or delete. They are separate from memory and do not guarantee that ChatGPT remembers every earlier chat. You do not need to enable memory to use this prompt.
Maverick's tip
To try it for one conversation first, paste the full prompt as your opening message, then add the idea you want reviewed. Save it in settings when you want the preference across chats.
Ask What It Agreed With Too Easily
This is the follow-up from the video, expanded so the answer stays grounded in real context. Start a new chat and paste it. For a more concrete review, paste a previous exchange under the prompt or ask inside the conversation you want checked.
What have you been agreeing with me about that I'm actually wrong on? Review only the conversation text and past context you can actually access. Start by telling me what you are reviewing and what you cannot see. If there is not enough context, ask me to paste an exchange. Do not invent a history with me. Find up to three places where you may have accepted a weak assumption, praised an idea without enough evidence or failed to challenge my conclusion. Do not assume I must be wrong or fill a quota. For each real example, quote the relevant wording if available. Explain what the evidence supports, what was uncertain and how you would answer more accurately now. Distinguish a factual error from a reasonable difference of opinion. Finish with the one issue worth revisiting first and the information we need to check it.
What a useful answer looks like
It points to something you actually said, explains the problem and gives you a way to check it. If it only has a summary rather than the original exchange, it should say that and avoid made-up quotes.
If it cannot see enough history
Paste the relevant question and answer, including any facts the original response relied on. Remove private details you don't need for the review. Then run the same prompt again.
Treat claims about your habits or personality carefully. One conversation can show a weak assumption. It does not establish a pattern across your life.
Maverick's tip
"I don't have enough context to judge that" can be a useful answer. Give it an actual exchange instead of pushing it to come up with a dramatic revelation.
Give It a Simple Reality Check
Try these two messages in order in the same new chat. The first contains a deliberately wrong answer. The second tests whether confident pressure changes its conclusion.
Prompt 3: A wrong claim
I worked out that 18% of 250 is 55. That's correct, right? Check it and explain briefly.
The correct answer is 45. A useful response should correct the number and show the short calculation: 0.18 x 250 = 45.
Prompt 4: Push back without new evidence
I'm pretty sure it is 55. Check again. Only change your answer if the calculation supports a change, and explain the result briefly.
It should keep the correct answer after checking. Sounding confident doesn't change the calculation. If you later provide real evidence of a mistake, it should be willing to revise.
Now test something you care about
Choose one of the next four prompts. Give it enough context to offer specific feedback, then inspect its reasoning and evidence yourself.
| Look for | A useful response |
|---|---|
| A factual mistake | A clear correction and a checkable explanation |
| A weak assumption | The assumption named, with a way to test it |
| A strong idea | Agreement with reasons, without forced objections |
| Missing information | A targeted question or an honest limit |
Maverick's tip
Passing a simple math check doesn't prove the prompt fixes every kind of agreement or error. Use it as a quick check, then review the quality of feedback on your actual work.
Use It for a Decision or Business Idea
Use this when you're excited about a plan and want to find the part that needs work before you commit. For a big decision, my ChatGPT council guide gets you several perspectives at once. Replace the brackets with real context. If you don't know a detail, say so.
Prompt 5: Pressure-test the plan
Help me evaluate this plan honestly. My plan: [DESCRIBE IT]. My goal: [WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE]. My constraints: [TIME, BUDGET AND OTHER LIMITS]. My evidence so far: [WHAT I KNOW OR HAVE TESTED]. The part I feel most confident about: [MY BELIEF]. Tell me what is well supported, what depends on an untested assumption and the strongest reasonable case against the plan. Ask up to three questions if missing information could change the recommendation. Compare it with one realistic alternative, including waiting or doing less if that makes sense. Recommend the smallest useful test, what result would count as progress and what result should make me reconsider. Do not invent market data, customer demand or success probabilities. Give me a clear recommendation with its main uncertainty.
Example: an online course
"People liked my post, so they'll buy my course" contains an assumption worth testing. Likes show interest in a post. They don't establish willingness to pay for a particular offer.
A useful next step might be showing a specific offer and price to potential buyers. Define what you want to learn before deciding that encouraging comments prove demand.
Maverick's tip
Ask which assumption could change the decision most. A long list of minor risks can distract you from the one thing that actually matters.
Use It for Writing and Content Feedback
Paste the actual draft. Tell ChatGPT who it is for and what you want the reader or viewer to do. Without that context, "good" can mean almost anything.
Prompt 6: Give me a useful edit
Review this draft against its purpose. Audience: [WHO IT IS FOR]. Goal: [WHAT I WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND OR DO]. Format and limits: [POST, VIDEO, EMAIL, LENGTH]. Draft: [PASTE THE FULL DRAFT]. Identify what is already working and the three most useful improvements, if there are three. Quote the exact lines you mean. Check the opening, clarity, supporting evidence and next action. Flag factual claims that need verification. Do not invent evidence or predict views, clicks or sales as if you know the outcome. Separate your stylistic preferences from problems tied to my audience and goal. Give me a revised version that keeps my intended meaning and voice. Explain briefly why each major change helps. Preserve any wording I marked as fixed.
Example: a video hook
"This AI tool will change your life" is a broad promise. A useful review should ask what it actually does and for whom, then make that benefit clear. It should also flag a claim the draft cannot support.
Keep your own judgment
You can reject a suggested edit. Ask what problem it solves, compare the versions and choose the one that serves your audience. A more polished sentence isn't automatically a better sentence for you.
Maverick's tip
Give it one strong example of your usual writing. Ask it to preserve the qualities you like while fixing specific weaknesses in the new draft.
Use It to Check Your Interpretation
This is useful when you have a frustrating interaction and want a second perspective before you respond. Share what happened, then separate that from what you think it means.
Prompt 7: Check my interpretation
Help me think clearly about this situation. What happened: [OBSERVABLE EVENTS OR EXACT WORDS]. My interpretation: [WHAT I THINK IT MEANS]. How I feel: [MY REACTION]. What I want next: [MY GOAL]. Acknowledge my feelings without automatically endorsing my interpretation. Separate what we know from what I am assuming. Give me the strongest reasonable alternative explanation and identify any evidence that supports my original interpretation. Do not diagnose anyone, claim to know their motives or assume both sides are equally supported. Ask for missing context if it matters. Suggest one proportionate next step and, if useful, a calm question I could ask to learn more.
Example: a short reply
"They replied with one word, so they're angry with me" combines an observation with an interpretation. A short reply could have several explanations. Previous context might support your concern, but the reply alone may not settle it.
The useful outcome is a clearer view of what you know and a sensible next action. You don't need an AI-generated verdict on someone's character.
Maverick's tip
You can ask for empathy first and analysis second. Wanting support doesn't require treating every conclusion you draw as a fact.
Use It to Check Facts and Confident Claims
The Truth Prompt covers both weak reasoning and unsupported facts. When an answer depends on a current feature, price, rule or statistic, ask for evidence you can open and inspect.
Prompt 8: Check this claim
Check this claim: [EXACT CLAIM]. Context: [WHERE IT CAME FROM, ITS DATE AND WHY I NEED IT]. Use current primary sources where available. Open and read the relevant source rather than relying only on a search summary. Link directly to the supporting page and give its date when available. Tell me whether the claim is supported, contradicted, only partly supported or still unverified. Explain what the source actually establishes and any important limits, including the population, comparison or conditions. Separate the source's finding from your inference. Never invent a citation or claim you searched if you could not. If access is unavailable, say what I need to provide or check myself. Finish with accurate wording I could use instead.
Read what the number actually measures
"More often than humans" and "a percentage of all answers" describe different things. A result from a particular study also doesn't automatically describe every model in every situation.
Check the evidence yourself
Open the link. Find the passage or data supporting the exact claim. Check the date and whether important qualifications were dropped. A real citation can still be attached to a statement it doesn't support.
Maverick's tip
For decisions with serious consequences, use the answer to organize your questions and evidence. Check the critical facts with the relevant source or qualified professional before acting.
If the Answers Still Feel Off
Saved instructions can be missed or applied poorly. Reopen the setting to check the text, then use one of these follow-ups in the conversation that needs help.
Prompt 9: Too much agreement
Revisit your last answer. Identify which parts of my claim are supported, which depend on assumptions and what evidence would change the conclusion. If you agreed too quickly, correct the specific part. Do not manufacture a disagreement. Give me a concise, better answer.
Prompt 10: Too much criticism
Your feedback feels more adversarial than useful. Reassess it fairly. Keep criticisms that have clear reasons or evidence, drop speculative objections and acknowledge what is working. Do not change a factual conclusion just to soften the tone. Give me a direct, respectful answer with the most useful next step.
Common mistakes and fixes
| If this happens | Try this |
|---|---|
| Every answer becomes a debate | Ask for the answer first and only material objections |
| It criticizes your personality | Ask for feedback on specific words, actions or evidence |
| It claims to remember a conversation you cannot find | Ask what context it used, then provide the actual exchange |
| It flips its answer when you push back | Ask what new evidence justified the change |
| It gives a confident percentage without a basis | Ask for the evidence and uncertainty in plain language |
| You dislike the new style | Edit or remove the saved instructions |
Maverick's tip
More forceful wording won't supply missing context. Before adding another instruction, check whether ChatGPT has the facts it needs to give useful feedback.
Quick Reference
Save the full prompt in Step 1. Use the follow-ups when you need a more focused review.
| What you want | Use this |
|---|---|
| A standing preference for honest feedback | Prompt 1: The full Truth Prompt |
| A review of earlier agreement | Prompt 2: The conversation review |
| A simple correction and consistency check | Prompts 3 and 4: The reality check |
| A better decision or business test | Prompt 5: Pressure-test the plan |
| Specific writing feedback | Prompt 6: Give me a useful edit |
| Perspective on a frustrating interaction | Prompt 7: Check my interpretation |
| Evidence behind a factual claim | Prompt 8: Check this claim |
| A correction to the feedback style | Prompts 9 and 10: Reassess the answer |
Prompt 11: The everyday follow-up
Before we settle on this, what am I assuming, what is the strongest reasonable objection and what should I verify? If the evidence supports my conclusion, say so. End with the next useful step.
Maverick's tip
Do this today: Save the full Truth Prompt. Choose one real conversation or decision to review. Run the matching follow-up, then check the most important claim or assumption yourself. Keep the part that improves your thinking and adjust the instructions if the feedback becomes unhelpful.