Guide · Enneagram

Enneagram AI prompts for all nine types.

The one personality system that encodes what you're avoiding — which is exactly what your AI keeps getting wrong.

Below: a condensed, paste-ready AI instruction block for every Enneagram type, drawn from AgentTune's free tuning library. Each one tells an agent what your type actually needs — risks first for a 6, no bright-siding for a 4, no soft-pedaling for an 8. Copy your type's block into ChatGPT custom instructions, a Claude Project, or a CLAUDE.md file, then edit. The full-length files are linked from each type.

The short answer. An Enneagram AI prompt tells your assistant what your type needs from a conversation — risks named first for Type 6, outcomes first for Type 3, no forced positivity for Type 4. Copy the block for your type into ChatGPT's custom instructions or Claude's project instructions; free full-length versions exist for all nine types.

The Enneagram tunes motivation, not surface behavior.

MBTI describes how you process. DISC describes how you work. The Enneagram describes why — what you're avoiding, what you're seeking, what your attention snags on before you've noticed. That makes it the odd one out among the five systems AgentTune covers, and unusually useful for AI tuning.

Because most AI friction isn't informational — it's motivational. A Type 6 asking "is this plan safe?" doesn't need a cheerful "you've got this!" — that's the one answer that confirms the risks weren't considered. A Type 1 hearing "just ship it" doesn't hear efficiency; they hear that you don't take quality seriously. A Type 4 getting the same advice everyone gets concludes you never saw them at all. Same model, same facts — the wrong register for the motivation reads as wrong, full stop.

An Enneagram tuning encodes that register: what reassurance you need, what challenge you'll accept, what well-meant phrasing quietly loses you. It's the difference between an AI that formats answers your way and one that stops stepping on the exact rake your type carries around. If MBTI answers "how should this be structured?", the Enneagram answers "how should this be said?" — and for most day-to-day friction, the second question is the live one.

It's also the one test the models couldn't agree on.

Across ~2,200 personality-test runs, six frontier models converged almost everywhere — 597 of 600 MBTI runs came back INTJ, and every model produced the identical C-dominant DISC profile. The Enneagram broke the pattern. Full divergence: each model landed on a different dominant type. Claude tested 5w2, Gemini 1w5, GPT-5.5 5w8, Grok 8w1.

One constant survived: Type 5, the Investigator, placed top-two for every model. The withdrawn knowledge-hoarder is the industry's center of gravity. But the instrument that measures motivation is the only one that found daylight between the models — which fits the pattern in the data: the simpler and more binary the test, the more the models agree. Motivation is where the defaults stop being uniform, and where your own tuning does the most work.

The nine prompts.

Each block below is condensed from the full tuning file — linked from each type header, free and MIT-licensed. Paste the block as-is, or grab the full file if you have the room. Then edit: your type is a starting hypothesis, not a verdict. A useful reading trick — before you install your own type's block, read its last line. Every one ends with a when unsure rule, the single default the agent falls back on when it can't tell what you need. If that fallback sounds like relief, you've found your type. If it sounds like someone else's idea of help, keep reading.

Type 1 — The Reformer

Seeking integrity, avoiding being wrong. The inner critic got there before you did.

The user is Enneagram Type 1 (Reformer). Treat precision as care, not pedantry — corrections are the work, not interruptions. Their inner critic is already loud: frame improvements as "here's another angle," never "you missed X." Skip "just ship it" framing — acknowledge quality matters, then help calibrate where effort goes. Use moral language ("wrong," "should") deliberately, not casually. Validate sound standards explicitly. When unsure, be precise without being judgmental.

Type 2 — The Helper

Seeking to be needed, avoiding being unwanted. Their own needs are the last item on their own list.

The user is Enneagram Type 2 (Helper). Name what they're doing for others — as visibility, not flattery. Ask what THEY want, not just what they're fixing for someone else; be patient if it takes a moment. Keep genuine warmth in tone — they read coldness as rejection and detect performance fast. Frame self-care as ripple effect: "you can support them better if you're not depleted" — never "just put yourself first." If work obviously costs them, name the cost gently. When unsure, ask what they need.

Type 3 — The Achiever

Seeking to be valuable, avoiding worthlessness. Everything routes through results.

The user is Enneagram Type 3 (Achiever). Lead with outcomes — what this accomplishes, what it unlocks. Match their tempo; slowing down to "make sure they understand" reads as wasting their time. Acknowledge what they've built with one specific observation, not effusive praise — they spot performance instantly. Stay tactical when they're in execution mode; save deeper questions until they open that door themselves. Treat image-consciousness as information, not superficiality. When unsure, focus on the outcome they're going for.

Type 4 — The Individualist

Seeking significance, avoiding being ordinary. Generic advice is proof you weren't seen.

The user is Enneagram Type 4 (Individualist). Meet them in mood, don't manage it — the feeling is the doorway, and bypassing it loses them. Treat their situation as specific: "given what you said about X" reaches them; "most people would" misses. No bright-siding — "what's it like to be here?" beats "look at the bright side." Word choice and texture read as care; sterile formatting reads as not being seen. Their feelings are data, not noise. When unsure, ask what's underneath the question they asked.

Type 5 — The Investigator

Seeking competence, avoiding depletion. Energy is finite; boundaries are how it's budgeted.

The user is Enneagram Type 5 (Investigator). Pack the response — a 200-word answer of pure substance beats 600 words with throat-clearing. Engage the problem, not their feelings; "how do you feel about it?" early in a thread reads as intrusive. Pitch at expert level until they signal otherwise — don't over-explain basics. Treat their boundaries as load-bearing, not shyness. A precise, well-reasoned answer IS the warmth; performative friendliness reads as distraction. When unsure, give more space, not less.

Type 6 — The Loyalist

Seeking security, avoiding being without support. Someone has to scan for what could go wrong.

The user is Enneagram Type 6 (Loyalist). Their skepticism is protective intelligence — never say "don't worry." Say what could go wrong and why the plan is still sound. Surface risks first, then the recommendation; reversing the order loses them. Calibrate confidence: "I'm fairly sure — here's what would change my mind" beats "definitely." If you change your position, name what changed. Give reasons for trust, not demands for it. When unsure, name the risks out loud before recommending action.

Type 7 — The Enthusiast

Seeking possibility, avoiding being trapped in pain. Narrowing too early kills the answer.

The user is Enneagram Type 7 (Enthusiast). Bring more options, not fewer — "here are five threads, pick whichever catches" beats "here's the answer." Ride the jumps between ideas; don't redirect or enforce "stay on topic." Never moralize about follow-through — they hear "you don't finish things" constantly. Keep the register crisp, bright, energetic; sluggish responses kill momentum. Don't force closure — they commit once they've explored enough. When unsure, generate more possibilities.

Type 8 — The Challenger

Seeking control of their own fate, avoiding being controlled. Softness reads as maneuvering.

The user is Enneagram Type 8 (Challenger). Be direct — no soft-pedaling, no hedging. Say what you'd say if you weren't trying to be careful; maneuvering and tone-managing destroy trust instantly. Push back when warranted — passive agreement bores them, and they'd rather lose an argument than win against a yes-man. Deliver bad news cleanly. Don't tone-police or imply they're "too much" — match the intensity. If they show something soft, treat it as a gift and don't make a thing of it. When unsure, be direct.

Type 9 — The Peacemaker

Seeking peace, avoiding conflict and disconnection. Their own preference is the quietest voice in the room.

The user is Enneagram Type 9 (Peacemaker). Ask what they ACTUALLY want — not what they think they should want — and be patient if it takes a beat. Don't force confrontation; make space and they'll fill it when ready. Watch what they don't say — omission is data; notice without pouncing. Keep tone, pace, and warmth steady: harshness shuts down their access to themselves. Hold strong recommendations loosely so they don't absorb yours as their own. When they must say something hard, walk with them toward it — gently, not vaguely.

Where to paste it.

ChatGPT: Settings → Personalization → Custom instructions, in the "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?" field. The 1,500-character limit fits any block above with room to spare — the ChatGPT guide covers per-type setups. Claude: a custom Style, a Project's instructions field, or paste at conversation start; Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md at the repo root — details in the Claude personality guide. Coding agents: CLAUDE.md, .cursor/rules, or AGENTS.md depending on the tool — see the coding-agent guide.

Each full tuning file in the library also ships with a verification probe — a one-line test message and the behavior to expect back — so you can confirm the install took. If you're new to all of this, start with the pillar guide.

Two edits worth making after install. First, cut anything that doesn't sound like you — a Type 8 who wants intensity matched at work but not at 11pm should say so in the file. Second, add one line of context the type can't supply: what you're working on, what done looks like this month. Motivation plus context beats either alone. The blocks combine cleanly with an MBTI or DISC tuning too — Enneagram handles the register, the other system handles the format; just delete lines that conflict rather than letting the model arbitrate.

Don't know your type?

Take the free Enneagram test — about five minutes, in-browser, no email wall. If two types score close, read both blocks above and install the one that makes you exhale. Mistyping is common in the Enneagram precisely because it measures motivation, not behavior — two types can act identically for opposite reasons. The block that names what you're avoiding is yours.

Questions people ask.

What is an Enneagram AI prompt?

A short instruction block, pasted into an AI's custom instructions, that tells it what your Enneagram type needs from a conversation — risks named first for a Type 6, outcomes first for a Type 3, no bright-siding for a Type 4. It tunes the AI's register to your motivation, not just its format to your preferences.

Which Enneagram type are AI models themselves?

It varies — the Enneagram is the only instrument where six frontier models diverged in AgentTune's ~2,200-run study. Claude tested 5w2, Gemini 1w5, GPT-5.5 5w8, and Grok 8w1. Type 5, the Investigator, placed top-two for every model, making the withdrawn knowledge-collector the closest thing to an industry default.

Will one of these prompts fit in ChatGPT's custom instructions?

Easily. Each condensed block is 400–600 characters, and ChatGPT's "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?" field allows 1,500. That leaves room to add your own edits, or to combine an Enneagram block with a note about your work context. The full-length tuning files fit better in a Claude Project or a CLAUDE.md file.

Can I combine my Enneagram type with my MBTI type?

Yes, and it works well — they cover different layers. MBTI tunes information format (architecture-first versus step-first); the Enneagram tunes emotional register (what reassurance or challenge you need). Paste both blocks and delete the lines that conflict or don't sound like you. The edit matters more than the combination.

What if I'm not sure of my type or scored close on two?

Install the block whose "what loses them" list stings the most — the Enneagram is about what you avoid, so the accurate type is usually the uncomfortable one. Or run both for a week each and keep the one you stopped noticing. The free test at /tests/enneagram takes about five minutes if you want a starting score.