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‘You are ChatGPT’: Leaked system prompt reveals the inner workings of GPT-5

What’s happened? A supposed GPT-5 system prompt leaked via Reddit and GitHub this weekend. The prompt reveals the exact rules given to ChatGPT for interacting with users and carrying out various tasks.

  • A Reddit user claims to have discovered the “verbatim system prompt and tooling info” for GPT-5, OpenAI’s latest large language model (LLM).
  • The entirety of the prompt also appeared on GitHub one day earlier.
  • The prompt starts with the words: “You are ChatGPT, a large language model based on the GPT-5 model and trained by OpenAI.”
  • It then goes on to specify the knowledge cutoff for GPT-5, which is said to be 2024-06.
  • The personality is listed as “v2,” correctly implying that ChatGPT has gone through some personality changes over time.
  • The commands give a lot of insight as to the type of responses ChatGPT is now allowed to offer, and show how the company tries to shape
  • One notable change orders GPT-5 not to say the following: “Would you like me to; want me to do that; do you want me to; if you want, I can; let me know if you would like me to; should I; shall I.”
  • Although both sources claim the system prompt is 100% real, users of Hacker News question its authenticity and reproducibility, noting that decoy/canary prompts are possible.

This is important because: If real, the text offers a rare look at how ChatGPT is steered; if fake, it shows how easy it is to seed “leaks” that look plausible.

  • System prompts shape tone, safety behavior, and tool use.
  • Leaks can inform jailbreak attempts, but most of all, they give us insight into the inner workings of LLMs.
  • These changes could go a long way in making GPT-5 easier to use. There are also mentions of automation tools, such as creating daily tasks.
  • However, OpenAI’s launch materials emphasize GPT-5’s router/reasoning stack, not any single static script, undermining the idea of one canonical prompt.
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Why should I care? Knowing the exact content of the system prompt gives the user a lot of insight into the kind of data GPT-5 uses and how it responds to it.

  • The rumored system prompt shows some changes made by OpenAI that affect the way GPT-5 communicates.
  • This includes: “If the next step is obvious, do it,” and “Ask at most one necessary clarifying question at the start, not at the end.”
  • There are also lengthy guidelines about generating images, including images of yourself.
  • Authenticity is unproven; the gist could be partial, stale, or intentionally seeded.

Okay, what’s next? Expect OpenAI docs and system files to keep updating.

  • Even if this system prompt is real, chances are that it changes with each and every version of the model, and perhaps with each and every small update pushed to the LLM.
  • OpenAI has not published or confirmed any system prompt; official GPT-5 materials describe a routed system, not one static script.

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