First message: the greeting that sets the tone

The first message, or greeting, is the opening reply from the character that starts every new chat and sets the style the model will imitate.

What the first message is

Every new chat with a character card begins with the card's first_mes field shown as the character's first reply. Cards can also include alternate_greetings, which SillyTavern presents as swipes on that first message so you can pick a different opening scene.

Why it matters so much

To the model, the first message looks like something it already wrote. It is the clearest example it has of the voice, length, tense, point of view and formatting it is supposed to produce. Early replies copy it closely, and those replies become the history that later replies copy. So the first message sets the pattern for the whole chat, often more strongly than anything in the description or system prompt.

How to write a good one

• Write in the style you want back. Third person past tense, asterisks for actions, a certain paragraph count: whatever it is, do it here.
• Set the scene, then hand over. Establish where, when and what is happening, then end on something the user can respond to.
• Do not act for the user. Describing what {{user}} says, thinks or does here is the most common cause of a model that keeps writing for you.
• Use the length you want. A 600-word greeting leads to 600-word replies.
• Give the character something to want. A goal or tension in the opening gives the model direction for later turns.

Common mistakes

• A greeting in a different tense or format from the example dialogue, leaving the model to pick one.
• A first message that is mostly exposition and ends with no hook, so the model keeps narrating.
• Generic openings ("Hello! How can I help you today?") that pull the model toward assistant-style replies.
• Editing the description endlessly to fix style when the first message is what the model is copying.

First messages with Wild West API

The first message is sent as an assistant message at the start of the history, so it works the same way on any model. If you call the API directly, you can mimic it by adding an assistant message with your greeting before the first user message.

{"messages": [
  {"role": "system", "content": "..."},
  {"role": "assistant", "content": "*Rain hammers the dock.* Mara squints at you. \"You're late.\""},
  {"role": "user", "content": "*I shrug.* Traffic."}
]}

FAQ

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