> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.traversal.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Customization

> Give Traversal standing instructions — for your own investigations, or for a whole Slack channel.

Traversal works out of the box — you don't need to configure anything to get accurate investigations. Customization is the last-mile layer on top: when you have opinions about how Traversal should investigate or write things up, you set them once and Traversal applies them to every investigation, instead of re-typing them each time.

There are two ways to customize:

* [Personalization](https://app.traversal.com/settings/personalization) — your own instructions, applied to every investigation you run: Slack (channels and DMs) and the web app.
* [Channel custom instructions](https://app.traversal.com/settings/channel-management) — instructions applied to every investigation in a Slack channel, no matter who runs it.

Neither can override Traversal's security guardrails or its evidence and citation rules.

| Layer                       | Applies to                                            | Set it in                                                                              |
| :-------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Personalization             | Every investigation you run, in Slack and the web app | [Settings → Personalization](https://app.traversal.com/settings/personalization)       |
| Channel custom instructions | Every investigation in the channel, from anyone       | [Settings → Channel management](https://app.traversal.com/settings/channel-management) |

## What to include

Anything you'd otherwise find yourself repeating — the preferences and hard-won context that apply to you or your team:

* **Investigation steps** — where to look first, or what to rule out. *"Always check the deploys dashboard and recent releases before anything else."*
* **Known failure modes** — the usual suspects for your systems. *"Latency spikes on checkout are usually the payments provider rate-limiting at peak — check that first."*
* **Runbooks and references** — point Traversal at the docs and dashboards you trust. *"For database incidents, follow our failover runbook: `<link>`."*
* **Response format** — how you want findings written up. *"Lead with customer impact, then the root cause with evidence. Keep it to a few bullets."*
* **Priorities** — what matters most. *"Prioritize customer-facing services; always call out anything touching checkout."*

Keep them specific and durable — standing preferences, not one-off asks.

## Personalization

Set your instructions in [Settings → Personalization](https://app.traversal.com/settings/personalization), under **Instructions for Traversal**. They follow you across every investigation you start, in Slack or the web app.

## Channel custom instructions

Set a channel's instructions in [Settings → Channel management](https://app.traversal.com/settings/channel-management), under **Custom instructions**. They apply to every investigation in that channel — from anyone, including auto-triggered ones — so they're ideal for alert channels, auto-trigger channels, or a shared debugging channel where the whole team wants consistent output.

<Note>
  Custom instructions shape how Traversal works, not when it runs — use [triggers](/using-traversal/slack#triggers) to control what starts an investigation.
</Note>

## How they work together

In a Slack channel, both layers apply, and the channel's instructions take priority if they conflict. In a DM or the web app, only your personal instructions apply. Neither can override Traversal's security or evidence rules.