ChatGPTFree, with limits4 min8 steps

How to run a chain of prompts in ChatGPT

A prompt chain is a list of prompts that AI Toolbox sends to ChatGPT one after another. Each step waits until ChatGPT finishes the last answer. Build one with Chains and Add Chain in Manage Prompts, then type .. in the message box and click it. The free plan includes 2 chains of up to 10 steps.

By Adi Leviim, Co-Founder at Infi Developments Last updated

Also onClaudeGeminiGrok

Step by step

  1. Open the Chains tab

    Open Manage Prompts from the round AI Toolbox button in the bottom-right corner. At the top of the window, click Chains.

    You should see: An Add Chain button near the top of the window, and a line that counts your chains and how many times you used them.

  2. Click Add Chain and name it

    Click Add Chain. In the Chain Name box, type a name, for example Blog post.

    You should see: A window called Add Chain with one box for your first step.

  3. Write each step

    Type your first prompt in the big box. This is step 1. You can give the step a short name in the small box above it, but you don't have to.

    To add the next step, click Add Prompt under the steps. Each click adds one more box. A chain can have up to 10 steps.

    Use blanks like {{topic}} for words that change each time. You type each value once, and it fills into every step that uses it.

    You should see: One numbered box for each step of your chain.

  4. Change the order or copy a step (optional)

    To reorder steps, hold the handle on the left of a step (it says Drag to reorder when you point at it) and drag it up or down to reorder it.

    Click Duplicate to copy a step. The copy is added at the end. Click Remove to delete a step.

    You should see: Your steps in the new order.

  5. Save the chain

    Click Add at the bottom of the window.

    You should see: The message Prompt chain successfully added! and your chain in the list, with its number of steps.

  6. Type .. in the message box and pick the chain

    Close the window with the X in its top-right corner. Click in an empty ChatGPT message box and type two dots: ... A list of your chains appears.

    Click the chain you want. If it has no blanks, step 1 is sent right away.

    You should see: Your chain in the list with its number of steps, then step 1 sent to ChatGPT.

    Start with an empty message box. Step 1 replaces anything already typed there.

  7. Fill in the blanks (only if your chain has them)

    A window called Insert Dynamic Value opens. Type a value next to each blank. Each blank is asked only once. Click Insert.

    You should see: Step 1 is sent to ChatGPT with your words in place of the blanks.

  8. Let the chain run

    A small bar appears just above the message box. It shows the chain name and which step is running, like Step 1/3. Each time ChatGPT finishes an answer, the next step is sent for you.

    Click Stop to end the chain early. The X on the right only hides the bar, and the chain keeps running.

    You should see: The bar moves through each step and fades away after the last one.

That's it. You have finished every tutorial in this section.

If something doesn't look right

The bar says Timed out

ChatGPT took too long to answer a step, or the answer stopped. Click Retry in the bar to send that step again, or Stop to end the chain. Check that ChatGPT is not showing an error first.

I closed the bar but the chain keeps going

The X only hides the bar. To stop the chain, use Stop while the bar is showing. If you already hid it, wait for the current answer to finish and the bar comes back with the next step.

Typing .. does nothing

Type .. at the start of the message box or after a space. Three dots in a row do not open the list. If it still does not open, refresh the page and check that Prompt tools is on in Settings, under Prompts.

A window says Build unlimited prompt chains

The free plan includes 2 chains. Delete a chain you no longer need: click Chains in Manage Prompts, tick it, click Delete, then Confirm. Or upgrade to Premium for unlimited chains.

The Add Prompt button is grey

Your chain already has 10 steps, which is the most a chain can hold. Remove a step, or split the work into two chains.

Free and Premium

The free plan includes 2 chains. Every chain can have up to 10 steps on every plan. Premium gives you unlimited chains.

  • Free: 2 chains. Premium: unlimited chains.
  • Up to 10 steps per chain on every plan. Each step can be up to 10,000 characters.
  • Each blank, like {{topic}}, is asked once per run and fills into every step that uses it.
  • Step 1 replaces what is in the message box and is sent right away. Later steps are sent after each answer finishes.

What ChatGPT does on its own

In a normal ChatGPT chat, you send one message and ChatGPT answers it. Custom instructions can shape every answer, but the next message is always yours to send.

A prompt chain sends your next prompts for you, in order, and waits for each answer to finish before it moves on. You write the steps once and run them whenever you need them.

Source: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Custom Instructions

Questions people ask

What is prompt chaining in ChatGPT?

Prompt chaining means sending several prompts in a planned order, where each one builds on the last answer. With the AI Toolbox extension you save the steps as a chain, type two dots in the ChatGPT message box, and pick it. AI Toolbox then sends each step after ChatGPT finishes the previous answer.

Can ChatGPT run several prompts automatically?

Yes, with an AI Toolbox prompt chain. After you pick a chain, step 1 is sent right away and every next step is sent when ChatGPT finishes its answer. A small bar shows which step is running, and the Stop button ends the chain at any time. A chain can have up to 10 steps.

How many prompt chains can I make for free?

The free plan of AI Toolbox includes 2 prompt chains in ChatGPT, and each chain can have up to 10 steps. Blanks, step names, running chains and the progress bar are all free. Premium removes the chain limit and gives you unlimited chains, still with up to 10 steps each.

Can I reorder the steps in a prompt chain?

Yes. In the Add Chain or Edit Chain window, hold the handle on the left side of a step and move it up or down to reorder it. You can also click Duplicate to copy a step, which adds the copy at the end, or Remove to delete a step you no longer need.

How do blanks work in an AI Toolbox prompt chain?

Put any word that changes inside double curly braces, like {{topic}}, in one or more steps. When you run the chain in ChatGPT, AI Toolbox asks for each blank once in the Insert Dynamic Value window. The value you type fills into every step that uses that blank.

How do I stop a prompt chain in ChatGPT?

Click Stop in the small AI Toolbox bar just above the message box. The chain ends and no more steps are sent. The X next to it only hides the bar while the chain keeps running, so use Stop when you really want the chain to end.

Related tutorials

Don't have AI Toolbox yet?

It's free to install on Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers, and works on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok.

Add to Chrome