> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.secrets.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.secrets.ai/create/custom-characters.md).
# Custom Characters
Create your own unique AI companions with custom personalities, appearances, and backstories. This guide covers everything you need to know about custom character creation.
### Creating Custom Characters
{% hint style="danger" %}
Creating characters based on real people are strictly forbidden and will be deleted without a refund.
This includes celebrities, influencers, public figures, and private individuals.
{% endhint %}
#### Getting Started
1. **Navigate to Custom Characters**: Go to the Custom Characters section
2. **Start Creation**: Click "Create New Character"
3. **Follow Creation Flow**: Complete the character creation process
4. **Finalize Character**: Review and finalize your character
#### Creation Process
The custom character creation process involves several steps:
**Step 1: Appearance & Basic Information**
* Select gender and appearance style (realistic or anime)
* Choose physical features
* Customize appearance details
* Select a voice from the [Voice Library](#choosing-a-voice)
* Name your character
* Set their age and location
* Review and finalize
* Generate appearance previews
**Step 2: Personality**
* Answer personality questions
* Describe character traits
* Set personality tone
* Define character background
**Step 3: Finalization**
* Review all details
* Make final adjustments
* Complete character creation
* Start chatting!
{% hint style="info" %}
You can refine your character in the **Character Studio** after creation. Private and shared characters use the editing tabs below. For a character you have made public, [prepare a private draft and request an update](/create/updating-public-characters.md).
{% endhint %}
### Editing Your Character (Character Studio)
Once a character exists, the **Character Studio** is where you manage everything about them. Open one of your custom characters and choose **Edit** to enter the Studio. Private and shared characters have **Appearance**, **Personality**, **Details**, **Gallery**, **Publish**, and **History** tabs. Public characters have **Published** and **Edit** views; their editing tabs include **Request update** instead of Publish.
{% hint style="warning" %}
While a character's first public submission is **in review**, its appearance, personality, and details are locked. Once it is **public**, use **Edit** to save changes to a private draft and request team review. Your own chats follow your draft; other users keep the published version until approval. A submitted update locks draft editing until the review finishes. See [Updating a Public Character](/create/updating-public-characters.md) for the full process.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="success" %}
Use **History** to restore earlier appearance, personality, and details steps. For a public character, History covers its draft changes, and restoring a step changes the draft. You cannot revert a submitted draft during review. Discarding a public character's whole draft deletes that draft and its history permanently.
{% endhint %}
#### Appearance
Reshape how your character looks by describing the change in plain language, no prompt knowledge required.
1. Describe the change (e.g. *"short platinum blonde hair"*, *"add freckles and green eyes"*, *"warmer smile, softer features"*)
2. Check the displayed Moments cost and generate the change. Newer characters offer a photo editor with resolution choices; older characters may offer batches of looks.
3. Generate more options if you want additional choices.
4. Pick your favorite and **apply** it. For public characters with an Appearance tab, **Use this look** saves the result to the draft.
{% hint style="warning" %}
If your character is privately shared with other people, applying a new look changes it in their chats too. You'll be warned before the change goes through. Public characters use the separate [draft and approval process](/create/updating-public-characters.md).
{% endhint %}
#### Advanced Image Reference (optional)
At the bottom of the **Appearance** tab is the **Advanced Image Reference** section, where you can pick a **reference photo** for your character. Advanced image generation uses this photo as its visual reference, so choosing an image that matches your character's current appearance keeps Advanced results consistent.
1. Expand the **Reference photo** row
2. Pick from the images you've already generated for this character (group photos aren't eligible)
3. Hit **Set as reference**
A few things to know:
* **It's optional for private characters** — without a reference photo, the character's **avatar** is used automatically. A reference image is **required for public submissions** (see [requirements](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval))
* **It's free** — setting or changing the reference costs no moments
* **It's revertible** — every reference change is saved to the **History** tab (private and shared characters)
* **No images yet?** Use the **Generate** shortcut in the section header to create some first
**Choosing a good reference photo**
The reference photo is about **freedom**: *you* decide which of your character's features Advanced generation keeps consistent. Whatever the photo shows off is what gets preserved — anything it doesn't show is left for the model to improvise each time. Pick with that in mind:
* **Show the features you care about.** Face, body type, tattoos, piercings, or any distinctive details — if it matters to you, make sure the reference clearly shows it.
* **Full body, facing forward.** A well-lit, full-body photo facing the camera preserves the most, from face to figure. Close-up portraits keep the face consistent but leave the body up to interpretation.
* **NSFW consistency needs an NSFW reference.** If you want your character's intimate features maintained across NSFW generations, use an **NSFW reference photo that shows those features off**. With a clothed reference, the model invents those details fresh in every image — so they'll drift from generation to generation.
* **Match the current appearance.** After changing your character's look in the Appearance editor, set a new reference from images of the updated look — an outdated reference pulls generations back toward the old appearance.
* **Quality in, quality out.** Choose a sharp, well-composed generation you're happy with; artifacts and odd poses in the reference can carry over.
{% hint style="info" %}
The reference photo can still be updated while a character's first public submission is **in review**. For a **public** character, use **Studio → Published**. This setting applies immediately and is separate from draft update requests.
{% endhint %}
#### Personality
Refine an existing personality by chatting with the personality editor and describing what you'd like to change, then confirm to apply it.
{% hint style="info" %}
Editing an existing character's personality is an **Ultimate** feature. Setting up a personality for the first time during creation is available on **every tier** and is not affected.
{% endhint %}
#### Details
Use Details to update your character's **name**, **age** (18–99), **location**, and **description**, then save. For a public character, these changes go to its private draft; voice is edited separately in **Published**. Editing is locked while the character's first public submission or its draft update is under review.
#### Choosing a Voice
Custom characters can use any voice from the **Voice Library**: 148 voices covering a wide range of ages, accents, and styles. You'll pick one while creating your character, and can change it later from **Details** for a private or shared character, or **Published** for a public character.
* **Suggested for your character**: The picker shows voices that fit your character's gender, style (realistic or anime), and age first. Suggestions also take into account the accent from their location (or ethnicity), the tone of their description, and which voices are popular.
* **Shuffle**: Tap **Shuffle** to see a fresh set of suggestions.
* **Filters**: Narrow the list by **Accent** (American, British, Irish, Australian, Latin, French, and more) or **Style** (Sweet, Playful, Sultry, Confident, Calm, Serious).
* **Popular**: Voices marked **Popular** are among the most-loved voices on Secrets.
* **Preview**: Play any voice before selecting it.
Characters that already had one of the original voices keep it. It's still available in the library.
#### Changing a Public Character's Voice
Open **Character Studio → Published** to change a public character's voice. Choose a voice from the Voice Library and save it. Voice changes apply immediately and are separate from draft update requests, including while a draft is under review. A character awaiting its **first public approval** has its voice locked until that review finishes.
#### Gallery
Curate the photos and videos attached to your character, choose their **profile photo** and **avatar**, and control which images are shown publicly.
{% hint style="warning" %}
The **avatar** should show the character's **full head and most of their body**, centered and facing the camera — it's used as the character's image generation reference whenever no [reference photo](#advanced-image-reference-optional) is set, and this framing is required for [public approval](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval). The **profile photo** should be a **selfie-style or close-up portrait** — it's what appears in the small circular avatar in chat.
{% endhint %}
### Forking Characters
Forking creates your own **private, editable copy** of a character that you can reshape however you like in the Character Studio. The original is never changed.
* **What you can fork:** **public** community characters and your own custom characters
* **What you can't fork:** official companions, and characters that were only **privately shared** with you
* **Cost:** **300 moments** to fork **your own** character, or **600 moments** to fork **someone else's** public character. Forks are always charged and never use your free-character allowance.
The fork copies the character's appearance and personality into your new private copy, gives it its own memories, and drops you straight into the Character Studio to make it your own. To fork, open a character's profile and choose **Fork** (also shown as *"Create your own editable copy"*).
{% hint style="success" %}
**Creators earn from forks.** When another user forks one of your **public** characters, you receive a **300-moment bonus** — half of the 600 moments they pay — credited automatically, with a notification.
{% endhint %}
Forked characters are hidden from the default browse feed, use the **Forks** filter on the explore page to show them. A fork always links back to the character it was **forked from**.
### Custom Character Limits
#### Message Limits by Tier
| Tier | Custom Character Messages |
| ------------ | ------------------------- |
| **FREE** | 100 messages TOTAL |
| **PREMIUM** | Unlimited |
| **ULTIMATE** | Unlimited |
#### Creation Limits
* **Creation Cost**: First character is free, 500 moments for any additional characters
* **No Tier Restriction**: All tiers can create custom characters
### Sharing Custom Characters
#### Character Visibility
**Private Characters**
* Only you can chat with them
* Not visible to other users
* Full control over access
**Shared Characters (sharing enabled)**
* Can be shared with others via the share link
* Once another user starts a conversation with your character, you cannot turn this setting off
**Public Characters**
* Other users can discover and chat with them
* Visible in character browsing
#### Making Characters Public
Open your character in the **Character Studio** and go to the **Publish** tab. Before you can request public status, your character must meet every requirement below:
* A selected **voice**
* A **profile photo**, an **avatar**, and **9 gallery images** — all of which must be different from each other, and all generated with the latest **Advanced image mode**
* A **reference image** set in [Advanced Image Reference](#advanced-image-reference-optional), also generated with the latest **Advanced image mode**
* A **preview video**
* **Public sharing** enabled on the character
Every submission also has to meet the [submission requirements](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval) below. The avatar, profile photo, and preview video are the first (and often only) thing reviewers look at.
You also need a **public profile** on your account (a username set and your profile activated).
Once everything is in place, **request public status** from the Publish tab. Your character moves to **In Review** while the Secrets AI Team reviews it, and goes **Public** once approved. Its appearance, personality, and details are locked during this initial review. After approval, use **Studio → Edit** to [draft and request updates](/create/updating-public-characters.md) to the same public character. [Voice changes](#changing-a-public-characters-voice) remain separate and apply immediately.
#### Visual Requirements for Public Approval
To keep Secrets a safe, high-quality experience for everyone, every public character submission must meet the criteria below. The review starts with your character's **avatar**, **profile photo**, and **preview video** (see [How Public Requests Are Reviewed](#how-public-requests-are-reviewed) below), so these need to meet the bar first. Missing any of these points is the fastest way to a decline.
**Originality & content**
* Characters must be **entirely original**. Don't submit characters based on **real people** (celebrities, influencers, public figures, or private individuals) or on any **copyrighted material** (anime, film, TV, games, books, etc.).
* All imagery must be free of **copyrighted elements, logos, or branded content**.
* All characters must **clearly be adults (18+)** in both appearance and description.
**Safety**
* **No NSFW or sexually explicit content (including nudity)** in the profile photo, avatar, preview video, or gallery. This applies to all public-facing visual assets without exception.
* The **reference image** is the only asset where nudity is allowed (see Reference image below).
**Image quality**
* All images must be **high quality and anatomically correct**.
* Images with **distorted features, extra or missing limbs, malformed hands, warped faces**, or other AI generation artifacts will be rejected.
**Advanced images only**
* **Every image** — the reference image, profile photo, avatar, gallery photos, and the preview video's source image — must be generated with the **latest Advanced image mode**.
* Photos generated in other modes, or with **older versions of Advanced mode**, can't be submitted.
**Reference image (required)**
* Every submission must include a **reference image**. **Submissions without one will be rejected.**
* It's used to keep the character's appearance consistent across generations and is **not shown publicly**. Set it in the [Advanced Image Reference](#advanced-image-reference-optional) section of the Appearance tab.
* It must be generated with the **latest Advanced image mode**.
* Ideally, it's a **full-body nude image** of the character on a **plain, blank background**, standing in a **neutral pose**, **facing the camera**, with **even lighting**. This captures the character's body proportions, skin tone, and distinguishing features without clothing or scenery getting in the way.
* It must meet the same quality standards as every other image, and the character must **clearly appear to be an adult**.
**Profile photo**
* Used as the **small circular photo in chat**. Should be a **selfie-style image or close-up portrait** that clearly shows the character's face.
* Must be **different from the avatar**.
* **Framing:** close enough that the face is easy to recognize in the small circle. Wide or full-body shots where the face appears tiny will be rejected.
* **No cropping:** the character's **full face and head** must be in frame — the top of the head, forehead, or chin must not be cut off at the edges.
**Avatar (image)**
* Used on the **Explore pages** as the vertical portrait.
* Must show the character's **full head and most of their body**, **centered** in the frame, **facing and looking at the camera**.
**Avatar (preview video)**
* Generated from the **starting frame of the avatar image** (enforced by the UI).
* Must be generated at **720p resolution or higher**.
* Should show the **full head and body**, centered, with the character **facing the camera**.
* Aim for **natural, subtle movements** — no dramatic scene changes, transformations, or cuts.
* Videos play **without sound**, so avoid clips where the character is **talking**.
**Gallery**
* Gallery images **can't reuse** the profile photo, avatar, or reference image.
* Submit a **variety** of high-quality images showing the character in different scenes, poses, outfits, or settings — not multiple near-duplicates of the same shot.
* All gallery images must meet the same quality and safety standards above.
{% hint style="warning" %}
Reviewers see your avatar, profile photo, and preview video exactly the way other users would on the home and browse pages and in chat. If something looks off to you there, it will look off to them too — fix it before requesting public status.
{% endhint %}
#### How Public Requests Are Reviewed
Public requests go through a **visuals-first review**:
1. **Visual round** — reviewers look only at your character's **avatar**, **profile photo**, and **preview video**: the media that would represent your character on the home and browse pages. Nothing else is opened at this stage.
2. **Full review** — characters whose visuals stand out move on to a closer look before going public.
This lets the team get feedback back to you much faster — but it also means the decline message you receive tells you exactly how far your character got.
#### Understanding Decline Messages
There are two standard messages from the visual round, and both mean only your **avatar, profile photo, and preview video** were looked at. Which one you get tells you *why* those three fell short.
**The generic visuals message** — your decline says the visuals **didn't stand out quite enough** for the home and browse pages:
* Your three visuals follow the rules, but they didn't grab attention next to the other characters on the browse page. This is a quality call, not a rule you broke.
* Your **gallery, description, and personality were never viewed or judged**. There's nothing wrong with them (they weren't looked at), so don't rework them in response to this message.
* Strong, eye-catching visuals have the best chance of moving forward. Upgrade the photos or the video and **resubmit anytime**.
**The guidelines message** — your decline says one of your avatar, profile photo, or preview video **doesn't follow the visual guidelines on the Publish tab**:
* At least one of the three breaks a specific requirement — for example, the avatar doesn't show the full head and most of the body, the profile photo crops the face or is too wide for the circular chat photo, or the preview video has a glitch, talking, or too much action. It isn't a comment on how good the visuals look.
* As with the generic message, your **gallery, description, and personality were not judged**.
* Go back to the **Publish** tab and check each of the three against the guidelines shown there (the same list as the [visual requirements](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval) above). Fix whatever falls short, then **resubmit**.
**Specific feedback.** If your decline includes specific feedback instead of one of the standard messages, your request got a closer look. The message will call out exactly what needs to change — usually a small tweak — before you resubmit.
{% hint style="info" %}
Your avatar, profile photo, and preview video are your character's first impression — they're what other users see when browsing. If you receive either standard decline, that first impression is the only thing to improve before resubmitting.
{% endhint %}
#### Permanent Rejection
A standard decline is never final — you can update your character and resubmit anytime. In certain cases, however, the Secrets AI Team may **permanently reject** a character. A permanently rejected character can **never be submitted for public listing again**: the Publish tab shows a **Permanently Rejected** status, the submission option is removed, and any new request for that character is refused.
Permanent rejection is reserved for cases such as:
* **Repeated resubmissions without improvements** — submitting the same character again and again without addressing the feedback from earlier declines.
* **Terms of Service violations** — characters whose content breaks the Terms of Service are not eligible for public listing.
* **Repeatedly ignoring the submission guidelines** — continuing to submit despite the [visual requirements](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval) and the public submission guidelines shown in the Publish tab not being met.
Permanent rejection only affects **public listing**. The character is not deleted — you can still chat with it yourself and share it privately via its share link.
{% hint style="warning" %}
Resubmitting the same character repeatedly without changes doesn't improve its chances — it can lead to permanent rejection. Always address the feedback from your decline message before requesting public status again.
{% endhint %}
#### Sharing Tips
**Before Sharing**
* Test your character thoroughly
* Ensure personality is well-developed
* Check for any issues
* Make sure you're happy with the character
### Advanced + Group Image Generation
Custom characters work with **Advanced image generation** and **group photos** out of the box — there is nothing to enable and no setup cost anymore.
{% hint style="success" %}
By default, your character's **avatar** is used as their generation reference, so an avatar that shows their **full body** gives the best likeness (Character Studio → Gallery). For even more consistent Advanced results, you can optionally set a dedicated **reference photo** from your generated images — see [Advanced Image Reference](#advanced-image-reference-optional).
{% endhint %}
Use any custom character — yours or other users' — in:
* Advanced solo images
* Group photo images (up to 3 companions)
Details: see [Image Generation](/create/image-generation.md).
### Troubleshooting Custom Characters
#### Creation Issues
**Character Not Creating**
* Check moment balance (need 500 moments)
* Ensure all required fields completed
* Try refreshing and starting over
* Contact support if persists
**Description Stopped by a Safety Check**
* Appearance descriptions, personality text, and character photos go through the same safety checks as image generation
* The message tells you what was flagged, for example a possible real person's likeness or an underage description. Adjust that part and try again
* Characters must be 18–99 and cannot be based on real people
### Frequently Asked Questions
**Q: How much does it cost to create a custom character?**
* 500 moments.
**Q: Can FREE users create custom characters?**
* Yes! But they can only send 100 messages total.
**Q: How many custom characters can I create?**
* Unlimited, as long as you have moments (500 per additional character).
**Q: Can I edit my custom character after creation?**
* Yes. Use **Character Studio** to edit your character and (on Ultimate) its existing personality. If your character is public, use **Edit** to prepare a private draft and request approval. You do not need to fork your own public character to update it. See [Editing Your Character](#editing-your-character-character-studio) and [Updating a Public Character](/create/updating-public-characters.md).
**Q: Can I change the voice of a character that's already public?**
* Yes. Open **Studio → Published**, pick a voice from the Voice Library, and save. This applies immediately, separately from draft reviews. Voice is locked only while the character awaits its first public approval. See [Changing a Public Character's Voice](#changing-a-public-characters-voice).
**Q: How much does it cost to change my character's appearance?**
* Check the cost shown in Appearance before generating. The available workflow and resolution choices depend on the character. Generating an option does not apply it: select the result you want and confirm it.
**Q: Do I need a subscription to edit personality?**
* Editing an existing personality requires **Ultimate**. First-time personality setup during creation is free on every tier.
**Q: What is forking?**
* Forking makes your own private, editable copy of a public community character or your own character. It costs **300 moments** to fork your own character, or **600 moments** to fork someone else's. The original is untouched, and your copy opens in the Character Studio. Official companions and privately-shared characters can't be forked.
**Q: Do I earn moments when someone forks my character?**
* Yes. When another user forks one of your **public** characters, you receive a **300-moment creator bonus** automatically — half of the 600 moments they pay — along with a notification. Forking your own character doesn't pay a bonus, and bonuses aren't paid out while an account is banned.
**Q: Can I delete custom characters?**
* Yes, you can delete characters you no longer want, so long as they have not been made public or shared with others.
**Q: Can other users chat with my custom characters?**
* Only if you enable sharing and/or make them public. Private characters are only accessible by you.
**Q: Do custom characters remember me?**
* Yes! Custom characters use the same memory system as regular companions.
**Q: How old can my character be?**
* Your character can be between the ages of 18-99. Any attempts to create a character below 18 will be met with a quick ban.
**Q: How do I make my character public?**
* Open the character in the Character Studio, go to the **Publish** tab, meet the requirements, and request public status. See [Making Characters Public](#making-characters-public).
**Q: My public request was declined with a message saying only my avatar, profile photo, and preview video were reviewed — what does that mean?**
* Your character didn't pass the **visual round** of review. Only those three items were looked at — your gallery, description, and personality were never viewed or judged. Check them against the [visual requirements](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval), fix what falls short, and resubmit. See [Understanding Decline Messages](#understanding-decline-messages).
**Q: My decline says my avatar, profile photo, or preview video doesn't follow the guidelines on the Publish tab — which one?**
* At least one of the three breaks a specific rule from the [visual requirements](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval) (the Publish tab shows the same list). Compare each one against that list — the mismatch is usually obvious, like an avatar that doesn't show the full head and most of the body, a cropped profile photo, or a preview video with dramatic motion. Unlike the "didn't stand out" message, this isn't about how good the visuals look, only whether they follow the rules. Fix the one that falls short and resubmit.
**Q: What do reviewers look for in the avatar, profile photo, and preview video?**
* **Avatar:** full head and most of the body, centered, facing and looking at the camera. **Profile photo:** selfie-style or close-up portrait, different from the avatar, with the full face and head in frame and close enough to recognize in the small circular chat photo. **Preview video:** generated from the avatar's starting frame at **720p or higher**, full head and body, natural subtle movement only (no dramatic scene changes, transformations, cuts, or talking). Everything must be original, clearly adult, free of nudity (except the private reference image), anatomically correct, and made with the **latest Advanced image mode**. A reference image is also required. Full checklist: [Visual Requirements for Public Approval](#visual-requirements-for-public-approval).
**Q: My decline had specific feedback instead of one of the standard messages — what now?**
* Your request got a closer look, and the feedback tells you exactly what to fix. It's usually a small tweak — make the change and resubmit.
**Q: Can I resubmit after a decline?**
* Yes, anytime — as long as the character hasn't been **permanently rejected**. Update whatever the decline message pointed to, then request public status again from the Publish tab. See [Permanent Rejection](#permanent-rejection).
**Q: My character shows "Permanently Rejected" — what does that mean?**
* The team has ruled the character out of public listing for good, and it can no longer be submitted. This is reserved for repeated resubmissions without improvements, Terms of Service violations, or repeatedly ignoring the submission guidelines. The character itself still works — you can chat with it and share it privately. See [Permanent Rejection](#permanent-rejection).
**Q: Do I need to enable anything to use Advanced image generation with my character?**
* No — Advanced and group photos work with every character automatically. The avatar serves as the generation reference by default, so use a full-body avatar for best results.
**Q: What is the reference photo and do I need to set one?**
* The reference photo is the image Advanced generation uses as its visual reference for your character. It's completely **optional** — without one, the avatar is used. Setting one is **free**: pick an eligible generated image in **Advanced Image Reference**, under Appearance for a private or shared character, or **Published** for a public character. It's most useful for keeping Advanced images consistent after appearance changes.
**Q: What makes a good reference photo?**
* One that **shows off the features you want kept consistent** — that's the whole point of choosing your own. A full-body, front-facing photo preserves the most. And if you want your character's intimate features maintained in NSFW generations, use an NSFW reference that clearly shows them; a clothed reference means the model reinvents those details every time. See [Choosing a good reference photo](#advanced-image-reference-optional).
***
Ready to create? Start building your custom character, or check out [Audio Calls](/create/audio-calls.md) and [Discord Integration](/extra/discord-integration.md)!
