Character cards explained: Chub, Janitor AI, SpicyChat and friends

A card holds a name, a description of the character, a personality summary, a scenario, an opening message and example dialogue. Some formats add alternate greetings, a lorebook of world facts, and creator notes. The model reads this text at the start of every reply, which is why cards have a token count: a bigger definition costs context and can push the model to forget your conversation sooner.

Cards are files. Creators publish them on one platform, and users export and re-upload them elsewhere, which is why you can find the same character on three sites with different chat counts. The platform decides which model runs the card, so the same card can feel very different between platforms.

• Token count. Under 1,000 tokens leaves room for a long chat; over 2,500 will feel forgetful on smaller models.
• Greetings. Multiple greetings mean the creator wrote several openings; pick the one that matches the scene you want.
• Tags. Creator tags are inconsistent across platforms, which is why we normalise them into one set of categories on this site.
• Any-POV versus fixed POV. Cards written for a specific user gender will address you that way regardless of what you say.

Specific, short descriptions beat long ones. A clear scenario with a reason for the character to talk to you. Example dialogue that shows the voice. And a creator who updates the card when a platform changes models. Popularity counts help but reflect age as much as quality; a card from last month with a high rating is a better bet than an old one with many chats.

Most card-based platforms import the common formats, but companion apps with their own character builders do not. Check the platform review for whether it accepts community cards.

The card itself is text and an image; the risk is the content. We screen every synced card against our content policy and exclude anything that fails it, but on the platforms themselves you will find everything creators upload.

Because each platform counts its own users. A card with a million chats on one platform may be new on another. Compare cards within a platform, not across them.