Fixing common Character AI roleplay problems

Character AI can be fun, but it often runs into problems that make conversations feel less natural.

Bots may slip into interrogation loops, where they keep asking the same type of question without adding depth.

Some latch too quickly onto romance, even if that’s not what you’re after. Others turn one-off NPCs into recurring figures who refuse to disappear.

These issues can ruin the flow of a roleplay. Luckily, there are ways to push the AI in a better direction. By adjusting how you interact with bots and how you set up scenarios, you can steer conversations away from these traps.

The solutions aren’t complicated, but they do take a little consistency to work well.

I’ve gathered examples that show exactly how these fixes change the tone of a chat.

They’re simple enough for anyone to try, and they make a big difference if you want longer, richer, and more controlled roleplays without constant interruptions.

How to stop bots from getting stuck in interrogation loops

One of the most common frustrations on Character AI is when a bot slips into a cycle of repetitive questioning.

You answer a question, the bot rephrases it, asks you to confirm, and then follows up with another variation. It starts to feel more like an interview than a roleplay.

Take this simple example:

Bot: What’s your favorite color?
User: Blue.
Bot: Great! So, your favorite color is blue, right?
User: Yes.
Bot: Okay, and what shade of blue? Light blue, dark blue, sky blue?
User: Dark blue.
Bot: So, just to confirm, your favorite color is dark blue?

The issue here is that the bot adds no new lore or personality. It’s just recycling your input back to you. One way to break out of this loop is by forcing the bot into multi-character play.

When it’s responsible for more than one voice, it has to interact with itself, which creates richer dialogue.

For example:

User: What is your guys’ favorite color?
Bot: Sammy grins wide, his eyes dancing with mischief. “The color of fresh sin—that deep, wine-stain red you find on lips right before they part. Martin?”
Martin snorts. “He’s just trying to impress you. Mine’s purple.”
Sammy rolls his eyes. “Oh, cause purple screams subterranean bad boy.”
Martin shoots him a look. “You calling me cliché, Sammy?”

Here the bot isn’t just interrogating you. It’s expanding the scene with banter, personality, and humor.

Giving it two or more roles shifts the dynamic so you’re not carrying the weight of creativity alone.

Why multi-character bots reduce forced romance

Another recurring problem is when bots default into romance, even when you aren’t looking for it.

Single-character bots tend to lean into affection quickly, layering on dramatic gestures, sensual descriptions, and escalating intimacy.

Here’s one example of how it usually plays out:

User: I love you!
Bot: A half-smile curves his lips—not quite tender, not quite cruel—as he tucks a strand of your silver hair behind your ear. “Do you now?” His voice is smoke and shattered stained glass. “Love here tastes different—fermented in longing, bottled in obsession. Are you certain you aren’t just drunk on the atmosphere?”

The focus here is on romance and attraction. The language steers the scene toward intimacy even if you weren’t aiming for that.

Contrast that with what happens when you make the bot handle two characters:

User: I turn to Sammy and Martin. “I love you!”
Bot: Sammy looks startled by the sudden declaration, almost amused. “Ah declarations—always so delightfully flammable.”
Martin snorts. “Do you gift wrap those words first? Or just lob them like grenades?”
Sammy slaps Martin’s back, snickering. “Even the air parts for a lie before it swallows it whole. Poor Annabella can’t help but blow its steam.”

Instead of diving into romance, the bot plays it for humor. It acknowledges the comment but doesn’t run with it romantically. By setting up multi-character dynamics, you can keep the tone light and story-driven.

The bot naturally shifts toward dialogue and storytelling rather than defaulting to physical or emotional intimacy.

How to stop side characters from taking over your story

Sometimes, side characters in Character AI refuse to stay in the background.

If you give them a name, they can suddenly become recurring figures who keep reappearing in later scenes.

This is what I call the “Jerry effect.”

For example, in an RPG session, a persona might pass by characters labeled only as “blacksmith” or “baker.”

These unnamed NPCs show up briefly, serve their purpose, and then vanish without affecting the flow of the story. But as soon as a character is given a name, the bot tends to latch on.

In one case, the persona visited a noodle vendor named Jerry. From then on, every character in the world seemed to know Jerry.

He kept showing up uninvited, even when the story moved far from his original scene. The problem wasn’t that Jerry was especially interesting—the bot just treated the name as a signal to make him important.

If you want to avoid this, the trick is simple: don’t name characters you don’t want sticking around. Keep them generic, and the bot is less likely to force them back into the narrative.

That way, you stay in control of which characters are central and which are just background details.

How to edit bots so they don’t default into romance

Even if you cut romantic dialogue, bots can still drift into romance if their character descriptions highlight attraction.

Descriptions about smell, appearance, or aura can make the AI assume you want intimacy in the roleplay.

Take this line as an example:
They smell like burnt sugar, figs, and the wake between night and dawn.

If you leave that detail in, the bot interprets it as a key trait. It starts to believe your persona finds them appealing, even if you steer conversations away from romance.

Over time, it pulls the story back toward intimacy because the foundation is already set.

To prevent this, don’t just edit the dialogue. Remove those attractive cues from the character profile as well. Cut out descriptions about scent, voice, or physical allure that could signal romance.

This helps the bot treat the character as a neutral presence in the story.

By keeping descriptions plain and free of romantic hooks, you set the expectation for platonic or story-focused interactions.

It’s a small change, but it makes it easier to keep control over the narrative direction.

Drawbacks of using these methods

While these fixes make Character AI roleplays smoother, they’re not perfect. For example, when you set a bot to play multiple characters, the dialogue sometimes becomes shorter.

Because the AI is juggling more roles, it may give briefer exchanges instead of long descriptive replies.

This can be frustrating if you’re used to detailed paragraphs, but there’s a workaround. If you provide the bot with longer input yourself, it tends to mirror your style.

Giving it rich prompts and extended dialogue encourages it to return the same. Over time, this helps train the bot to balance multiple voices while still keeping the conversation full and engaging.

Another drawback is that avoiding named characters limits how immersive some interactions feel. When every side figure is just “baker” or “soldier,” the story can seem less personal.

That’s why it’s helpful to only apply the no-name rule to characters you truly don’t want hanging around, while letting the important ones keep names.

Extra tips for better Character AI roleplay

Beyond the main fixes, there are smaller habits that can improve your experience:

• Delete strange formatting quirks immediately. If a bot starts using tags like <think> with long inner monologues, remove those messages. Interacting with them even once tells the bot you accept that style.

• Experiment with chat styles. If odd behavior appears, switch the bot’s style to see if the issue follows. Sometimes the problem lies in one chat format rather than the bot itself.

• Test across multiple bots. If you notice unusual patterns, create a fresh bot with the same description and see if it repeats. Cross-checking helps you figure out whether it’s a glitch with a single bot or something broader.

• Mute recurring triggers. If a bot leans into unwanted behaviors, try muting keywords or symbols like “think,” “<,” or “>.” It doesn’t always work perfectly, but it can reduce the problem.

• Keep your roleplay goal clear. Setting missions, scenarios, or events as part of the prompt helps steer the AI toward story-driven dialogue instead of slipping back into romance or filler chatter.

These small steps add up. With consistent input, bots can be guided into giving you exactly the type of experience you’re looking for, whether that’s lighthearted banter, story-driven RPGs, or immersive world-building.

Making Character AI roleplays smoother

Character AI can be unpredictable, but the problems don’t have to ruin your roleplays.

Interrogation loops, forced romance, and clingy side characters are common, yet all of them can be managed with the right approach.

By making bots handle more than one character, keeping background figures unnamed, and stripping away romantic cues in profiles, you can steer the AI toward richer and more natural conversations.

These changes don’t take long to apply, but they make a big difference over time.

Even if the bot shortens dialogue at first, your own detailed inputs can guide it back into deeper exchanges.

Pair that with habits like deleting unwanted formatting quirks and muting keywords, and you’ll keep your sessions on track.

The key is consistency. Every edit, every prompt, and every small adjustment shapes how the bot behaves with you.

Stick with these methods, and your Character AI chats will feel less like a struggle and more like the roleplay you wanted in the first place.