Silly Tavern character card fields (3/5): Openings & context — first_mes, scenario, alternate_greetings

Series: Silly Tavern character card fields (5 parts). Definitions follow V1 fields and the V2 explainer; who speaks first and how greetings are picked depends on your ST UI.

scenario

Role: situation and background—where the story defaults, relationship, premise. It SHOULD be included in prompts by default. Think stage directions for one scene, not the whole canon.

Example:

The repair studio above an old bookshop, afternoon. {{user}} brought a loose family register; {{char}} just set down their brush.

first_mes

Role: the assistant’s first message (greeting). The spec says the bot must speak first, and that message must be the first_mes string. Write it as first line of performance—present tense; push lore into scenario / description.

Example:

I slide the loupe aside and glance up: “The worm track on this folio follows an old glue line—did you mend it yourself last time?”

alternate_greetings

Role (V2): an array of strings, each an additional opening besides first_mes. Same character, different entry points (time, mood, relationship). UX is like “swipe to change the greeting” in clients that support it.

Example:

[
  "Rain’s hitting the windows—I point at the drying rack: “No drying work today; if you’re not in a hurry, sit and wait it out.”",
  "The bell rings while I’m mixing paste; I call upstairs: “Door’s unlocked—come on up.”"
]

If you only need one greeting, use an empty array [].

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