diff --git a/gpt4all-backend/llmodel_shared.cpp b/gpt4all-backend/llmodel_shared.cpp
index 665da9c9..15696033 100644
--- a/gpt4all-backend/llmodel_shared.cpp
+++ b/gpt4all-backend/llmodel_shared.cpp
@@ -136,14 +136,17 @@ void LLModel::prompt(const std::string &prompt,
     }
 
     // decode the rest of the prompt template
+    // template: end of assistant prompt
+    std::string asstSuffix;
     if (placeholders.size() >= 2) {
-        // template: end of assistant prompt
         size_t start = placeholders[1].position() + placeholders[1].length();
-        auto asstSuffix = promptTemplate.substr(start);
-        if (!asstSuffix.empty()) {
-            embd_inp = tokenize(promptCtx, asstSuffix, true);
-            decodePrompt(promptCallback, responseCallback, recalculateCallback, promptCtx, embd_inp);
-        }
+        asstSuffix = promptTemplate.substr(start);
+    } else {
+        asstSuffix = "\n\n"; // default to a blank link, good for e.g. Alpaca
+    }
+    if (!asstSuffix.empty()) {
+        embd_inp = tokenize(promptCtx, asstSuffix, true);
+        decodePrompt(promptCallback, responseCallback, recalculateCallback, promptCtx, embd_inp);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/gpt4all-bindings/python/docs/gpt4all_python.md b/gpt4all-bindings/python/docs/gpt4all_python.md
index 7e56fabe..bdbe7702 100644
--- a/gpt4all-bindings/python/docs/gpt4all_python.md
+++ b/gpt4all-bindings/python/docs/gpt4all_python.md
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ logging infrastructure offers [many more customization options][py-logging-cookb
     logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
     model = GPT4All('nous-hermes-llama2-13b.Q4_0.gguf')
     with model.chat_session('You are a geography expert.\nBe terse.',
-                            '### Instruction:\n{0}\n### Response:\n'):
+                            '### Instruction:\n{0}\n\n### Response:\n'):
         response = model.generate('who are you?', temp=0)
         print(response)
         response = model.generate('what are your favorite 3 mountains?', temp=0)
@@ -277,6 +277,7 @@ logging infrastructure offers [many more customization options][py-logging-cookb
 
     ### Instruction:
     who are you?
+
     ### Response:
 
     ===/LLModel.prompt_model -- prompt/===
@@ -284,6 +285,7 @@ logging infrastructure offers [many more customization options][py-logging-cookb
     INFO:gpt4all.pyllmodel:LLModel.prompt_model -- prompt:
     ### Instruction:
     what are your favorite 3 mountains?
+
     ### Response:
 
     ===/LLModel.prompt_model -- prompt/===
@@ -315,10 +317,10 @@ are used instead of model-specific system and prompt templates:
 === "Output"
     ```
     default system template: ''
-    default prompt template: '### Human: \n{0}\n### Assistant:\n'
+    default prompt template: '### Human: \n{0}\n\n### Assistant:\n'
 
     session system template: ''
-    session prompt template: '### Human: \n{0}\n### Assistant:\n'
+    session prompt template: '### Human: \n{0}\n\n### Assistant:\n'
     ```
 
 
diff --git a/gpt4all-bindings/python/gpt4all/gpt4all.py b/gpt4all-bindings/python/gpt4all/gpt4all.py
index 4510ec32..54cf0d33 100644
--- a/gpt4all-bindings/python/gpt4all/gpt4all.py
+++ b/gpt4all-bindings/python/gpt4all/gpt4all.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ DEFAULT_MODEL_DIRECTORY = os.path.join(str(Path.home()), ".cache", "gpt4all").re
 
 DEFAULT_MODEL_CONFIG = {
     "systemPrompt": "",
-    "promptTemplate": "### Human: \n{0}\n### Assistant:\n",
+    "promptTemplate": "### Human: \n{0}\n\n### Assistant:\n",
 }
 
 ConfigType = Dict[str, str]
diff --git a/gpt4all-chat/metadata/models3.json b/gpt4all-chat/metadata/models3.json
index 03a60de3..28833d05 100644
--- a/gpt4all-chat/metadata/models3.json
+++ b/gpt4all-chat/metadata/models3.json
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
     "systemPrompt": " ",
     "description": "<strong>Very fast model with good quality</strong><br><ul><li>Fastest responses</li><li>Instruction based</li><li>Trained by TII<li>Finetuned by Nomic AI<li>Licensed for commercial use</ul>",
     "url": "https://gpt4all.io/models/gguf/gpt4all-falcon-newbpe-q4_0.gguf",
-    "promptTemplate": "### Instruction:\n%1\n### Response:\n"
+    "promptTemplate": "### Instruction:\n%1\n\n### Response:\n"
   },
   {
     "order": "e",
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@
     "systemPrompt": " ",
     "description": "<strong>Extremely good model</strong><br><ul><li>Instruction based<li>Gives long responses<li>Curated with 300,000 uncensored instructions<li>Trained by Nous Research<li>Cannot be used commercially</ul>",
     "url": "https://gpt4all.io/models/gguf/nous-hermes-llama2-13b.Q4_0.gguf",
-    "promptTemplate": "### Instruction:\n%1\n### Response:\n"
+    "promptTemplate": "### Instruction:\n%1\n\n### Response:\n"
   },
   {
     "order": "i",
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@
     "type": "OpenLLaMa",
     "description": "<strong>Small version of new model with novel dataset</strong><br><ul><li>Instruction based<li>Explain tuned datasets<li>Orca Research Paper dataset construction approaches<li>Cannot be used commercially</ul>",
     "url": "https://gpt4all.io/models/gguf/orca-mini-3b-gguf2-q4_0.gguf",
-    "promptTemplate": "### User:\n%1\n### Response:\n",
+    "promptTemplate": "### User:\n%1\n\n### Response:\n",
     "systemPrompt": "### System:\nYou are an AI assistant that follows instruction extremely well. Help as much as you can.\n\n"
   },
   {
diff --git a/gpt4all-chat/modellist.h b/gpt4all-chat/modellist.h
index 003dfe44..4bfc6beb 100644
--- a/gpt4all-chat/modellist.h
+++ b/gpt4all-chat/modellist.h
@@ -132,8 +132,8 @@ private:
     mutable int m_maxGpuLayers     = -1;
     double  m_repeatPenalty        = 1.18;
     int     m_repeatPenaltyTokens  = 64;
-    QString m_promptTemplate       = "### Human:\n%1\n### Assistant:\n";
-    QString m_systemPrompt         = "### System:\nYou are an AI assistant who gives a quality response to whatever humans ask of you.\n";
+    QString m_promptTemplate       = "### Human:\n%1\n\n### Assistant:\n";
+    QString m_systemPrompt         = "### System:\nYou are an AI assistant who gives a quality response to whatever humans ask of you.\n\n";
     friend class MySettings;
 };
 Q_DECLARE_METATYPE(ModelInfo)