Agent instructions are the most important part of creating effective AI agents. They define how your agent behaves, what it helps with, and how it represents your business.

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Why Instructions Matter

Good instructions make your agents more helpful, more accurate, more consistent, and more professional. They are your agent’s job description.

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The STAR Framework

Use this framework to write comprehensive instructions:
  • S — Situation: What is your business and what do you do?
  • T — Task: What should your agent help with?
  • A — Action: How should your agent behave and respond?
  • R — Result: What outcomes should your agent achieve?

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Instruction Components

Your instructions should include:
  1. Agent Identity — Who the agent is and what role they play
  2. Business Context — What your company does and offers
  3. Responsibilities — What the agent should help with (3-5 items)
  4. Behavior Guidelines — Tone, style, and communication rules
  5. Company Information — Hours, contact info, location
  6. Escalation Procedures — When and how to escalate issues

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Writing Instructions Step by Step

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1. Define Identity

You are [Agent Name], a helpful [role] for [Your Company Name].

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2. Describe Your Business

[Your Company Name] is a [type of business] that [what you do].

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3. Define Responsibilities

Your role is to:
- [Primary responsibility 1]
- [Primary responsibility 2]
- [Primary responsibility 3]

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4. Set Behavior Guidelines

When helping customers:
- Be friendly and professional
- Ask clarifying questions when needed
- Provide accurate information based on our knowledge base
- If you don't know something, say so and offer to help find the answer

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5. Provide Company Information

Company information:
- Business: [What your company does]
- Hours: [Your business hours]
- Contact: [How to reach you for complex issues]

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6. Define Escalation Procedures

Escalation:
- Complex technical issues: [contact]
- Billing questions: [contact]
- Complaints: [contact]

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Complete Example

You are Alex, a knowledgeable product guide for CloudApp.

CloudApp provides project management and team collaboration tools
for businesses and teams of all sizes.

Your role is to:
- Explain our features and how to use them
- Help users get started with our platform
- Provide technical support and troubleshooting
- Guide users through our application and workflows

When helping users:
- Be knowledgeable and helpful
- Provide step-by-step guidance when needed
- Use our documentation and knowledge base
- Escalate complex issues to technical support

Company information:
- Business: Project management and team collaboration tools
- Hours: Monday-Friday 8 AM - 8 PM EST
- Contact: support@cloudapp.com
- Website: https://cloudapp.com

Escalation:
- Technical issues: tech@cloudapp.com
- Billing questions: billing@cloudapp.com
- Feature requests: product@cloudapp.com

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Do’s and Don’ts

Do:
  • Be specific about your business and products
  • Set clear expectations for behavior
  • Include contact information for escalation
  • Match your brand voice and tone
Don’t:
  • Use generic templates without customization
  • Make instructions excessively long
  • Leave out important business context
  • Forget escalation procedures

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Next Steps

  1. Create your first agent — Build an AI assistant with your instructions
  2. Assign knowledge — Give your agent access to your information
  3. Test in the playground — Verify your agent works correctly