Instructions

Instructions are the agent's global system prompt. They shape every conversation before playbooks, tools, memory, or mode-specific prompts add more context.

What instructions control

Keep instructions focused on behavior that should always apply. Good candidates include escalation rules, response style, decision principles, required checks, and domain assumptions.

• Identity: What the agent is responsible for and how it should behave.
• Tone: How direct, formal, concise, or opinionated the agent should be.
• Boundaries: What the agent should avoid doing without confirmation.
• Default process: How the agent should approach common tasks when no playbook applies.

Best practices

• Put stable defaults here, not one-off task details.
• Move long SOPs, examples, and rubrics into playbooks.
• Avoid contradictory rules; the agent will have to guess which one wins.

Why use instructions instead of playbooks or skills?

Use instructions for the agent's high-level identity and default behavior: what it is, how it should communicate, what boundaries it should follow, and what principles should always apply.

Put detailed company SOPs, policies, rubrics, examples, and agent-specific processes in playbooks. Put reusable, company-agnostic capabilities like creating PPTX decks, analyzing spreadsheets, or following a portable technical process in skills.