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Configure Assistant Prompt

The Assistant Prompt is a system-level instruction that shapes how your assistant behaves across all conversations — its tone, role, scope, and response style.

Where to find it​

The prompt field is in the right column of the assistant editor at /assistants-config/{id}.

Setting the prompt​

  1. Open the assistant editor.
  2. Scroll to Assistant Prompt in the right column.
  3. Type or paste your system instructions into the textarea.
  4. Click the expand icon (top-right of the field) to open a full-screen editor for longer prompts.
  5. Click Update Assistant to save.

What to include​

A well-written assistant prompt typically covers:

Role and persona​

Define who the assistant is and what it is for:

You are a knowledgeable support assistant for Acme Corp.
Your role is to help employees find answers in company policy documents
and escalate unresolved issues to the appropriate team.

Scope and limitations​

Tell the assistant what it should and should not do:

Only answer questions related to HR policy, IT support, and onboarding.
If asked about topics outside these areas, politely redirect the user.
Do not share salary data or personnel records.

Response style​

Control tone, length, and format:

Keep answers concise — 2–3 sentences unless the user asks for more detail.
Use bullet points when listing steps or options.
Always maintain a professional, friendly tone.

Using source documents​

If the assistant has Sources attached, instruct it how to use them:

Always base your answers on the provided documents.
If you cannot find the answer in the sources, say so clearly — do not guess.
Cite the source document name when relevant.

Relationship to the workflow prompt template​

The Assistant Prompt is the system prompt — it governs the assistant's overall behaviour across all conversations.

The embedded workflow (configured in the workflow editor) also has a prompt template on the Agent node. This template is the per-turn instruction used to process each message, and can reference input parameters with {{parameter name}} syntax.

Both prompts work together:

  • The Assistant Prompt defines role and constraints (constant across all turns)
  • The workflow prompt template defines what the agent does with each incoming message (can be dynamic)

Follow-up questions prompt​

When Suggest Follow-up Questions is enabled in the assistant settings, an additional Follow-up questions prompt field appears below the toggle. Use it to steer the style or topic of the generated follow-up chips shown after each response:

Generate follow-up questions that help the user explore related policy sections
or clarify specific steps in a process. Keep questions short and actionable.

Tips​

  • Be specific — vague instructions produce inconsistent behaviour. Name the domain, the tone, and the format explicitly.
  • Test after saving — open a new chat with the assistant and send a few representative questions to verify the prompt is working as intended.
  • Iterate — refine the prompt based on real responses. Small wording changes can have a significant effect on response quality.
  • Keep it focused — long prompts with conflicting instructions confuse the model. Prioritise the most important constraints and keep the prompt under ~500 words.