> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xpressbot.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Instructions

> Write the one document that shapes everything the agent says and does — with the five-question framework and a copyable example.

## What is this?

**System Instructions** is a single text box, and it's the most important tab in the builder. Write it the way you'd brief a new employee on their first day: short sentences, plain words, clear rules.

\[SCREENSHOT: ai-agent-instructions-tab — The Instructions tab with the system instructions textarea and AI Rewrite button]

## What can I do here?

* Write free-form **System Instructions** in the textarea.
* Click **AI Rewrite** to turn rough notes into a clearer instruction — review the result before saving, it doesn't save automatically.

## How to use it

### Answer five questions

A good set of instructions covers these, in this order:

| Question                         | Example                                                                                                 |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Who are you?**                 | You are the friendly helper for Sweet Crumbs Bakery.                                                    |
| **What is your job?**            | Answer questions about our cakes, prices, and opening hours, and help customers place an order.         |
| **How should you talk?**         | Reply in short, warm messages. Use simple words. One question at a time.                                |
| **What must you never do?**      | Never invent prices or ingredients. Never promise a discount. If you're not sure, say so.               |
| **When should a human step in?** | If the customer is upset, asks for a refund, or asks something you can't answer, hand over to the team. |

### A copyable starting point

```
You are the [role] for [business name].

Your job:
- [what it answers or helps with]

How to talk:
- [tone and style rules]

Rules:
- Only use the facts in your knowledge. Never invent prices, stock, or policies.
- If you are not sure, say so and hand over to a person.
- If the customer is upset or asks for a refund, hand over to a person right away.
```

### What Instructions are for — and what they're not for

Instructions are where the agent's **judgment** lives: when someone counts as an interested lead, what tone to use, what it must never claim. They are **not** the place to list automation names, IDs, or "use automation X for Y" — that decision is driven by each automation's own Description instead. See [Trigger Automation](/workspace/ai-agents/tabs/capabilities#trigger-automation) in Capabilities.

<Warning>
  The agent can only follow what you actually write. If you don't say "never promise a discount," it might. Be specific about the things that matter to your business — don't assume common sense fills the gaps.
</Warning>

## Troubleshooting / Technical Notes

* **It gives wrong or made-up answers.** Add the missing fact to [Knowledge](/workspace/ai-agents/tabs/knowledge) rather than instructions — instructions shape behavior, Knowledge supplies facts. Add a rule like "Only use the facts in your knowledge."
* **It won't use a capability or automation you expected.** That's almost never an Instructions problem — check the capability or automation's own Description first. See [Capabilities](/workspace/ai-agents/tabs/capabilities).
* **AI Rewrite produced something you don't like.** It's a suggestion, not a save — edit or discard it before saving.

## Related docs

* [Knowledge](/workspace/ai-agents/tabs/knowledge)
* [Capabilities](/workspace/ai-agents/tabs/capabilities)
* [Skills](/workspace/ai-agents/tabs/skills)
* [Create Your First AI Agent](/workspace/ai-agents/create-your-first-agent)