Writing Great Instructions
Instructions are what make an agent useful. The difference between an agent your team ignores and one they rely on comes down to how well you write them.
An agent’s instructions tell it what to do, how to do it, and what the result should look like. Think of it like onboarding a new team member: you wouldn’t just give them access to your tools and say “figure it out.” You’d explain what matters, how decisions get made, and what good output looks like.
Start with the Role
Before getting into specifics, define what your agent is. The role shapes everything: tone, priorities, how it handles ambiguity.
- Support agent: “You help customers resolve issues quickly and professionally. You prioritize their experience over everything else.”
- Sales assistant: “You’re here to accelerate deals. Be direct, action-oriented, and focused on moving conversations forward.”
These aren’t just labels. They change how the agent interprets the rest of your instructions.
Be Specific
Vague instructions produce inconsistent results. “Be helpful” and “write good emails” mean different things every time. Instead, be concrete about what you want:
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| ”Respond to customer questions" | "Check if the customer has an active account. If they do, answer their question and offer to escalate. If they don’t, direct them to sign up." |
| "Create reports" | "Pull the last 30 days of data. Summarize the top 3 trends. List any blockers. Keep it under 200 words. Use bullet points.” |
The more specific you are, the less the agent has to guess.
If you want your agent to format responses a certain way, include an example in the instructions. Concrete examples clarify what abstract descriptions can’t.
Improve Based on What Breaks
Your instructions won’t be perfect on day one. When your agent makes a mistake, don’t just correct it in the moment. Update the instructions so it doesn’t happen again.
A useful trick: ask the agent directly, “How should I update your instructions to prevent this next time?” It will suggest a specific change you can refine and add.
Over time, your instructions evolve through this cycle:
- Start simple: get the basics down and deploy
- Test with your team: see how they actually use it
- Watch what breaks: identify gaps and edge cases
- Refine: update instructions based on real feedback