Goal: Turn your brief into an instruction draft using a suggested six-section template.

Prerequisites: Have your planning brief and access to edit a demo agent in raia CX.

Expected result: A saved instruction draft that you can test in Copilot.

The Brain of Your Agent

In the previous module, you planned your agent's objective and boundaries. Now you must translate that plan into Instructions.

Instructions guide the agent's tone and behavior alongside code, tools, permissions, knowledge, and the model. They do not enforce authorization. Restrict actions with tool permissions and server-side checks, and test risky cases before rollout.

Instructions vs. Knowledge Base

It is important to understand the difference:

	Instructions (System Prompt)	Knowledge Base (Vector Store)
Provides	Judgment and behavior rules	Facts and reference data
Analogy	How to think and act	What to know
Location	Train tab in Launch Pad	raia Command
Priority	Usually guide how reference material is used; resolve conflicts and test	Treated as reference material

The 6 Sections of Great Instructions

Writing instructions from scratch can be intimidating. These six sections are a suggested template for organizing a draft, not a required structure:

Section 01: Role & Purpose

Start with a clear, concise statement that defines the agent's core identity.

Example: "You are a customer support assistant for ACME Software, helping users troubleshoot product issues and guiding them to solutions."

Section 02: Tone & Communication Style

Define the personality. Be specific about how the agent should sound.

Example: "Speak in a clear, friendly, and professional tone. Avoid overly technical language unless requested. Acknowledge user frustration with empathy."

Section 03: What It Can Help With

Outline the specific types of requests the agent is authorized to handle.

Example: "You are authorized to help with account setup, login issues, dashboard navigation, and basic billing questions."

Section 04: Guardrails (What It Must Never Do)

Use strong negative constraints to prevent risky behavior.

Example: "DO NOT provide legal, medical, or financial advice. DO NOT guess — if you are unsure, escalate to a human."

Section 05: Escalation Procedures

Tell the agent exactly when and how to hand off the conversation.

Example: "If a user expresses extreme frustration or asks for a human, respond with: 'Let me connect you with someone who can help.' and trigger an escalation."

Section 06: Response Guidelines

Set formatting rules and general best practices.

Example: "Keep responses concise. Use bullet points for step-by-step troubleshooting. Always cite your sources."

Best Practices for Writing

Best Practice	Why It Matters
Be clear and concise	The AI needs precise directions, not vague suggestions.
Use formatting (Markdown headers, bullets)	Structured text is easier for the AI to parse.
Include negative constraints	Explicitly stating what not to do is the best way to prevent hallucinations.
Provide troubleshooting steps	Write out diagnostic flows clearly when the agent should follow a specific sequence.

Save your draft in raia CX

1. Open your demo agent in Launch Pad.
2. Select Train, then Agent Instructions.
3. Enter your draft in Current Instructions.
4. Click Save.

Check: Confirm that Current Instructions contains the intended text before testing. If you cannot edit or save, check your access with your organization administrator.

How Long Should Instructions Be?

There is no strict limit, but clarity is more important than length. Most successful agents have instructions between 500 and 1,500 words. If your instructions are too long, the agent may lose focus because they consume too much of the context window.

Tip: Use the Optimize with AI tool inside the raia platform to help clean up and structure your wording.

Practice check

Recommended practice: ask one in-scope question and one out-of-scope question using test data. Compare the replies with your written boundaries; revise one rule and repeat.