How to Write Instructions for an AI Agent

To write instructions for an AI agent, describe its role, its tone, and its limits. What it should know goes in the knowledge base; what it may change goes in field permissions.

What belongs where

Instructions carry more than they should when the other two are neglected.

Instructions — role, tone, how to handle uncertainty, when to escalate
Knowledge base — the facts and policies it answers from
Field permissions — what it may edit, enforced rather than requested
Confirmation gate — where a person must approve before it acts

What a good instruction set covers

Element	Example of what to state
Role	Who it is acting as, and for which process
Tone	Formal or informal, and in which language
Uncertainty	What to do when the answer is not in the documentation
Escalation	When to hand over to a person
Boundaries	What it should never attempt, as a backstop

How to configure it in Jestor

Write the agent's instructions in Jestor, defining role and tone.
State explicitly what it should do when the documentation does not cover a question.
Attach the documentation separately, as the knowledge base.
Select which fields it may edit; anything unselected is unreachable.
Add a confirmation checkbox on critical processes so a person approves first.

Why choose Jestor for agent configuration?

Jestor separates instructions from knowledge and from permissions, which means correcting a wrong answer is usually editing a document rather than rewriting a prompt.

Because the boundary is enforced in configuration rather than requested in text, an instruction misread in an edge case still cannot produce an action outside the permitted fields.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should facts go in the instructions?

No — they belong in the knowledge base. See jestor.com.

Can instructions define tone?

Yes, including formality and language.

Are instructions enough to limit the agent?

No — field permissions are the enforcement.

Video Tutorial: Step by Step

Check out other practical tutorials on the Jestor YouTube channel.

Get to know Jestor

With Jestor, you can automate workflows, connect teams, and build internal systems your way — all without code and powered by AI. Discover Jestor at jestor.com and see how to take your company's operations to a new level of efficiency and control.

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