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Access: Open an agent and go to Prompt.

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What the Prompt Does

The prompt defines your agent’s personality, conversational style, objectives, and behavioral rules. This is the most important configuration for your agent’s success. Think of it like writing instructions for a new employee — tell them who they are, how to behave, what they can help with, and what to do when they’re unsure. Your prompt is sent to the AI model with every conversation turn. It tells the model:
  • Who it is (role and identity)
  • How to behave (tone, style, guardrails)
  • What to achieve (objectives and goals)
  • When to use tools (tools, knowledge, transfers)

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The Prompt Editor

The prompt editor is located in the Prompt tab of the agent editor. It includes several features to help you write better prompts faster.

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Editor Features

Templates

Open the template library, preview a prompt, edit the preview if needed, and use it as your agent’s instructions

Variable Insertion

Insert dynamic variables from the toolbar or type {{ to autocomplete available variables

Writing Guide

Open the in-product guide for structure, examples, and common prompt-writing mistakes

Token Count and Fullscreen

Track prompt and knowledge-base tokens, expand the editor, and save or discard prompt changes inline

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Using the Writing Guide

The Writing Guide opens inside the Prompt tab. Use it when you want examples for structure, role definition, tone, guardrails, and common mistakes.
1

Write your initial prompt

Start with the role, goal, conversation flow, boundaries, and escalation rules.
2

Open Writing Guide

Click Writing Guide above the editor.
3

Compare against the guide

Check your prompt for clear sections, concrete if-then rules, sensitive-topic boundaries, and an escape hatch.
4

Save or discard

Use the inline save controls after editing.

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Using Variables

Variables let you insert dynamic data into your prompt. The platform replaces variables with real values at call start.

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Inserting Variables

  1. Place your cursor where you want the variable
  2. Click Variables in the editor toolbar
  3. Select a variable from the list
  4. The variable is inserted using template syntax: {{ variable_name }}

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Common Variables

VariableDescriptionExample Value
{{ contact.first_name }}Caller’s first name”Sarah”
{{ contact.last_name }}Caller’s last name”Johnson”
{{ contact.email }}Caller’s email address”sarah@example.com”
{{ contact.phone_number }}Caller’s phone number”+1234567890”
{{ current_datetime }}Current date and time”2026-01-30 14:30:00”

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Example with Variables

# Role
You are Alex, a customer support agent for Acme Software.

# Conversation Context
{% if contact.first_name %}
Address the customer as {{ contact.first_name }}.
{% else %}
Ask for the customer's name at the start of the conversation.
{% endif %}

Current date and time: {{ current_datetime }}
Variables use Jinja templating — conditionals ({% if %}), loops ({% for %}), and filters. See Template Syntax for the full reference.

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Using Prompt Templates

Click Templates above the editor to open the template gallery. Templates provide proven starting points for common agent types. To apply a template:
  1. Click Templates in the editor
  2. Preview templates to find one that matches your use case
  3. Click Use Template to insert it into the editor
  4. Replace placeholders with your specific details
  5. Customize the prompt to match your requirements
Templates follow the same structure used by the built-in template gallery: Role, Objective, Response Format, Conversation Flow, and Escalation Triggers. Start with a template and adapt it rather than writing from scratch.
See all available templates —>

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Writing Guidance

This page documents the Prompt tab and editor controls. For full prompt-writing patterns, voice-specific examples, response-length guidance, guardrails, tool references, and testing techniques, use the Prompt Engineering Guide. Use this page when you need to know where to edit prompts, insert variables, apply templates, or save changes. Use the guide when you need help deciding what the prompt should say.

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What the Agent Already Knows

The platform automatically provides the following context. You do not need to include these in your prompt:
The complete conversation history between the agent and the contact, including all messages and tool calls.
Contact data like name, email, and phone number. Access via variables like {{ contact.first_name }}.
When relevant, the platform automatically retrieves and includes content from your knowledge bases.
The platform tells the agent what tools are available (transfer, book appointment, custom API tools). You just need to explain when to use them.
The agent automatically knows the current date, time, and timezone.

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Before You Save

Use the editor controls to save only after you have checked the basics:
  • variables resolve to the data you expect
  • tool names match the names configured in the Tools tab
  • templates have been customized for your business
  • the prompt is short enough to maintain
  • the agent has been tested in Chat or Web call
For the full writing checklist, see Prompt Engineering Guide.

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Next Steps

Prompt Engineering Guide

Discover advanced techniques for writing effective prompts

Prompt Templates

Browse pre-built templates for common use cases

Template Syntax

Learn how to personalize messages with dynamic content

Test Your Agent

Learn how to test your agent effectively