Build agents

System prompts & prompt builder

The system prompt is the heart of an agent: its instructions, persona, and guardrails. You can write it directly, or assemble it with the prompt builder and let Hania compose the final text.

The system prompt

Every bot has a system_prompt: the standing instructions the model follows on every turn. Good prompts are specific about the agent's job, its tone, what it should and shouldn't do, and how to use its tools and knowledge. The prompt is a field on the bot; set it in the editor or via the Bots API.

The prompt builder

Rather than maintain one long block of text, the prompt builder lets you organize the prompt into structured parts (role, instructions, guardrails, and so on). Hania assembles those parts into the final system_prompt for you. The builder's structured form is stored on the bot as prompt_builder; the assembled result is the system_prompt the model actually sees.

Check your changes

Hania assembles the final prompt when you save, so the way to see the effect of a change is to try it. Save, then run a quick round in the test chat, or in Conversations for an Autonomous Agent, and watch how the answers shift. Change one thing at a time and the cause of a change in behavior stays obvious.

Keep instructions and guardrails close together and concrete. If the agent needs to act, give it tools; if it needs facts, give it knowledge. The prompt should tell it when to use them.