Using instructions to influence AI agent responses (Legacy)

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">You can create instructions for your AI agents that let you control their behavior in ways beyond customizing theirdefault persona options. Instructions let you balance generative AI's automation potential to solve more customer requests without requiring human intervention, while preserving a precise level of control that helps you protect your brand.</p>
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<div class="note attention" id="instructions_using__note_y4y_fbj_4fc">
<span class="attentiontitle"></span> <span class="ph">This article describes functionality that moved into
legacy status on July 31, 2025. On December 10, 2026, this functionality will no
longer be available. For more information, see <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10487730059034" target="_blank">this announcement</a>.</span>
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<p class="p">You can create instructions for your AI agents that let you control their behavior in
ways beyond customizing their <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8753435048474" target="_blank">default persona options</a>. Instructions let you balance
generative AI's automation potential to solve more customer requests without requiring
human intervention, while preserving a precise level of control that helps you protect
your brand.</p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following topics:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="instructions_using__ul_x5l_fdj_4fc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ifs_wcj_4fc">About instructions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_rn1_ycj_4fc">Creating instructions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_vqt_zcj_4fc">Viewing all instructions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_snd_bdj_4fc">Testing instructions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_nnx_w2j_4fc">Activating and deactivating instructions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ddz_cdj_4fc">Editing instructions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_fkf_2dj_4fc">Deleting instructions</a></li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Related articles: </p>
<ul class="ul" id="instructions_using__ul_bcc_fdj_4fc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9309367377050" target="_blank">Best practices for using instructions to
influence AI agent responses</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ifs_wcj_4fc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">About instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Instructions let you customize your AI agents’ responses beyond their <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8753435048474" target="_blank">persona</a> (which includes your business profile, tone of
voice, and reply length). For example, you can create instructions that tell your AI
agents to: </p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_ifs_wcj_4fc__ul_b5l_ndj_4fc">
<li class="li">Follow an in-house style guide that includes specific terminology or formatting. </li>
<li class="li">Avoid specific phrases or responses that shouldn’t be used with customers (for
example, “According to the sources” or “Contact customer support”). </li>
<li class="li">Respond in specified ways to particular user messages (for example, to always
include a specific hyperlink in responses about a given topic). </li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Instructions are configured at the AI agent–level.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Creating instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">For each AI agent, you can create up to 40 instructions that influence its responses
to customers. However, it’s recommended to keep the number of instructions low. The
fewer active instructions there are, the more likely the AI agent is to follow any
given instruction. </p>
<div class="p">Instructions should always be created in English, regardless of any other AI agent
language settings.<div class="note tip" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc__note_i33_pdj_4fc">
<span class="tiptitle">Tip:</span> See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9309367377050" target="_blank">Best practices for using instructions to
influence AI agent responses</a>.</div>
</div>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To create an instruction</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc__ol_xnt_xdj_4fc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc__d9e1351" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_ai.png">
<strong class="ph b">AI</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">AI agents &gt; AI agents</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click the AI agent you want to create instructions for. </li>
<li class="li">Click the <strong class="ph b">Instructions</strong> tab. </li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Create instruction</strong>.<p class="p">The Create instruction page
opens.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc__image_hjm_j2j_4fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiae_instructions_create.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">In <strong class="ph b">Name</strong>, enter a descriptive name for the instruction.<p class="p">The name is
shown to admins on the Instructions settings page and is never shown to
customers nor sent to the AI agent. </p>
</li>
<li class="li">In <strong class="ph b">Instruction</strong>, enter a description of how the AI agent should
respond to the customer.<p class="p">For example, “Always use the term Acme Labs™
instead of Acme.”</p>
</li>
<li class="li">In <strong class="ph b">Channel type</strong>, select whether the instruction should apply to
<strong class="ph b">Messaging</strong> channels, <strong class="ph b">Email</strong> channels, or both types.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>. </li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Test instruction</strong> to see how the instruction influences your AI
agent’s responses.<p class="p">When you test an instruction this way, it’s tested
alongside any other instructions that are either Active or To be
activated.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc__image_n1v_r2j_4fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiae_instructions_testing.png" width="600"></p>
<div class="p">
<div class="note" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc__note_mtg_n2j_4fc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> For other testing options, see <a class="xref" href="#topic_snd_bdj_4fc">Testing instructions</a>.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Make changes as needed, then click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>. </li>
</ol>
<div class="note" id="topic_rn1_ycj_4fc__note_v2d_xdj_4fc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> You must <a class="xref" href="#topic_nnx_w2j_4fc">activate the instruction</a> before it has any effect on your live AI
agent.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_vqt_zcj_4fc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Viewing all instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Within an AI agent, you can see all the instructions that have been created for it on
the Instructions tab. </p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To view all instructions</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_vqt_zcj_4fc__ol_ekh_cfj_4fc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_vqt_zcj_4fc__d9e1351" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_ai.png">
<strong class="ph b">AI</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">AI agents &gt; AI agents</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click the AI agent you want to see instructions for. </li>
<li class="li">Click the <strong class="ph b">Instructions</strong> tab.<p class="p">On this page, you can see all the
instructions you’ve created, including the following details: </p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_vqt_zcj_4fc__ul_dmt_ffj_4fc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Status</strong>: Which of the following statuses the instruction is in:
<ul class="ul" id="topic_vqt_zcj_4fc__ul_v32_hfj_4fc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Active</strong>: The instruction is live and influences the AI
agent’s responses to end users. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">To be activated</strong>: The instruction is not currently live,
but will be activated the next time the AI agent itself is
published. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Inactive</strong>: The instruction is not live and doesn’t
influence the AI agent’s responses to end users. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">To be deactivated</strong>: The instruction is currently live, but
will be deactivated the next time the AI agent itself is
published. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Channel type</strong>: Whether the instruction applies to messaging
channels, email channels, or both types.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Updated</strong>: When the instruction was last updated.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_vqt_zcj_4fc__image_g2z_4fj_4fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiae_instructions_viewing.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested1" id="topic_snd_bdj_4fc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title5">Testing instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Before <a class="xref" href="#topic_nnx_w2j_4fc">activating any
instructions</a>, it’s highly recommended to test them thoroughly to help
ensure that they affect the AI agent’s responses as you expect. Where you conduct
the testing affects what information the system evaluates as part of the test: </p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_snd_bdj_4fc__ul_mlc_sfj_4fc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">When you use the Test instruction button</strong> (either when <a class="xref" href="#topic_ddz_cdj_4fc">editing</a> or <a class="xref" href="#topic_rn1_ycj_4fc">creating</a> an instruction), the
system evaluates that instruction plus any currently Active or To be activated
instructions.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">When you use the Test AI agent button</strong> in the AI agent settings, the
system evaluates all Active and To be activated instructions. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408835784602#topic_ob1_lxx_r5b" target="_blank">Testing an AI agent</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">When <a class="xref" href="#topic_rn1_ycj_4fc">creating</a> or <a class="xref" href="#topic_ddz_cdj_4fc">editing</a> an instruction, make sure
you save the instruction before testing it. </p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To test an instruction</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_snd_bdj_4fc__ol_yyt_rt2_dgc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_vqt_zcj_4fc">On the Instructions
tab</a>, click the instruction you want to test.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Test instruction</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Use the test pane to test the instructions' influence on your AI agent's
responses.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested1" id="topic_nnx_w2j_4fc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title6">Activating and deactivating instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">After you <a class="xref" href="#topic_rn1_ycj_4fc">create an instruction</a>,
you must activate it before it has any effect on your AI agent’s responses in
conversations with end users. Similarly, if you no longer want an instruction to
influence your AI agent, but you don’t want to <a class="xref" href="#topic_fkf_2dj_4fc">delete the instruction</a> completely, you can deactivate
it.</p>
<p class="p">If needed, you can also cancel the pending activation or deactivation of an
instruction.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To activate or deactivate an instruction</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_nnx_w2j_4fc__ol_fgl_2gj_4fc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_vqt_zcj_4fc">On the Instructions tab</a>,
hover over the instruction you want to activate or deactivate. </li>
<li class="li">Click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_nnx_w2j_4fc__image_wpm_pgj_4fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ticket_field_options_icon.png">) and select one of the following options: <ul class="ul" id="topic_nnx_w2j_4fc__ol_xgq_ggj_4fc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Activate</strong>: The instruction is set to To be activated, and will be
set to Active the next time you publish the AI agent unless you cancel
the activation.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Deactivate</strong>: The instruction is set to To be deactivated, and will
be set to Inactive the next time you publish the AI agent unless you
cancel the deactivation. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7232810932250" target="_blank">Publish the AI agent</a> to apply your
changes.</li>
</ol>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To cancel a pending activation or deactivation</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_vqt_zcj_4fc">On the Instructions
tab</a>, hover over the instruction you want to cancel a pending
activation or deactivation for. </li>
<li class="li">Click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_nnx_w2j_4fc__image_g25_kgk_cgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ticket_field_options_icon.png">) and select one of the following options: <ul class="ul" id="topic_nnx_w2j_4fc__ol_ccq_lgk_cgc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Cancel activation</strong>: The instruction is set to Inactive.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Cancel deactivation</strong>: The instruction is set to Active.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ddz_cdj_4fc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title7">Editing instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can edit an instruction, even if it’s active, and test the edits without
affecting the customer experience. </p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To edit an instruction</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_ddz_cdj_4fc__ol_xqc_rgj_4fc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_vqt_zcj_4fc">On the Instructions tab</a>,
click the instruction you want to edit. </li>
<li class="li">Update the instruction’s details as needed and test the results.<p class="p">For help, see
<a class="xref" href="#topic_rn1_ycj_4fc">Creating instructions</a> and <a class="xref" href="#topic_snd_bdj_4fc">Testing instructions</a>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.<p class="p">You’re returned to the Instructions tab, where the
instruction’s status has changed to To be activated.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_nnx_w2j_4fc">Activate the
instruction</a>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested1" id="topic_fkf_2dj_4fc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title8">Deleting instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can delete instructions you no longer need. Only inactive instructions can be
deleted, so make sure you first <a class="xref" href="#topic_nnx_w2j_4fc">deactivate the instruction</a> you want to delete.</p>
<p class="p">Deleting an instruction is permanent and cannot be undone. When an instruction is
deleted, the AI agent immediately stops following that instruction. </p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To delete an instruction</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_fkf_2dj_4fc__ol_s5j_wgj_4fc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_vqt_zcj_4fc">On the Instructions tab</a>,
find the inactive instruction you want to delete. </li>
<li class="li">Click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_fkf_2dj_4fc__image_fry_ygj_4fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ticket_field_options_icon.png">) and select <strong class="ph b">Delete</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
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