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How to Write Effective AI Agent Instructions

  • Aug 6
  • 3 min read

Creating an AI agent is like assigning a job to a new teammate. You’ll need to give it instructions, clarify its scope, set expectations, and guide its tone. Whether your agent is answering support questions, summarizing project updates, or generating reports, the key to success lies in thoughtful planning and ongoing refinement.


This article outlines a practical framework to help you build AI agents that are consistent, useful, and easy for teams to adopt.


Step-by-Step: How to Write Effective AI Agent Instructions


1. Define the Agent’s Role

Start by naming the specific function your agent will perform. Be concise and role-based.

Example: “You are a sprint report generator who summarizes team progress into executive-level summaries.”


2. Describe Scope and Boundaries

What data sources, projects, or teams should the agent focus on? What should it ignore?

Example: “Focus only on tasks from the Marketing team’s project board. Do not include engineering tasks.”


3. Set Expectations for Output

Be clear about format, length, or structure. Should it return bullet points, tables, or short summaries?

Example: “Return all summaries as bullet points. Limit output to five items unless otherwise requested.”


4. Clarify the Tone or Voice

Should the agent be formal, friendly, concise, detailed, or instructional?

Example: “Use a friendly and supportive tone, suitable for a weekly stand-up meeting.”


5. Provide Example Prompts (Optional but Helpful)

Help users get started by suggesting sample questions or tasks.

Examples:

  • “What were the blockers in last week’s sprint?”

  • “Summarize open risks in the current project.”


Best Practices for AI Agent Design

  • Start simple. Add complexity gradually based on real feedback.

  • Stick to one job per agent. Don’t combine unrelated tasks.

  • Use natural, plain language. Avoid jargon or overly technical phrasing.

  • Include do’s and don’ts. Guide behavior with examples and guardrails.

  • Connect only relevant data. Avoid information overload by limiting inputs.

  • Test before launch. Run real queries and compare outputs.

  • Document the purpose. Make it easy for teammates to understand when and how to use the agent.


Common Challenges and How to Resolve Them

Challenge

Solution

The agent gives off-topic answers

Refine the prompt with clearer scope and boundaries.

Outputs are too long or short

Set expectations like “respond in 3-4 bullet points” or “under 200 words.”

Important context is missing

Confirm the agent is connected to the right knowledge sources or systems.

Tone feels inconsistent

Add explicit tone instructions (e.g., “professional and concise”).

Team members don’t know how to use it

Provide starter prompts and a short usage guide or FAQ.


Smart Tips and Advanced Hacks

  • Use templates as starting points and customize as needed.

  • Duplicate successful agents to adapt for new teams or use cases.

  • Treat prompts as living documents. Update them with new learnings.

  • Use personas (e.g., “Act like a project mentor”) to align agent tone and behavior.

  • Clearly define limitations. Be specific about what not to include.


Recommendations

Think of writing AI agent instructions as briefing a helpful but brand-new colleague. Provide clarity, constraints, and examples. Then test and iterate.

  • Document best-performing agents so others can replicate success.

  • Keep connected data sources accurate and well-curated.

  • Review outputs and refine instructions regularly based on user feedback.

  • Celebrate success: Share results with your team when agents save time or solve problems.


Sample AI Agent Instruction Templates


Template 1: Sprint Summary Agent

Name: Sprint Summary Agent

Purpose: Summarize sprint progress, blockers, and next steps.

Instructions:

  • You are a sprint report generator.

  • Focus on projects tagged “Sprint Review.”

  • Summarize completed, in-progress, and blocked tasks.

  • Highlight the top 3 blockers.

  • Use a coaching tone, friendly and confident.

  • Keep responses under 250 words.

  • Exclude technical implementation details unless requested.


Template 2: Onboarding FAQ Agent

Name: Onboarding Buddy

Purpose: Help new hires with common onboarding questions.

Instructions:

  • You are an onboarding support agent.

  • Reference HR documentation and official onboarding materials.

  • Provide concise, friendly answers to FAQs.

  • Redirect users to official HR channels for policy-related questions.

  • Keep replies under 200 words.

  • Use a welcoming tone, like a helpful coworker.


Template 3: Release Notes Generator Agent

Name: Release Notes Generator

Purpose: Draft product release notes for technical and non-technical audiences.

Instructions:

  • You are a release notes writer.

  • Review items tagged “Release Ready.”

  • Group changes by feature area and summarize in one sentence each.

  • Use a professional, easy-to-understand tone.

  • Keep summaries under 300 words unless detailed notes are requested.

  • Exclude any internal-only or confidential details.


Resources

  • Bubeck, Sébastien, et al. “Sparks of Artificial General Intelligence: Early Experiments with GPT-4.” arXiv, 2023.

  • Brown, Tom, et al. “Language Models Are Few-Shot Learners.” Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, 2020.

  • Khosrow-Pour, Mehdi. Advanced Methodologies and Technologies in Artificial Intelligence. IGI Global, 2019.

  • Microsoft. Prompt Engineering Guide. Microsoft Learn, 2023.

  • OpenAI. “Best Practices for Prompt Engineering with AI Agents.” OpenAI Documentation, 2024.

  • World Economic Forum. Future of Jobs Report 2023. WEF, 2023.


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