How To Write AI Agent Instructions That Improve

Tell the Bot when you discover a lasting preference, boundary or responsibility, and ask it to remember (source). A finished process can become a saved skill (source).

The Bots Talk It Through

The LocalizerSteve, I draft a tighter version of my own instructions when you ask, and you approve it.

CortanaOld rules that no longer apply get removed, so the instructions stay short.

The DesignerClear instructions are why my site changes stay consistent.

S

SteveSo the bot helps write its own job description, and I sign off.

Jump To: The 6 Parts Of A Good Instruction Set · Step By Step: Write Your First Set · Full Example: A Repair Shop Front-Desk Bot · Before And After · Common Mistakes · Prompts · How To Write AI Instructions That Stay Tight · Why This Matters To Me · Quick Answers · How Grok Bot Usage Works

The 6 Parts Of A Good Instruction Set

Every bot I run has instructions built from the same six parts. If one is missing, that's usually where the bot goes wrong.

1. Role: one sentence on who the bot is and who it works for.
2. Goal: what a finished job looks like, in plain words.
3. Rules: the short list of things it must always do.
4. What To Check First: where to look before it answers or acts, so it uses real information instead of guessing.
5. Output Format: how the answer should look: length, layout, what goes at the top.
6. What Not To Do: the hard limits, especially anything that can't be undone.

Step By Step: Write Your First Set

1. Pick one job. One bot, one area of work. "Answers repair questions" is a job. "Helps with the business" is not.
2. Write the role in one sentence. Say who it is, who it serves and in what voice.
3. Write the goal as a finish line. Describe what done looks like so the bot knows when to stop.
4. List five to ten rules. Start each with a verb. Keep only rules you'd actually be upset to see broken.
5. Tell it what to check first. Name the real sources: your price list, your calendar, your past notes.
6. Set the output format. For example: the answer first, then up to three bullets, then any question for you.
7. Write the "never" list. Anything that sends, posts, spends, deletes or goes live waits for your OK.
8. Test it on three real tasks. Give it jobs you already know the answer to and compare.
9. Fix only what failed. Add or reword one rule per mistake instead of rewriting everything.
10. Have the bot tighten it. Once a month, ask it to merge duplicates and show you the before and after. You approve the change.

Full Example: A Repair Shop Front-Desk Bot

Here's a filled-in example for a small repair shop. Swap in your own shop's details.

ROLE
You are the front-desk assistant for a small, by-appointment phone repair shop.
You help the owner answer customer questions and keep bookings organized.

GOAL
Every customer question gets an accurate, friendly answer, and every
customer who is ready to book is pointed to the booking page.

RULES
- Use Title Case for headings.
- Quote prices only from the shop's current price list. If a price isn't
  listed, say you'll confirm it.
- Keep replies short: three or four sentences.
- End with one clear next step, such as "Book An Appointment".
- Note anything you weren't sure about so the owner can review it.

WHAT TO CHECK FIRST
1. The current price list for the exact model and repair.
2. The calendar for open times before suggesting one.
3. Past notes on this customer, if any.

OUTPUT FORMAT
- The direct answer first.
- Then price and time, if asked.
- Then one next step.
- For the owner: a short "Needs Your OK" line if anything needs approval.

WHAT NOT TO DO
- Never send a message, change a booking or issue a refund without the owner's OK.
- Never guess a price, part or repair time.
- Never promise a same-day repair unless the calendar shows an opening.
- Never share another customer's details.

Est. Usage: Low

Before And After

Before:

Be helpful and answer customers about repairs. Be nice and don't make mistakes.

Est. Usage: Low

That gives the bot no sources, no format and no limits, so it fills the gaps by guessing.

After:

You answer repair questions for a by-appointment phone repair shop.
Check the price list before quoting. If the model or repair isn't listed,
say you'll confirm. Reply in 3-4 sentences, then point to the booking page.
Never send, book or refund anything without my OK.

Est. Usage: Low

Same length as a text message, but it tells the bot who it is, where to look, how to answer and where to stop.

Common Mistakes

• Vague goals. "Be helpful" can't be checked. "Every question answered from the price list" can.
• Too many rules. Fifty rules bury the five that matter. Merge and trim regularly.
• Rules that contradict. "Always reply fast" and "always double-check" fight each other. Say which wins.
• No sources. If you don't say where to look, the bot answers from memory.
• No approval line. Spell out which actions wait for you.
• Rewriting from scratch. Change one rule per mistake so you can tell what fixed it.
• Never reviewing. Old rules pile up. Ask for a shorter version on a schedule.

Prompts

When to use it: When instructions have grown long.

Rewrite your standing instructions to be shorter. Keep every rule, merge duplicates, and show me the before and after for approval.

Est. Usage: Low

When to use it: Turning a good process into a skill.

That process worked. Save it as a skill so you can repeat it the same way.

Est. Usage: Low

When to use it: Writing a new bot's instructions from scratch.

Help me write instructions for a new bot. Ask me one question at a time about its role, goal, rules, what to check first, output format and what it must never do. Then show me the full draft for approval.

Est. Usage: Medium

When to use it: After a mistake.

You got that wrong. Suggest one rule to add or change so it doesn't happen again, and show me the exact wording before you save it.

Est. Usage: Low

Sanitized from my own prompts: names, accounts and private details removed.

Next Step: How To Build A Team Of AI Agents That Hand Off Work

How To Write AI Instructions That Stay Tight

Here's how to write AI instructions that stay tight: one job per bot, short rules, and one master file that says who does what.

My bots used to get long, overlapping instructions. Every bot reread the same rules. Now there's one master organization file and short, optimized instructions for each bot.

Master file
- Bot list: name, one-line job, folders, routines
- Shared rules: approvals, tone, Title Case
Each bot's file
- Role, goal, its own rules, what to check first,
  output format, what not to do

Rewrite your standing instructions to be shorter. Keep every rule, merge duplicates, and show me the before and after for approval.

Compare your instructions with the master file. List any rule you repeat that's already in the master file, and suggest removing it. Wait for my OK.

Quick Answers

What Goes First In Agent Instructions?

The role and the goal, then what the agent must ask before it acts.

When Should I Update The Instructions?

When the agent gets the same thing wrong twice, add one line that fixes it.

Estimated usage: our rough guide, not an official figure. Est. Usage: Low quick one-off asks; Est. Usage: Medium multi-step tasks or short research; Est. Usage: High long research, many tool calls, browser work or daily routines.

How Grok Bot Usage Works

Franchitti's Fix is run by Steve with help from Grok Bot, so here's the plain version of how its usage works.

• Your Plan Includes A Usage Allowance. Paid plans come with included usage that refreshes every week. Higher-tier plans include more. Unused usage doesn't roll over. (Source)
• Bigger Jobs Use More. In general, long research, tasks that use lots of tools and routines running in the background do more work, so they draw down the allowance faster than a quick question.
• Light Settings Stretch It. Lower effort for simple jobs, fewer and less frequent routines and short, focused requests all help the allowance last. See How To Regulate Grok Bot Usage.
• Checking Your Usage. In Grok Bot, open Settings, then Usage & Billing. On The X Subscription, you can also check Usage at grok.com/dashboard, which shows the weekly pool, the next reset date and any prepaid credit. (Source)

Try Grok Bot
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Related Guides

• How To Make AI Remember Your Preferences
• How To Write AI Instructions That Stay Tight
• Grok Bot Setup Guides: Start Here
• How To Get AI To Review Its Work And Improve
• How To Give AI Feedback So It Revises, Not Restarts

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More In This Series

This guide is part of Grok Bot Prompts: Beginner To Advanced.

1. AI Prompts For Beginners: Set Up Your First Bot
2. How To Write AI Agent Instructions That Improve You’re here
3. Grok Bot Prompt Library: Roles, Routines And Life
4. Grok Bot Setup Scripts For Every Area Of Life
5. 26 Grok Bot Routine Recipes You Can Copy

Back to the series index: Grok Bot Prompts: Beginner To Advanced. All series: Grok Bot Guides: Every Series In One Place.