Our application has both a default ‘global system prompt’ and a system prompt that can be overwritten and tailored as the conversation level. Both global and customized conversation prompt will be pre-pended to your user prompt.
Default Global System Prompt
The system prompt acts as initial instructions that guide the AI's behavior throughout your conversation. The user prompt, on the other hand, is the specific message or question you send to the AI during a conversation. When you interact with the AI, your user prompt (your message) is combined with the system prompt behind the scenes—the system prompt is prepended to your message before it's processed by the AI model. This means that while you only see your own message in the conversation, the AI is actually responding to a combination of the hidden system instructions and your visible message. This approach allows the AI to maintain consistent behavior patterns as defined in the system prompt while still responding directly to your specific queries or requests in each user prompt.
A system prompt is a set of instructions or context provided to an AI model that guides its behavior, sets constraints, and establishes the framework for how it should respond to user queries. Unlike user prompts which are visible in the conversation, system prompts operate "behind the scenes" to shape the AI's responses while remaining invisible to the end user.
Our application allows users to customize their system prompt to provide greater control and flexibility over the AI's behavior. When set at the global level, this system prompt will be applied to all new conversations, ensuring consistent AI responses across different interactions. While this customization empowers users to tailor the AI to their specific needs, it should be approached with caution. Changes to the system prompt can significantly alter how the AI interprets and responds to queries, potentially creating unexpected results if not carefully crafted. Users should understand that system prompt modifications may impact retrieval effectiveness in RAG applications and could inadvertently remove important operational guardrails if certain instructions are overwritten. We recommend testing custom system prompts in individual conversations before applying them globally to ensure they produce the desired outcomes.
Accessing the Global System (Default) Prompt:
Click the Settings icon (⚙️) in the header bar
Select "Global Settings"
View or edit the Default System Prompt
This global system prompt will be applied to every new conversation you start.
Your system prompt will be automatically applied to every interaction.
Customizing System Prompts At Conversation Level
While your global system prompt provides general guidance for AI interactions, our platform allows you to customize the system prompt for specific conversations when needed. This feature is particularly valuable in two key scenarios:
1. Breaking Away from Role Constraints
When you've set a narrow global system prompt (like "You are a marketing professional"), conversation-level customization allows you to temporarily shift the AI's expertise for specific tasks. For example, if you need to prepare a financial report for your superior, you can customize the system prompt to "You are a financial analyst specializing in clear, concise reports for executives" for just that conversation. This ensures you get appropriately formatted financial analysis rather than marketing-oriented content.
2. Task-Specific Formatting and Standards
Different types of work require different output formats and standards. Conversation-level system prompt customization allows you to specify detailed formatting requirements for particular projects without cluttering every user message with these instructions. For instance, if you need to create technical documentation that follows specific industry standards, you can customize the system prompt to include these formatting rules for just that conversation.
3. Testing Different AI Approaches Without Global Changes
Conversation-level customization provides a safe "sandbox" to experiment with different system prompts before committing to any global changes. This allows you to refine your prompting strategy through real-world testing, seeing how different instructions affect the AI's responses in actual work scenarios. Once you've found an effective approach for a specific type of task, you can then decide whether to implement it globally or keep it as a conversation-specific customization.
Creating a Custom Prompt:
Click the Conversation Actions button
Select "Edit Conversation Settings"
Modify the "Conversation-Specific System Prompt" field
Click "Save" to apply
TIP: When a conversation has a custom prompt, "(CUSTOMIZED)" will appear next to the System Prompt dropdown.
Resetting a Custom Prompt:
Click the Conversation Actions button
Select "Edit Conversation Settings"
Click "Reset System Prompt to Global Default"
Confirm your choice