Understanding Custom Instructions

TL;DR Custom Instructions in Voilà help shape how the assistant responds by influencing its style, tone, and format, acting as a "hidden prompt" that guides interactions.

Custom Instructions (or "System Prompt") are a powerful feature in Voilà that help the AI understand how to respond to your messages. They guide the interactions by influencing the style, tone, and format of the replies you receive. Think of Custom Instructions as a "hidden prompt" within Voilà's Custom Actions. While they aren't visible in Voilà's interface once you select an action, they shape the entire conversation that follows.

Why Use Custom Instructions?

Custom Instructions empower you to tailor your interactions with the AI to suit your needs. Whether you're looking for straightforward answers or structured guidance, these hidden prompts allow you to shape the conversation effectively.

Key benefits:

• Clarity: Clearly defines how the AI should respond.
• Flexibility: Adjusts to various types of tasks and conversations.
• Control: Gives you the ability to steer discussions towards your goals.

Simple Example: Capitalizing Text

Imagine you want the AI to help you format text. You can create a custom action with a simple prompt "Text: [enter text]" and the following Custom Instruction:

When you use this action, any text you give will be capitalized in the responses. For example, if you input "hello world," the AI will reply with "HELLO WORLD." This simple instruction showcases how Custom Instructions can direct the AI's behavior.

Middle Complexity Example: Step-by-Step Guidance

Now, let’s explore a more complex scenario where you want to achieve a specific goal through guided steps.

When you use this action, any text you give will be capitalized in the responses. For example, if you input "hello world," the AI will reply with "HELLO WORLD." This simple instruction showcases how Custom Instructions can direct the AI's behavior.

Please note, that you will need to enter a prompt for the action to work. FOr this example, you can use a simple "Hi!" as the prompt.

How it works:

• Initial Question:
  The AI will start by asking you, "What is your favorite hobby?"
• Response Handling:
  Based on your answer (e.g., "I love painting"), the AI will provide a list of related activities such as:
  • Watercolor painting
  • Acrylic painting
  • Digital painting
• Step-by-Step Plan:
  Finally, it will suggest a detailed plan for getting started with one of those activities, like:
  • Gather materials
  • Find online tutorials
  • Set aside time each week to practice

Complex Example: Marketing Assistant

By specifying detailed instructions like the ones above, you can create a custom action that acts as a marketing expert assistant. This action will guide the AI to provide tailored responses that align with your goals and preferences.

You can find more examples of Custom Instructions in our guit to creating Custom AI Assistants.