> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.contactship.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Instructions

> Write the objective and prompt, choose an opening, and use tools, variables, and editable sections.

export const Availability = ({lang = 'es', plan, addon, permission, route, status}) => {
  const L = lang === 'en' ? {
    plan: 'Plan',
    addon: 'Add-on',
    permission: 'Permission',
    route: 'Where',
    status: 'Status',
    addonNote: 'enabled on request',
    allPlans: 'All plans',
    beta: 'Beta',
    nuevo: 'New',
    soon: 'Coming soon'
  } : {
    plan: 'Plan',
    addon: 'Add-on',
    permission: 'Permiso',
    route: 'Dónde',
    status: 'Estado',
    addonNote: 'se activa a pedido',
    allPlans: 'Todos los planes',
    beta: 'Beta',
    nuevo: 'Nuevo',
    soon: 'Próximamente'
  };
  const items = [];
  if (plan) items.push([L.plan, plan]);
  if (addon) items.push([L.addon, `${addon} · ${L.addonNote}`]);
  if (permission) items.push([L.permission, permission]);
  if (route) items.push([L.route, route]);
  if (status) items.push([L.status, L[status] || status]);
  return <div style={{
    display: 'flex',
    flexWrap: 'wrap',
    gap: '6px 22px',
    padding: '12px 16px',
    margin: '4px 0 24px',
    border: '1px solid rgba(2, 82, 255, 0.28)',
    borderLeft: '3px solid #0252ff',
    borderRadius: '8px',
    background: 'rgba(2, 82, 255, 0.05)',
    fontSize: '13.5px',
    lineHeight: '1.5'
  }}>
      {items.map(([k, v]) => <div key={k} style={{
    display: 'flex',
    gap: '6px',
    alignItems: 'baseline'
  }}>
          <span style={{
    fontSize: '10.5px',
    fontWeight: 600,
    letterSpacing: '0.07em',
    textTransform: 'uppercase',
    opacity: 0.65
  }}>{k}</span>
          <span style={{
    fontWeight: 500
  }}>{v}</span>
        </div>)}
    </div>;
};

<Availability lang="en" route="Agents → Voice → Instructions" permission="agents.read; agents.update to edit" />

Define one clear **Conversation objective**, then write the instructions the agent needs to achieve it. The prompt supports Markdown and up to **28,000 characters**. **Generate with AI** drafts instructions from the objective and agent configuration; review the result before publishing. **Copy prompt** copies the full text.

## Choose how calls begin

| Mode                                         | Behavior                             |
| -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Wait for the caller (`user_initiates`)       | Waits for the other person to speak. |
| Agent greets in its own words (`ai_dynamic`) | Speaks first using the prompt.       |
| Agent reads a fixed greeting (`ai_defined`)  | Reads the configured opening phrase. |

The opening delay is in **Advanced → Conversation**, from 0 to 5 seconds. Switching modes preserves the fixed phrase for later use.

## Work in the editor

The toolbar supports headings, lists, bold, italic, inline code, search, and a table of contents. Search uses `Ctrl+F`; Enter and Shift+Enter move between matches. Select text for the floating formatting toolbar.

Type `@` at the start of a word to select a tool already attached to the agent. The editor inserts its exact name in backticks. A mention does not create or connect a tool.

Use paired markers on separate lines for frequently maintained sections:

```markdown theme={null}
[[Business hours]]
Monday through Friday, nine in the morning to six in the evening.
[[/Business hours]]
```

The **Editable sections** panel lets your team update these blocks. Titles cannot contain brackets or newlines or start with `/`. Sections cannot nest. Cards and the prompt edit the same text; this is not a separate shared library.

## Use variables

Enable the relevant blocks in **Advanced → Inbound context**. Their content is already included in the final prompt; insert a variable explicitly when you need it in a particular place.

| Variable                               | Content                                                              |
| -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `{{contact_info}}`, `{{contact_name}}` | Contact information or name.                                         |
| `{{contact_properties}}`               | Selected custom contact properties.                                  |
| `{{property_name}}`                    | An individual enabled property; empty when absent.                   |
| `{{call_history}}`                     | Configured recent-call summaries.                                    |
| `{{last_transcript}}`                  | Most recent available transcript, truncated to the configured limit. |
| Inbound webhook keys                   | Context returned by your endpoint; overlapping keys take precedence. |

Test variables can also be provided in the test panel. Always explain what the agent should do when a value is missing. Double braces substitute values; they do not provide a conditional template language.

Prompt changes autosave to a draft and take effect after publishing. Write in Spanish or English as appropriate, specify spoken languages in General, and verify the result with representative calls.

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why does the agent still follow old instructions?">
    Check for save errors and publish the draft before testing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I improve spoken numbers?">
    Add concrete examples for phone numbers, prices, dates, and abbreviations, then test them aloud. Speech normalization is also available in Advanced.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should documents go in the prompt?">
    Keep essential behavior and short reference facts here. Put long documents in a connected knowledge base and explain when to search it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does @ show no tools?">
    Add tools in the Tools tab first.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## See also

* [Prompt guide](/en/voice-agents/prompt-guide)
* [Tools](/en/voice-agents/tools)
* [Advanced](/en/voice-agents/advanced)