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Agents is in private beta, so things may change. If you hit a problem, tell us via Support & feedback.
Instructions are the biggest thing you control. They tell the Agent what job it’s doing, how to do it, and what it must never do. Get these right and everything else gets easier. Go to Agents → open an Agent → Build → Instructions. The model it runs on sits beside the heading, and the test chat opens from the bar above.
Agent instructions editor with instruction blocks and the model selector

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How do I write good instructions?

Write them in blocks. Each block has a title and a body, so a long set of instructions reads as sections instead of one wall of text. Tell the Agent:
  • The job, in one sentence
  • The steps to follow
  • The hard rules, like “never guess at an invoice amount”
  • What to do when it gets stuck
Example instruction block

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How do I add and reorder blocks?

Click Add block on a row to add a new block below it. Drag blocks to reorder them. The Agent reads them in the order you see them.

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Can the Agent read my files?

Yes. Add files on Build → Files & skills, or drag and paste them straight into the instructions editor. The instructions link to your files, so deleting a file under Files also removes it from the text.

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How do I change the model?

It sits beside the Instructions heading, and again on Build → More. Both change the same setting. Changing the model creates a draft, so you’ll need to publish it.

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What are starter prompts?

Suggested first messages, shown when someone starts a new chat with the Agent. Edit them on Build → More, or click Generate and Hercules will suggest some based on what the Agent does.

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Additional FAQ

No. Editing the instructions creates a draft. Click Save to keep it, then Publish to make it live. See Versions.
Yes, there’s a cap per Agent. The Add block button stops working once you reach it. Long instructions usually work better split into fewer, clearer blocks anyway.
Build → More → Details. The description is a note for you and your teammates. It doesn’t change what the Agent does. The model and tags sit beside it.
Three ways. Try it in the test chat, run an evaluation against your saved test cases, or let Auto-improve read your run history and suggest fixes.
Yes. Press Cmd + S / Ctrl + S to save the draft.