Instructions, skills or memory?
A bot’s context comes from three places. Putting something in the wrong one is the most common reason a bot behaves oddly.
| Layer | What goes in it | When the bot sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions | Who the bot is and how it always behaves | Every turn |
| Skill | How to do one kind of task | Only when a request calls for it |
| Memory | A fact about you, for you | The few entries that match the message |
Instructions and skills are taught; memory is learned. You sit down and write instructions and skills on purpose. Memory is what a bot keeps when you ask it to remember something.
Examples
Section titled “Examples”| Content | Goes in |
|---|---|
| “You are our finance assistant. Be brief. Never guess a number.” | Instructions |
| “Always answer in the language you were asked in.” | Instructions |
| “How to prepare the monthly close: export, reconcile, then report.” | Skill |
| A long price list or API reference the bot needs now and then | Skill reference |
| “I prefer reports as a table.” | Memory |
| “My manager is Anna; send drafts to her first.” | Memory |
Rules of thumb
Section titled “Rules of thumb”- Always true, about behaviour → instructions.
- A procedure, or large material needed occasionally → a skill. It costs nothing until it is used.
- A fact about you that may change → memory.
- Don’t put procedures or long documents in memory, and don’t put facts that go stale in instructions.
- Don’t repeat the same thing in two layers.