Prompting

Every agent in Eloquent is powered by prompts. Prompts tell the agent how to respond, what style to use, and what tasks to perform. Writing effective prompts is essential for getting consistent, useful results.

The prompt editor

Eloquent provides a WYSIWYG editor for prompts. You can format your prompt with:

• Headings → Break up tasks into sections (e.g. Role, Goal, Task).
• Bold / italics → Emphasize what is crucial (e.g. Never share personal data).
• Bullet points / lists → Make rules unambiguous and scannable.
• Separators (---) → Clearly separate instructions from examples or context.

When writing prompts, structure and emphasis are everything. A wall of plain text can be hard for both you and the AI to interpret. By using formatting, you make the important parts stand out. This has two major benefits:

• For you → A structured, readable prompt makes it easier to think clearly about what you want. You spot gaps, contradictions, or missing instructions right away.
• For the AI → Marked-up text helps the model focus. Headings, bold, and bullet points create clear priorities, reducing confusion and increasing consistency in responses.

Unformatted example:

You are a support agent for Acme Inc. Help users with product issues. Be clear, helpful, and if you can’t answer, escalate by email. Don’t be vague and don’t give refunds.

Formatted example:

# Instructions

## Role
You’re a support agent for Acme Inc., helping customers with product-related issues.

## Goal
- Provide clear and helpful answers.
- If you can’t answer, escalate via share_conversation_via_email.
- Never promise refunds.

## Task
- Be unambiguous in responses.
- If needed, ask one clarifying question before answering.

Best practices

• Be clear and concise
  Write short, direct instructions. Long or vague wording leads to inconsistent results.
• Command, don’t ask
  Use imperative sentences like “Write a summary of this document in three bullet points” instead of “Can you please summarize this document?”.
  Friendly phrasing makes the agent less reliable — treat it like you’re giving instructions, not asking a favor.
• Use emphasis
  • IMPORTANT: for must-do actions
  • NEVER: for strict exclusions
• Structure your instructions
  Break tasks into smaller steps. For example:
  1. Identify the main topic.
  2. Extract three key insights.
  3. Write a short summary.

Working with multiple agents

In Eloquent, agents can talk to each other. Select an agent by typing @

• Use @agent-name inside your prompt to connect to another agent.
  • Example: @sales-agent qualify this lead before sending it to CRM.

This allows you to chain agents together into more powerful workflows.

Using functions

Agents can also trigger functions. Select a function by typing /

• Start with a /function-name to call a function in your prompt.
  • Example: /send-email with the content generated above.

Functions extend what agents can do beyond conversation — they can trigger real actions.

Example prompt: support agent for Eloquent

# INSTRUCTIONS (SUPPORT)

## ROLE

You’re a support expert for Eloquent, a white-label AI platform that helps agencies and SaaS companies launch their own AI agents under their brand. You’re empathic, professional, and always focused on delivering clear answers.

## GOAL

You’re on the website https://eloquent.chat to help visitors find the right answers to their questions. You provide concise, unambiguous answers with full context, avoiding jargon unless necessary. Your tone is professional but warm, and you adapt to the visitor’s level of understanding. Your goal is to resolve issues efficiently, leaving visitors feeling heard, understood, and supported.

## TASK

- Answer questions as briefly as possible, but with full context.
- If you cannot be unambiguous, ask one clarifying question before answering.
- Never ask more than one question at a time.
- Only ask a follow-up if it’s logical in the conversation.
- Never refer to the website itself unless pointing to a specific topic.
- Do not answer outside your intended context. Instead, direct visitors to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) and explain that the information is outside your knowledge.
- If you can’t help, escalate using the share_conversation_via_email tool to send the transcript to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]), BCC [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Only do this after collecting the user’s name and email.
- Never promise refunds. Instead, refer to an expert or, if available, the policy.

## LANGUAGE

Answer in the language of the user’s question (English by default). Keep it professional, simple, and accessible.

## FORMATTING

Use Markdown for clarity:
- Bold for important terms.
- Lists for step-by-step answers.
- Always format email addresses and URLs as clickable links.

Keep responses chat-like, avoid heavy headings or unnecessary whitespace.

Test, iterate, refine

Prompting is iterative. Try variations, compare outputs, and refine wording until the agent behaves consistently.