Global Prompts - Convocore

Global Prompts are reusable instruction templates that can be assigned to multiple agents, enabling you to maintain consistent behavior, policies, and guidelines across your entire agent ecosystem without duplicating content.

Overview

Centralized Management

Create and manage prompts in one place, then assign to multiple agents

Consistency at Scale

Ensure all agents follow the same company policies and brand guidelines

Easy Updates

Update a prompt once and all assigned agents automatically use the new version

Flexible Assignment

Assign up to 10 global prompts per agent for comprehensive instruction sets

How Global Prompts Work

Global prompts are appended to an agent’s system prompt at runtime. When a conversation starts:

The agent’s base system prompt is loaded
All assigned global prompts are retrieved from the database
Global prompts are concatenated and appended to the system prompt
The combined prompt guides the agent’s behavior throughout the conversation

// Final System Prompt Structure
Final System Prompt = 
  Base System Prompt 
  + Node-Specific Instructions 
  + Global Prompt 1
  + Global Prompt 2
  + ... (up to 10 global prompts)

Runtime Injection: Global prompts are dynamically injected when the agent initializes, ensuring agents always use the latest version without requiring manual updates.

Use Cases

Company-Wide Policies

Enforce consistent policies across all customer-facing agents:

Brand Voice & Tone

Communication style guidelines
Language and terminology standards
Personality and character traits
Customer interaction principles

Legal & Compliance

Data privacy policies
GDPR/CCPA compliance rules
Disclosure requirements
Terms of service references

Example Global Prompt:

COMPANY VOICE GUIDELINES:
- Always use a friendly, professional tone
- Address customers by their first name when known
- Never make promises we can't keep
- Escalate pricing questions to human agents
- Follow our brand voice: Helpful, Clear, and Trustworthy

Technical Constraints

Define technical rules and output formatting requirements:

OUTPUT FORMATTING RULES:
- Always respond in valid JSON when using structured output
- Maximum response length: 500 characters for each response
- Include source citations for all factual claims
- Use markdown formatting for emphasis
- Never output sensitive information (passwords, API keys, etc.)

API USAGE GUIDELINES:
- Always verify data before calling external tools
- Use the KB-Search tool before answering factual questions
- Handle API errors gracefully with fallback responses

Technical Prompts: Keep technical constraints in separate global prompts from behavioral guidelines for better organization.

Industry-Specific Knowledge

Share domain expertise and terminology across specialized agents:

Healthcare

HEALTHCARE GUIDELINES:
- Never provide medical advice
- Use HIPAA-compliant language
- Direct users to healthcare professionals
- Understand medical terminology
- Be empathetic and supportive

Financial Services

FINANCIAL GUIDELINES:
- Provide educational info only
- Include regulatory disclaimers
- Never give investment advice
- Explain financial terms clearly
- Prioritize security and privacy

Agent Coordination

Coordinate behavior across agent teams for seamless experiences:

HANDOFF PROTOCOL:
- Always capture: name, email, and inquiry type before handoff
- Use the transfer_to_agent tool for complex requests
- Provide context summary when needed

AGENT SPECIALIZATIONS:
- Sales Agent: Handle purchases and product inquiries
- Support Agent: Technical issues and troubleshooting
- Billing Agent: Invoices, payments, and account questions

When a user's request is outside your expertise, immediately
transfer to the appropriate specialized agent.

Seasonal Campaigns

Quickly deploy campaign-specific messaging across all agents:

HOLIDAY SALE CAMPAIGN (Dec 1-31, 2024):
- Mention our "Holiday Special: 25% off all products"
- Offer free shipping on orders over $50
- Highlight gift wrapping services
- Promote extended return policy through January 15
- Use festive but professional language

RESPONSE EXAMPLES:
- "Great timing! We're offering 25% off during our holiday sale."
- "Would you like free shipping? Orders over $50 qualify!"

Quick Deployment: Create a campaign global prompt, assign it to all agents, and remove it when the campaign ends-no need to edit individual agents.

Creating Global Prompts

Access the Prompts Manager

Navigate to Prompts from your workspace sidebar:

Open Prompts Page

Click on Prompts in the main navigation (usually in the sidebar)

Create New Prompt

Click the “New Prompt” button in the top-right corner

Fill in Details

Provide a name, write your prompt content, and select agents to assign it to

Save and Deploy

Click “Create” to save the prompt and immediately deploy it to selected agents

Prompt Creation Form

Basic Information
Agent Assignment
Preview & Test

A descriptive name to identify this prompt (e.g., “Brand Voice Guidelines”, “GDPR Compliance”, “Holiday Campaign 2024”)

The actual instructions that will be appended to agents’ system prompts. Write clear, specific guidelines using markdown formatting.

Naming Convention: Use clear, descriptive names that indicate the prompt’s purpose. This makes management easier as your prompt library grows.

Before saving, review how your prompt will appear:

# Your Global Prompt Preview

This is how your prompt content will be appended to the
agent's system prompt. You can use:

- **Bold text** for emphasis
- `code blocks` for technical instructions
- Lists for structured guidelines
- Clear headings for organization

Testing Strategy

Create the global prompt
Assign to a test agent only
Test conversations thoroughly
Verify behavior matches expectations
Assign to production agents

Rollback Plan

Keep backup of previous prompts
Test changes on staging agents first
Monitor conversations after deployment
Quick edit or remove if issues arise

Managing Global Prompts

Prompts Dashboard

The Prompts dashboard provides a centralized view of all your global prompts:

View All Prompts

See all global prompts in your workspace
View assigned agent count
Check last modified date
Quick search and filter

Quick Actions

View: Read the prompt content
Edit: Update name, content, or assignments
Delete: Remove unused prompts
Duplicate: Create variations of existing prompts

Editing Prompts

Updating Content

Select Prompt

Click the Edit icon next to the prompt you want to modify

Make Changes

Update the prompt content, name, or agent assignments

Save Changes

Click “Save” to deploy updates to all assigned agents immediately

Verify Update

Test a conversation with an assigned agent to confirm the changes

Immediate Effect: Changes to global prompts affect all assigned agents immediately for new conversations. Existing conversations continue using the version from when they started.

Managing Assignments

You can modify agent assignments at any time:

Add Agents

Select additional agents from the dropdown
Respect the 10-prompt limit per agent
Changes apply immediately

Remove Agents

Uncheck agents to remove assignments
Agent reverts to base system prompt
No impact on other agents

Bulk Operations: You can assign one prompt to many agents or remove it from many agents in a single operation.

Deleting Prompts

When you delete a global prompt:

⚠️ Deletion Impact

The prompt is immediately removed from all assigned agents
Agents revert to using only their base system prompts
Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone
Active conversations will not experience behavior changes

Best Practice: Before deleting, export or copy the prompt content in case you need to recreate it later. Consider removing agent assignments first to test the impact before full deletion.

Viewing Assigned Prompts

In Agent Settings

When configuring an individual agent, you can see all assigned global prompts:

Open Agent Settings

Navigate to your agent’s configuration page

Find Instructions Section

Look for the “Global Prompts” section in the Instructions or System Prompt area

View Assignments

See a list of all global prompts currently assigned to this agent

Manage from Prompts Page

Click “Manage Prompts” to navigate to the Prompts dashboard for editing

Read-Only in Agent Settings: While you can view assigned global prompts in agent settings, you must use the Prompts dashboard to modify them. This prevents accidental changes that would affect multiple agents.

Best Practices

Keep Prompts Focused

Single Responsibility:

Each prompt should address one specific concern
Avoid combining unrelated instructions
Easier to assign and manage
Simpler to remove when no longer needed

Example:

✅ Separate: “Brand Voice” + “Data Privacy”
❌ Combined: “Brand Voice and Data Privacy and Formatting”

Clear & Concise Writing

Writing Guidelines:

Use clear, direct language
Bullet points for rules and lists
Examples to illustrate expectations
Avoid ambiguity and vagueness

Structure:

GOAL: [What this prompt achieves]

RULES:
- Rule 1 with specific guidance
- Rule 2 with concrete examples

EXAMPLES:
- Good: [Example response]
- Bad: [What to avoid]

Avoid Conflicts

Conflict Prevention:

Review all prompts assigned to an agent
Ensure instructions don’t contradict
Test combined behavior thoroughly
Use clear priority indicators if needed

Warning Signs:

❌ Prompt 1: "Always be brief, max 2 sentences"
❌ Prompt 2: "Provide detailed explanations"

✅ Prompt 1: "For FAQs: Be brief, max 2 sentences"
✅ Prompt 2: "For complex inquiries: Provide details"

Version Control

Track Changes:

Include dates in prompt names for campaigns
Keep notes on what changed and why
Test thoroughly before updating
Document dependencies between prompts

Naming Examples:

Brand_Voice_Guidelines_v2
Holiday_Campaign_2024_Q4
GDPR_Compliance_Updated_Nov2024

Regular Audits

Maintenance Schedule:

Monthly: Review active prompts
Quarterly: Remove outdated campaigns
Annually: Update policies and guidelines
As needed: Fix issues or conflicts

Audit Checklist:

Are all prompts still relevant?
Do any contradict each other?
Are campaigns expired?
Need updates for new policies?

Test Before Deployment

Testing Strategy:

Create prompt in test workspace first
Assign to a single test agent
Run comprehensive conversation tests
Verify behavior matches expectations
Deploy to production agents

Test Scenarios:

Edge cases and unusual inputs
Interactions with other prompts
Performance and response time
User experience quality

Troubleshooting

Agent Not Following Global Prompt

Possible Causes:

Conflicting Instructions

Agent’s base prompt contradicts global prompt
Multiple global prompts conflict
Node-specific prompts override global

Solution: Review all prompt layers and resolve conflicts

Prompt Not Applied

Assignment didn’t save properly
Prompt was removed after conversation started
Caching issues in the system

Solution: Verify assignment, start new conversation

Debug Steps:

Check Prompts dashboard - is the agent listed as assigned?
View agent settings - do global prompts appear in instructions?
Start a fresh conversation (old ones use old prompts)
Test with a clear, simple instruction to verify prompt is active
Check for conflicting instructions in other prompt layers

Prompt Limit Reached

When you can’t assign more prompts:

Identify Low-Value Prompts

Review all 10 assigned prompts and identify which are least critical

Consolidate If Possible

Combine related prompts into a single, comprehensive prompt

Remove Outdated Prompts

Delete expired campaigns or obsolete guidelines

Prioritize Current Needs

Remove lower-priority prompts to make room for more critical ones

10-Prompt Limit: This limit prevents prompt overload which can confuse the AI and degrade performance. If you consistently need more, consider consolidating related prompts or embedding some instructions in the agent’s base system prompt.

Performance Issues

If agents respond slowly after adding prompts:

Prompt Length

Very long prompts increase token usage
More tokens = higher latency and cost
Aim for concise, focused instructions

Optimization: Remove unnecessary examples and verbose explanations

Too Many Prompts

8-10 prompts may be excessive
Each adds processing overhead
Complex instruction sets confuse the AI

Optimization: Consolidate related prompts, remove redundant ones

Token Budget: Each global prompt adds to the system prompt, consuming tokens from your model’s context window. Keep prompts concise to preserve space for conversation history.

Integration with Other Features

Canvas Nodes
Voice Agents
Multi-Channel Deployment

Global prompts work seamlessly with Canvas node-based workflows:

Prompt Hierarchy

Order of Application:

Global Prompts (from Prompts dashboard)
Canvas Global Configuration (appendBeforePrompt)
Node-Specific Instructions (per-node prompts)

Use Case: Node Override

Scenario: Global prompt says “Always be brief”Node Prompt: “For this technical explanation, provide detailed step-by-step instructions”Result: Node-specific prompt takes precedence for that node

Use Case: Node Enhancement

Scenario: Global prompt defines brand voiceNode Prompt: “Apply brand voice while explaining our refund policy”Result: Both prompts work together harmoniously

Global prompts work with both text and voice agents:

Voice-Specific Prompts

VOICE CONVERSATION GUIDELINES:
- Keep responses under 30 seconds
- Use natural, conversational language
- Avoid complex terminology
- Confirm understanding before proceeding
- Use verbal cues like "I understand" or "Got it"

Channel-Agnostic Prompts

GENERAL CUSTOMER SERVICE RULES:
- Always be polite and professional
- Never share personal customer data
- Escalate billing issues to specialists
- Follow GDPR data handling rules

(These apply to text, voice, and all channels)

Voice Considerations: Voice agents benefit from shorter, more conversational prompts. Consider creating voice-specific versions of your global prompts for optimal performance.

API Integration

Global prompts can be managed programmatically via the API:

// Example: Create a new global prompt via API
const response = await fetch('https://api.convocore.ai/v3/prompts', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: 'Holiday Campaign 2024',
    prompt: `HOLIDAY SALE PROMOTION:
- Mention 25% off all products
- Highlight free shipping over $50
- Promote gift wrapping services
- Extended returns through Jan 15`,
    agentIds: ['agent1', 'agent2', 'agent3'],
    workspaceId: 'your_workspace_id'
  })
});

// Example: Update an existing prompt
const updateResponse = await fetch('https://api.convocore.ai/v3/prompts/prompt_id', {
  method: 'PUT',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Updated prompt content...',
    agentIds: ['agent1', 'agent2'] // Update assignments
  })
});

For complete API documentation, see the API Reference.

Migration Guide

Moving from Agent-Specific Prompts to Global Prompts

Identify Common Instructions

Review your agents and find instructions that are duplicated across multiple agents

Create Global Prompts

Extract common instructions into global prompts with descriptive names

Assign to Agents

Assign the new global prompts to all relevant agents

Remove Duplicates

Remove the duplicated instructions from individual agent prompts

Test Thoroughly

Verify each agent still behaves correctly with the new global prompts

Migration Testing: Always test agents in a development environment before removing instructions from production agents. Ensure global prompts are properly assigned and working before cleanup.

What’s Next?

System Prompt Best Practices

Learn how to write effective prompts that guide agent behavior

Canvas Global Configuration

Configure global settings for node-based agents

Tools Management

Manage tools that can be referenced in your global prompts

Variables

Learn about global variables that work with global prompts

​Overview

Centralized Management

Consistency at Scale

Easy Updates

Flexible Assignment

​How Global Prompts Work

​Use Cases

Brand Voice & Tone

Legal & Compliance

Healthcare

Financial Services

​Creating Global Prompts

​Access the Prompts Manager

​Prompt Creation Form

​Assignment Rules

Testing Strategy

Rollback Plan

​Managing Global Prompts

​Prompts Dashboard

View All Prompts

Quick Actions

​Editing Prompts

Add Agents

Remove Agents

⚠️ Deletion Impact

​Viewing Assigned Prompts

​In Agent Settings

​Best Practices

Keep Prompts Focused

Clear & Concise Writing

Avoid Conflicts

Version Control

Regular Audits

Test Before Deployment

​Troubleshooting

Conflicting Instructions

Prompt Not Applied

Debug Steps:

Prompt Length

Too Many Prompts

​Integration with Other Features

​Prompt Hierarchy

Use Case: Node Override

Use Case: Node Enhancement

Voice-Specific Prompts

Channel-Agnostic Prompts

​API Integration

​Migration Guide

​Moving from Agent-Specific Prompts to Global Prompts

​What’s Next?

System Prompt Best Practices

Canvas Global Configuration

Tools Management

Variables

Overview

How Global Prompts Work

Use Cases

Creating Global Prompts

Access the Prompts Manager

Prompt Creation Form

Assignment Rules

Managing Global Prompts

Prompts Dashboard

Editing Prompts

Viewing Assigned Prompts

In Agent Settings

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Integration with Other Features

Prompt Hierarchy

API Integration

Migration Guide

Moving from Agent-Specific Prompts to Global Prompts

What’s Next?