# Custom Instructions

A custom instruction is organization-wide guidance an account administrator
sets. [Treasure AI Studio](/products/ai-studio/overview) adds it to the system prompt of every
agent in your organization, so agents are guided by your shared
conventions — a preferred database, an output format, a house style for
summaries — instead of each user restating them in every conversation. There
is one custom instruction per organization; use it for expectations that should
apply across work folders, chats, and users.

Where you edit this
You set the custom instruction in Studio's settings on Web or Desktop. It is
then added to the prompt for chats on every platform, including Mobile.

Who can set this
Only account administrators can view and edit custom instructions. Regular
members do not see the Instructions settings tab; the instructions still apply
to their chats.

## Objective

Give every agent in your organization a shared baseline of behavior by writing
one custom instruction, and understand how it relates to per-work-folder
instructions and when changes take effect.

## Prerequisites

- The **account administrator** role in Treasure AI Studio
- Signed in on Web or Desktop ([Getting Started](/products/ai-studio/getting-started)) — the
Instructions settings tab is available there


## How Custom Instructions Work

A custom instruction is text an account administrator sets that Treasure AI
Studio adds to every agent's system prompt across the organization. An agent's
behavior is shaped in layers, and the custom instruction is the
organization-wide layer:

| Layer | Scope | Who Sets It |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| **Custom instruction** | Every chat in the organization, across all work folders and users | Account administrator |
| **Work folder instructions** | Chats within one work folder | Anyone who edits that work folder ([Core Concepts](/products/ai-studio/concepts)) |


These layers apply together. A custom instruction sets an organization-wide
baseline; a work folder's instructions add work-folder-specific rules on top
for chats in that work folder. Keep organization-wide conventions in the custom
instruction and work-folder-specific detail in work folder instructions, rather
than duplicating the same text in every work folder.

Your account may also show a read-only **Managed instruction**, maintained by
Treasure AI to tune agent behavior for your account. It is added to the prompt
the same way; see [The Managed Instruction](#the-managed-instruction) below.

The instruction is plain text you write in your own words — the same way you
would brief a new team member. It is appended to the agent's system prompt, so
phrase it as standing guidance ("Default to the `marketing` database. Format
summaries as bullet points."), not as a one-off request.

## Set a Custom Instruction

1. Open **Settings** from the user avatar in the sidebar footer.
2. Select the **Instructions** tab under the **Organization** section. This tab
appears only for account administrators.
3. In the **Custom instruction** card, type your organization-wide guidance,
staying within the 16,384-character limit shown by the counter. **Save**
stays disabled while a draft is unchanged or over the limit.
4. Select **Save**. Save returns to its disabled state once the instruction is
stored, confirming the change was saved.


Settings Instructions tab under the Organization section, showing the Custom instruction card with its description, a note that changes apply to new chats only, an empty text editor, a 0 of 16384 character counter, and a Save button
To remove the instruction, clear the text and select **Save**. An empty custom
instruction means agents fall back to their default behavior.

Changes apply to new chats only
A chat reads the custom instruction when it is created. Editing or clearing the
instruction changes **new** chats started afterward; chats already in progress
keep the instruction they started with. To apply an update, start a new chat.

## Write Effective Instructions

Custom instructions are read by the agent, not by a person, so be specific and
unambiguous:

Keep secrets and PII out of instructions
The custom instruction becomes part of the agent's system prompt, so it could
be exposed. Don't include secrets, credentials, API keys, or personal data
(PII).

- **State standing rules, not tasks.** "Always validate YAML before pushing" is
a rule every agent can follow; "build me a segment" is a task for a chat.
- **Name concrete defaults.** Databases, table naming conventions, date
formats, and output structure are the highest-value things to fix once here.
- **Keep it organization-wide.** Anything that only applies to one work folder
or one analysis belongs in that work folder's instructions, not here.
- **Be concise.** A focused instruction is easier for agents to follow
consistently than a long list of edge cases. Because it applies to every chat
in your organization, a shorter instruction also adds less to the cost of
each chat.


## The Managed Instruction

Alongside the custom instruction, administrators may see a read-only **Managed
instruction** section. This instruction is written and maintained by Treasure
AI to tune agent behavior for your account. You cannot edit it; it is shown for
transparency so you can see the full guidance agents receive. Like the custom
instruction, it applies to new chats only.

## Verification

- [ ] As an account administrator, open **Settings → Instructions** and confirm
you can edit the custom instruction
- [ ] Save an instruction (for example, "Format all summaries as bullet
points"), start a **new** chat, and confirm the agent applies it


## Troubleshooting

| Issue | Solution |
|  --- | --- |
| The **Instructions** tab is not visible | The tab appears only for account administrators. Confirm your role, or ask an administrator to set the instruction |
| An updated instruction is not being followed | Changes apply to new chats only. Start a new chat, then confirm the behavior |
| **Save** is disabled | Save is enabled only when the draft differs from the saved text and is within the 16,384-character limit. Shorten a draft that exceeds the limit — the counter turns red and an inline message appears |
| An agent does not fully apply the instruction | As a conversation grows long, an agent may weight a long instruction less, and contradictory rules are hard to apply consistently. Keep the instruction concise and focused on the rules that matter most, and move work-folder-specific detail into [work folder instructions](/products/ai-studio/concepts) |


## Next Steps

- [Core Concepts](/products/ai-studio/concepts) — Work folders, work folder instructions, models, and credits
- [Agent Orchestrator](/products/ai-studio/concepts/orchestrator) — How Studio plans and runs agent work
- [Security & Permissions](/products/ai-studio/security) — Roles, access control, and data retention