System Prompt

A system prompt is a set of instructions provided to an AI model that defines its behavior, personality, knowledge boundaries, and constraints for all subsequent interactions. It's the "programming" of an AI agent — telling it who it is and how to behave.

System prompt components typically include: identity (name, role, organization), personality (tone, communication style, formality level), knowledge scope (what topics to address, what to decline), behavioral rules (specific do's and don'ts), output format (how to structure responses), tool instructions (when and how to use available tools), escalation rules (when to hand off to a human), and example interactions (demonstrating ideal responses).

Effective system prompt patterns: be specific (not "be helpful" but "answer questions about our return policy using the knowledge base"), prioritize instructions (most important rules first), use positive framing ("respond in under 100 words" not "don't write long responses"), include examples (showing desired behavior), handle edge cases (what to do when uncertain), and set clear boundaries (explicit lists of off-topic subjects).

System prompt security considerations: don't put secrets in system prompts (they can be extracted via prompt injection), use defense-in-depth (multiple layers of instruction), and test against adversarial inputs.

On platforms like Chipp, the system prompt is configured through the agent setup interface. Builders don't need to write raw prompts — they configure personality, instructions, and boundaries through structured forms that generate an optimized system prompt behind the scenes.