---
schema_version: "1"
id: 9232800925e8479dac82209e0e1452d4c0c697253dfd2ee61c822d735fe8428b
title: Define Agent-Level Instructions and System Messages
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/ai/264-0-0/copilot_setup_system_messages.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.copilot_setup_system_messages.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 2e87887b0fc3d9be6311bee0443ad9301e9e0b2eea769e4bf10ac57133c33dce
description: Agent-level instructions provide your agent with guidance on how to interact in all situations, including any rules it should follow. Your agent sends system messages, such as welcome and error messages, when your users begins chatting with an agent and if they encounter system errors.
products:
  - Agentforce
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Define Agent-Level Instructions and System Messages

Agent-level instructions provide your agent with guidance on how to interact in all situations, including any rules it should follow. Your agent sends system messages, such as welcome and error messages, when your users begins chatting with an agent and if they encounter system errors.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions. <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_setup_explore_types.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Learn about agent types and default templates for specific clouds and common use cases.">Required add-on licenses vary by agent type.</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
          <col style="width:50%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d218795e79">User Permissions
              Needed</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d218795e79 ">To define system messages and language settings:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d218795e79 ">Manage AI Agents AND <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_setup_explore_types.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">the required permissions for your agent
                type</a></td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

- **[Bypass the Welcome Message When Handing Off Ongoing Conversations to an Agentforce Service Agent](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_asa_welcome_message.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Configure an Agentforce Service agent to seamlessly pick up an ongoing conversation where it left off instead of sending the system welcome message.
- **[Manage Conversation Recommendations in the Legacy Builder](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_manage_conversation_reco_employee_agents.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    You can manage two types of recommendations for an Agentforce Employee agent: welcome recommendations and in-conversation recommendations. Welcome recommendations appear in the Agentforce panel when it opens from most supported record pages, list views, and Lightning app Home pages. In-conversation recommendations appear during an active conversation in response to user messages.

#### See Also

- [Transfer Conversations from an Agent with an Omni-Channel Flow](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.service_agent_escalation.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When an agent encounters conversations that it can’t resolve, it uses the Escalation subagent to escalate the conversation. In the new Agentforce Builder, you can also run the Escalation subagent using the escalate utility function in Agent Script. Escalation and transferring works differently depending on the agent type and channel. You can customize the experience that customers receive when transferring isn’t possible.")

## Define Agent-Level Instructions and System Messages

1. From the Agents list in the Agentforce Studio app, open the agent you want to update system messages for.
2. If there are multiple versions of your agent, from the header in Agentforce Builder, select the agent version you want to edit.
3. In the Explorer panel, click **Agent-Level Instructions** under Settings. Enter instructions in the System Instructions section. To reference variables, enter @ and then select a variable from the resource picker.
4. In the Explorer panel, click **System Messages** under Settings. Then review and update the welcome message and error message.
    
    - When you customize your agent’s welcome message, introduce your agent as a bot or AI assistant so that your users know they aren’t chatting with a human. If your agent introduces itself by a human-sounding name, consider pairing it with a title that emphasizes the job, task, or service the agent provides. For example, “Hi, I’m Robbie, an automated returns agent.” Making sure your users know that they are chatting with an agent is especially important in voice conversations where the agents can sound like a human. We recommend introducing your agent as an AI assistant for your voice-enabled agent.
    - You can use your welcome message to ensure your users understand and consent to how their data is stored and used. For example, “By continuing, you agree to our use of your data as outlined in our privacy policy.”
    - When an ongoing conversation is routed to an Agentforce Service agent, the agent sends the system welcome message and then responds to the customer’s previous message. You can [configure the agent to bypass the welcome message](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_asa_welcome_message.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Configure an Agentforce Service agent to seamlessly pick up an ongoing conversation where it left off instead of sending the system welcome message.") and pick up the conversation where it left off.
5. Save your agent.

## Define System Messages in the Legacy Builder

Create system messages, such as welcome and error messages that are sent when your users begin using an agent and if they encounter system errors. Only the default Agentforce agent and Agentforce Service Agent have system messages.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions. <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_setup_explore_types.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Learn about agent types and default templates for specific clouds and common use cases.">Required add-on licenses vary by agent type.</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
          <colgroup>
            <col style="width:50%">
            <col style="width:50%">
          </colgroup>
          <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
            <tr class="">
              <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d218795e273">User Permissions
                Needed</th>
            </tr>
          </thead>
          <tbody>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d218795e273 ">To define system messages:</td>

              <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d218795e273 ">Manage AI Agents AND <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_setup_explore_types.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">the required permissions for your agent
                  type</a></td>

            </tr>
          </tbody>
        </table>

Your agent’s welcome message is an opportunity to establish customer transparency and trust.

- When you customize your agent’s welcome message, introduce your agent as a bot or AI assistant so your users know they aren’t chatting with a human. If your agent introduces itself by a human-sounding name, consider pairing it with a title that emphasizes the job, task, or service the agent provides. For example, “Hi, I’m Robbie, an automated returns agent.”
    
    ![Important](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ai-generative_ai-264-0-0-production-enus/f8ef6498-d7b2-44e3-9b34-ffd5a850aae9/images/icon_important.png)
    
    Important Making sure your users know that they are chatting with an agent is especially important in voice conversations where the agents can sound like a human. We recommend introducing your agent as an AI assistant for your voice-enabled agent.
- You can use your welcome message to ensure your users understand and consent to how their data is stored and used. For example, “By continuing, you agree to our use of your data as outlined in our privacy policy.”

1. From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Agent, and then select **Agentforce Agents**.
2. Click the name of your agent.
3. Click the **System Messages** tab. There’s an 800 character limit on welcome messages.
4. Enter the text you want the system to show to users. We provide default messages, but use whatever works best for your company.
5. Save your changes.

When an ongoing conversation is routed to an Agentforce Service agent, the agent sends the system welcome message and then responds to the customer’s previous message. You can [configure the agent to bypass the welcome message](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.agent_asa_welcome_message.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Configure an Agentforce Service agent to seamlessly pick up an ongoing conversation where it left off instead of sending the system welcome message.") and pick up the conversation where it left off.