This article explains how Hugo Instructions work and how to write prompts that clearly shape the behavior of Hugo AI Agent and Hugo Copilot.

Instructions define how Hugo should behave: tone, boundaries, reasoning habits, escalation preferences, formatting, and other response rules.

Each instruction can apply to Customers, Copilot, or both. This lets you separately guide how Hugo AI Agent answers customers and how Hugo Copilot assists operators inside the Inbox.

Instructions should not replace training resources. Factual knowledge belongs in AI Agent → Train.

This guide is split into practical sections:

• Watch the Instructions walkthrough → follow the setup in video format
• Understand what Instructions are → learn what they should and should not contain
• Choose where Instructions apply → guide Customers, Copilot, or both
• Create Instructions manually → add and configure a new instruction
• Start with the guided setup → generate a first setup without starting from a blank page
• Review Instructions with AI → identify unclear or conflicting rules
• Explore Instruction examples → compare effective and ineffective prompts
• Follow Instruction best practices → keep your setup clear and maintainable

Watch the Instructions walkthrough

If you prefer a quick visual walkthrough, this video shows how to structure, write, and manage Hugo Instructions step by step directly inside Crisp.

What are Instructions

Instructions are Hugo's prompting rules. They are global behavior prompts that shape how Hugo thinks, communicates, and acts.

They do not answer customer questions themselves. Instead, they define the behavior Hugo should follow when answering customers or helping operators.

With Instructions, you can for instance define:

• ✔ Tone and personality → professional, friendly, concise, empathetic...
• ✔ Communication rules → answer length, emoji usage, formal language, bullet points, or paragraphs...
• ✔ Boundaries → topics to avoid, sensitive subjects, or situations where Hugo should not speculate...
• ✔ Reasoning style → asking for clarification, providing suggestions, or clearly stating when information is missing...
• ✔ Escalation habits → identifying situations where a customer should be handed over to a human...
• ✔ Operator guidance → helping agents gather information, investigate requests, or prepare handovers with Copilot...

Instructions are a set of rules that Hugo keeps in mind when generating an answer.

They tell Hugo how to behave, not what to say in one specific situation.

Depending on the scope you select, an instruction can guide:

• Hugo AI Agent when responding to customers
• Hugo Copilot when assisting operators
• Both AI experiences

For instance, Instructions should not be used to provide:

• ✘ Direct answers or factual content → For example: "Our pricing is €49 per month."
• ✘ Conditional automation logic → For example: "If the user asks for X, assign the conversation to Sales."
• ✘ Workflow or routing actions → For example: "Create a ticket, assign it to Romain, and notify the technical team."
• ✘ Business knowledge or policies → For example: "Refunds are allowed within 14 days."

Hugo is also pre-configured with native prompts.

You do not need to create Instructions to make Hugo reply in the correct language, avoid unsupported claims, or use the resources available to it. Hugo already handles these behaviors natively.

Instructions should focus on behaviors you specifically want to add or change.

Choose where Instructions apply

Each instruction can apply to customer conversations, Copilot assistance, or both.

You can choose its scope from the Applies to options when creating or editing an instruction.

Customer-facing Instructions

Select Customers when the behavior should affect how Hugo AI Agent communicates directly with your users.

For example:

Be concise and factual. Keep customer-facing answers under five sentences unless more detail is explicitly requested.

Copilot-only Instructions

Select Copilot when the rule should guide operators internally without changing how Hugo AI Agent answers customers.

For example:

When an operator investigates a bug report, help them gather the use case, screenshots, error messages, affected pages, and relevant setup details before preparing an escalation.

Copilot-only Instructions can support internal processes such as:

• Preparing technical escalations
• Gathering missing information
• Reviewing complex customer requests
• Helping agents follow investigation habits
• Preparing structured handovers

To learn how operators can use Copilot during support conversations, read How to use Hugo AI Copilot to handle complex support conversations.

Shared Instructions

Select both Customers and Copilot when the same behavior is useful in both contexts.

For example:

When a user requests to downgrade their plan, ask about the reason why they want to downgrade.

How to create Instructions

To add or manage your Instructions, open Crisp, select AI Agent from the main menu, then go to Guidance → Instructions.

To create an instruction manually:

1. Click New
2. Name your instruction
3. Write the instruction prompt, directed to Hugo
4. Choose whether it applies to Customers, Copilot, or both
5. Select the appropriate instruction group
6. Save and enable the instruction

You can also use the suggestions displayed on the Instructions page to quickly create rules for common support situations.

Now that you know how to create Instructions manually, the next question is often: "What should I actually write?"

Start with the in-app guided setup

If you are starting from scratch, Crisp can help you create your first set of Instructions without beginning from a blank page.

Go to AI Agent → Guidance → Instructions, then click Set up in 2 minutes.

The guided setup asks five questions about your goals, communication style, boundaries, escalation preferences, and business context.

• What is the main goal Hugo should help you achieve?

Describe the main outcome you expect from Hugo.

For example:

• Qualify leads and help them book a call
• Reduce repetitive support questions
• Guide new users through setting up your product
• Help customers find the right information faster

• What tone should Hugo use?

Describe how Hugo should communicate with your customers.

For example:

• Professional yet approachable
• Friendly and concise
• Tech-savvy and efficient
• Supportive and customer-focused
• Simple, direct, and free from corporate jargon

• What should Hugo never do or say?

Define the boundaries Hugo should always respect.

For example:

• Never promise refunds
• Never give legal or medical advice
• Never share internal metrics
• Do not discuss unpublished feature release dates
• Avoid making specific discount or pricing promises

• When should Hugo hand off to a human?

Describe the situations where human help is more appropriate.

For example:

• When a user requests a refund or payment adjustment
• When a technical issue requires backend access
• When a lead requests a custom quote or sales demo
• When the customer is upset or explicitly asks for a human
• When Hugo cannot answer safely from the available information

• What should Hugo always keep in mind about your business?

Provide the essential business context Hugo should consider when applying the generated Instructions.

For example:

• Your main customer profile
• Your support availability
• Your target industries
• Your key product positioning
• Important boundaries around your services

Once you have answered the questions, click Generate Instructions.

Crisp creates a tailored starting setup based on your answers. You can then review, edit, organize, and enable each generated instruction.

Before enabling the generated Instructions:

• Check that the wording matches your support expectations
• Remove rules that are not relevant to your team
• Split broad rules into smaller Instructions when needed
• Choose whether each instruction applies to Customers, Copilot, or both
• Make sure factual information belongs in training resources rather than Instructions

Review and improve Instructions with AI

You can review your existing Instructions directly from Crisp using Review with AI.

This helps you improve your setup without leaving the app. Hugo analyzes your enabled Instructions and suggests changes when some rules are unclear, too broad, conflicting, or likely to create a poor support experience.

When the review is complete, you can choose which suggestions you want to apply.

Review with AI can help you:

• Improve unclear Instructions
• Rewrite Instructions that are too vague
• Detect rules that may conflict with each other
• Spot Instructions that are too pushy, intrusive, or risky
• Identify Instructions that should be removed
• Keep your setup easier to maintain over time

When reviewing a suggestion, also check that the instruction applies to the right context: Customers, Copilot, or both.

Instruction examples

Here are a few examples of effective and ineffective Instruction usage.

Customer-facing Instruction

✔ Example of a good instruction:

Never offer medical or health advice. If a user asks about allergies, intolerances, or health impacts of our cookies, do not speculate or give recommendations.

Provide factual ingredient or allergen information only when it is explicitly available, and advise customers to consult a qualified health professional for medical or dietary advice.

Recommended scope: Customers

Copilot-only Instruction

✔ Example of a good instruction:

When an operator investigates a bug or technical issue, help them identify the affected feature, reproduce the problem, collect screenshots or error messages, and document what has already been tested before preparing a handover.

Recommended scope: Copilot

Shared Instruction

✔ Example of a good instruction:

Be concise and factual.

Keep answers under five sentences unless explicitly asked for more details. Avoid repetition and filler language.

Recommended scope: Customers and Copilot

✘ Example of an improper usage of Instructions:

We ship our cookies worldwide. Estimated delivery is between two and four days in the US, and five to ten days for the rest of the world.

This is factual knowledge and should be added to Hugo's training resources instead.

✘ Example of an improper usage of Instructions:

If a question is about sales or partnerships, assign it to Romain and mention him.

This is an automation or routing action and should be configured using the appropriate routing or workflow feature.

Best practices

A good Instruction setup should be clear, focused, and easy to maintain.

Choose the right scope

Decide whether each instruction should affect Customers, Copilot, or both.

Use Copilot-only Instructions for internal operator guidance that customers should not see or experience directly.

Keep each instruction focused

Each instruction should describe one clear behavior or a closely related set of behaviors.

Avoid combining tone, escalation habits, formatting, business context, and internal procedures in one long instruction.

Use imperative language

Write direct rules such as:

• Be concise
• Always ask for clarification when key information is missing
• Never speculate about legal or medical topics
• Help the operator collect technical details before escalation

Avoid vague formulations such as:

• Try to be helpful
• Reply appropriately
• Use a good tone

Avoid duplicate or conflicting Instructions

Do not create several Instructions that describe the same behavior differently.

Conflicting rules make it harder for Hugo to understand which behavior it should prioritize.

Keep knowledge in training resources

Instructions tell Hugo how to behave.

Product information, policies, pricing, documentation, and other factual content should be added through AI Agent → Train or the relevant business settings.

Review Instructions regularly

As your support processes change, review your enabled Instructions and remove rules that are no longer useful.

Use Review with AI to identify unclear, overlapping, or potentially conflicting Instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions which were not covered in this article? Here is a collection of the most frequently asked questions on this topic.

Can I create Instructions only for Hugo Copilot?

Yes.

When creating or editing an instruction, select Copilot under Applies to and leave Customers unselected.

The instruction will guide Hugo Copilot when it assists operators without changing how Hugo AI Agent answers customers.

When should I use a Copilot-only Instruction?

Use a Copilot-only instruction when the behavior is meant to support an internal operator workflow.

For example, Copilot can help agents gather information before escalating a bug, follow an investigation checklist, prepare a handover, or review a complex request.

Should I apply the same Instruction to Customers and Copilot?

Only when the behavior is useful in both contexts.

Tone, factuality, and clarification rules may be appropriate for both. Internal investigation processes or operator checklists are usually better suited to Copilot only.

Hugo doesn't seem to follow the Instructions I provided. Why is that?

Make sure your instruction is saved, enabled, and applied to the correct context.

For example, an instruction configured only for Copilot will not affect answers generated by Hugo AI Agent for customers.

If your instruction is properly enabled but still does not appear to be applied, check that it follows these best practices:

• Instructions should not be used to convey information or answer factual questions
• Instructions should focus on behavior, tone, communication, or reasoning habits
• Instructions should be concise, explicit, and unambiguous
• Several Instructions should not conflict with each other

The more Instructions Hugo has to follow, especially if they are long or vague, the harder it becomes to apply all of them consistently.

Instructions can become diluted when Hugo has several dozen overlapping rules to process for each response. Focus on a clear and important set of behaviors.

Can I use Instructions to give Hugo information about our business?

Providing Hugo with context about your business and services is important. It gives the AI Agent the information it needs to answer customer questions accurately.

However, Instructions are not the right place for factual business information.

Use:

• AI Agent → Train for help articles, website pages, documents, and other knowledge sources
• AI Agent → Agent → Settings → Business description for general context about your company and services

Instructions should only define how Hugo behaves when using that information.

Updated on: 16/07/2026