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Custom instructions are text that PipesHub adds to Chat Assistant conversations across your organization. The settings page sets them for Agent mode, the default chat mode; Internal Search and Web Search modes have their own, set through the API (see below). Use them to set house rules for answers, for example:
  • “Keep answers under 150 words. Lead with the answer, then the details.”
  • “Use bullet points, and end with the sources you used.”
  • “Always answer in German.”
  • “Prefer internal knowledge for company-specific questions.”
PipesHub adds your text to the assistant’s system prompt (the standing instructions the AI model reads before each question) under a Custom Instructions heading. Its own rules for citations and safety still apply.

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Set custom instructions

1

Open the settings

As an admin, go to Workspace → Prompts.
2

Write your instructions

Type your instructions in the Agent box.
3

Save

Click Save. New messages use the instructions straight away.
To remove them, click Reset to Default and save. With the box empty, Agent mode gets no custom instructions. Instructions set for Internal Search or Web Search through the API stay as they are.

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What they apply to

To change how a particular agent answers, edit that agent’s instructions in Agent Builder. See Agents overview.

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Set instructions for every mode with the API

The settings page edits only the Agent mode instructions. The API reads and writes all three. The caller must be an admin, and the token needs the config:read scope to read and config:write to save.
A default install does not allow config:write on a personal access token: a token can only have scopes listed in the server’s MCP_SCOPES setting, which includes config:read but not config:write. To save through the API, whoever runs the server adds config:write to MCP_SCOPES, restarts PipesHub, and an admin creates a new token with that scope.
A PUT replaces all three, so read the current values first and send all three back. A field sent as "" is cleared. A request without customSystemPrompt or customSystemPromptWebSearch is rejected; one without customSystemPromptAgent clears the Agent mode instructions.

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Tips

  • Short, concrete rules work better than long descriptions. “At most five bullet points” is clearer to the model than “be concise”.
  • If answers are still too long, check the model as well: some models write more than others. See AI Providers.
  • Ask a few typical questions after you save, and adjust.