Managing Prompts
Learn how to create and manage prompts in the Management Portal.
Overview
Prompts are reusable text resources that hold the instructions for agent workflows, agent tools, and data pipelines. Agents reference prompts by role (for example main_prompt or router_prompt), so one prompt can be shared by several agents or tools.
Accessing Prompts
- In the sidebar, select Agents > Prompts.
- The Prompts page opens with the subtitle "The following agent and tool prompts are available."
Prompt List
The list loads 20 prompts at a time, sorted by name. Scroll to the bottom to load more; a "Loading more prompts..." indicator appears while the next page loads.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The prompt name. |
| Category | Workflow, Tool, or DataPipeline. |
| Description | The prompt description. |
| Actions | View JSON definition, Edit, and Delete icons. |
Searching and refreshing
- Type in Search prompts to filter by prompt name. The list refreshes after three characters; press Enter to search with fewer. Select Clear to remove the search.
- Select Refresh prompts (refresh icon) to reload the list.
- Click a column header to sort the loaded rows.
Prompt Categories
| Category (shown in the editor) | Value (shown in the list) | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Workflow | Workflow |
Agent main prompts and workflow resources such as router, files, and final prompts |
| Agent Tool | Tool |
Tool instructions, such as a tool's main and router prompts |
| Data Pipeline | DataPipeline |
Prompts used by data pipeline stages |
The category matters when you attach a prompt to an agent. The agent editor's Add Resource dialog for workflow resources lists only Agent Workflow prompts.
Creating a Prompt
- Select Create Prompt at the top right of the Prompts page.
- The Create New Prompt page opens.
- Fill in the fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Prompt name | Required. Letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores only; other characters are removed as you type. The portal checks availability and shows ✔️ (available) or ❌ (not available; hover for the reason). |
| Description | Optional. Helps others understand the prompt's purpose. |
| Category | Required. Agent Workflow, Agent Tool, or Data Pipeline. |
| Prompt Prefix | Required. The prompt text. |
- Select Create Prompt.
If a required value is missing, an error message lists the problems: "Please give the prompt a name.", "The prompt requires a prefix.", or "Please select a category for the prompt." After a successful save, the message "Prompt created successfully." appears and the portal returns to the Prompts page.
Select Cancel to leave the page. A Cancel Prompt Creation dialog asks "Are you sure you want to cancel?"; select Yes to discard your changes.
Editing a Prompt
- Select the Edit icon (pencil) in the prompt's row.
- The Edit Prompt page opens. The prompt name cannot be changed.
- Change the Description, Category, or Prompt Prefix.
- Select Save Changes.
The Edit icon is dimmed when you don't have write permission on the prompt, and Save Changes is disabled if you open the page without write permission.
Agent main prompts are also edited from the agent editor (Basic Settings > "What is the main workflow prompt?"). Changes made in either place update the same prompt resource.
Viewing a Prompt's JSON Definition
- Select the View JSON definition icon (
</>) in the prompt's row. - The Prompt Definition: [prompt name] dialog shows the prompt resource as read-only JSON.
- Select Copy JSON or Close.
Deleting a Prompt
- Select the Delete icon (trash can) in the prompt's row.
- The Delete Prompt dialog warns: "Prompts can be referenced by other platform artifacts. Make sure deleting "[name]" will not break those artifacts. Do you want to continue?"
- Select Yes to delete the prompt, or No to keep it.
The Delete icon is dimmed when you don't have delete permission. Prompts created or updated by an artifact package show an information icon instead of the Delete icon; they cannot be deleted through the Management Portal.
Note: Deleting an agent also deletes the prompts that agent references, except the shared platform prompts.
Using Prompts in Agents
| Where | How the prompt is attached |
|---|---|
| Agent main prompt | Entered on the agent's Basic Settings tab. Saved as an Agent Workflow prompt and attached with the main_prompt role. |
| Workflow resources | On the agent's Workflow tab, under Additional workflow resources: Resource Type = Prompt, then the prompt, then a Resource Role such as router_prompt, files_prompt, or final_prompt. |
| Tool prompts | In the agent tool editor on the Tools tab, under Resource References (for example Main Prompt and Router Prompt). Use View or Edit next to a prompt reference to open it. |
Common prompt roles
| Role | Purpose |
|---|---|
main_prompt |
Primary instructions for the workflow or tool. |
router_prompt |
Instructions for selecting tools. Required by the FoundationaLLMFunctionCallingWorkflow class. |
files_prompt |
Instructions for identifying the files relevant to a question. |
final_prompt |
Instructions for building the final response from tool results. |
The FoundationaLLM platform prompts package provides shared prompts for these roles, such as Platform-Agent-Workflow-Router, Platform-Agent-Workflow-Router-Multi-Round, Platform-Agent-Workflow-Files, and Platform-Agent-Workflow-Final.
Writing Effective Prompts
- Be specific: Clearly define the expected behavior.
- Include context: Specify the persona, tone, and constraints.
- Use examples: Include sample inputs and outputs when helpful.
- Structure clearly: Use headings and lists for complex prompts.
Example workflow prompt:
You are a helpful assistant that provides accurate information about company policies.
Guidelines:
- Answer questions concisely and professionally
- If information is not available, clearly state so
- Cite relevant policy documents when applicable
- Do not make assumptions beyond the provided data
See Prompt Variables for the variables you can use in prompt text.
Access Control
- Open the prompt with the Edit icon.
- Select Access Control at the top right of the page.
- In the Access Control dialog, select Add role assignment for this Prompt to grant access, or manage existing assignments.
| Permission | Description |
|---|---|
FoundationaLLM.Prompt/prompts/read |
View the prompt |
FoundationaLLM.Prompt/prompts/write |
Edit the prompt |
FoundationaLLM.Prompt/prompts/delete |
Delete the prompt |