Where do I write an agent's prompt in Agent Studio?#
In the LLM (Claude) step. Click it on the canvas and you get three fields that matter: Prompt, System prompt and Model. Use {{in}} inside the prompt to drop in whatever the step before it produced.
| Field | What goes in it | Example from the templates |
|---|---|---|
| System prompt | Who the model is and the rules it never breaks | You are a B2B sales qualifier. Be direct and concrete. |
| Prompt | The task, the output shape and {{in}} | Score this lead 1 to 10 on fit and intent. Output JSON. |
| Model | The cost and speed tier for this step | Leave on the platform default until you need more |
| Draft safeguards | Optional checks for SEO titles and contact copy against your approved business facts | SEO titles and descriptions |
What makes a good AI agent prompt?#
A good agent prompt reads like a brief to a sharp new hire: who they are, what to do, what to hand back, and what to do when they are stuck.
- Give a role. "You are a customer-experience manager" sets vocabulary and judgment in one line.
- Name the task in one sentence. Put the action verb first: score, draft, summarize, extract.
- Show the exact output. Paste the JSON shape with every key, or set a word limit for prose.
- Supply the facts. Paste your prices, service area and policies, or wire in Knowledge Search.
- Say what to do when the answer is missing. The FAQ Concierge template tells the model to say so plainly and never invent information.
- Ban the phrases you hate. The Review Responder system prompt forbids "I apologize for the inconvenience".
SYSTEM PROMPT
You are the intake coordinator for {business}. Be direct and specific.
Use only the facts provided. If a fact is missing, write "unknown".
PROMPT
Read the message below and return STRICT JSON only:
{ "intent": "quote | booking | support | other",
"urgency": "today | this_week | later",
"summary": "one sentence",
"reply": "under 60 words, in our voice" }
Message:
{{in}}How do I write prompts for a multi-step agent?#
Give each step one job and make every step carry the earlier findings forward. The AI Visibility Growth Team template chains five Claude steps: a brand strategist, a demand analyst, a competitive analyst, a growth lead and a content lead. Each one adds its own JSON key and returns everything it received unchanged, so the last step assembles the full plan.
How do I test a prompt before going live?#
Wire it with a free dry run, then judge the words on real examples. Run test checks every step and branch without spending credit; model steps return simulated results there, so switch on Run for real when you want to read Claude's actual output.
Test a prompt in five minutes
Step 1: Open a template close to your job
Start from a working prompt instead of a blank one. Lead Qualifier, Review Responder and FAQ Concierge are strong starting points.Browse templatesStep 2: Collect five real inputs
Pick an easy case, a hard case, a messy one, one missing key facts, and one the agent should refuse.Step 3: Run each one for real
Turn on Run for real and read every output against what your best employee would have written.Step 4: Fix the prompt, then save a version
Tighten the rule that failed, rerun the five, and press Save version once all five pass.Step 5: Review live runs weekly
Open Runs, read a handful of results, and add any new failure to your test set.Open Runs