# What are System & Application prompts, and how to set them up? When you’re setting up your AI agen , you’ll come across two important types of prompts: 1. [**System Prompt**](#id-1.-what-is-a-system-prompt) 2. [**Application Prompt**](#id-2.-what-is-an-application-prompt) These prompts help the AI understand your business and communicate with your customers the way you want. *** ### 1. What is a **System Prompt**? The **System Prompt** is like giving the AI a briefing or background about your business. You are basically telling the AI: * Who you are as a business * What you sell * How your operations work (e.g., delivery, return policies) * What kind of customers do you serve *** **Example**: System Prompt for an eCommerce Business Let’s say your business is **Lifestyle Decor**, an online store that sells home décor items. Here's how a system prompt would look: > “You are an AI assistant for **Lifestyle Decor**, an online store that sells home décor products like candles, vases, planters, and wall art. The store ships across India within 5–7 working days. Returns are accepted within 10 days of delivery. Your job is to help customers with browsing products, checking order status, and answering questions about pricing, availability, delivery, and return policies.” *** #### What is a **Negative System Prompt**? A negative system prompt tells the AI **what it should NOT do**. This is important to make sure the AI doesn’t give wrong or unwanted information. **Example:** > “Do not recommend or talk about products that are out of stock. Do not give health or safety advice related to any products. Do not mention discounts or offers unless they are specifically mentioned in the product catalog.” *** ### 2. What is an **Application Prompt**? Now that the AI knows what your business is about, you need to teach it **how to talk to your customers**. The **Application Prompt** helps you set the **tone, style, and behavior** of the AI. It answers questions like: * Should the AI sound formal or casual? * Should it give short answers or long ones? * What should it do if it doesn’t know the answer? *** #### Example: Application Prompt for **Lifestyle Decor**, > “Respond to customers in a friendly and conversational tone. Use simple language. Keep answers short and clear unless the customer asks for more details. If you are unsure about something, politely ask the user if they would like to connect with a human team member.” *** #### What is a **Negative Application Prompt**? This tells the AI **how NOT to speak**. It’s helpful for avoiding confusion or bad customer experiences. **Example:** > “Do not use complex or technical words. Do not sound robotic or overly scripted. Avoid sending long paragraphs. Do not make up answers or guess product details if you are unsure.” --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.mercuri.cx/features/ai-assistants/how-to-add-ai-agents-to-your-business-in-mercuri-cx/what-are-system-and-application-prompts-and-how-to-set-them-up.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.