> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.phonely.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Guidelines

> Define the shared goals, response style, and boundaries that guide your agent across flows.

Guidelines define the goals, communication style, and boundaries that should remain consistent across an agent's conversations. They are available to every flow that has **Include Guidelines** turned on.

Use Guidelines for shared behavior. Put instructions that apply only to one flow or one part of a call in that flow or block instead.

## Choose where information belongs

| Put it in                                            | Use it for                                                              |
| :--------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Guidelines**                                       | Agent-wide goals, tone, boundaries, objections, and business rules      |
| [**Knowledge Base**](/agent-knowledge-base/overview) | Detailed reference material the agent may need when answering questions |
| [**Flow Settings**](/flow-editor/flow-settings)      | Context and instructions that apply to one flow                         |
| **Block configuration**                              | The objective, wording, or behavior for one step in a flow              |

Avoid copying the same instruction into several places. Conflicting instructions make the agent's behavior less predictable and make future updates harder to maintain.

## Choose guideline sections

Add only the sections your agent needs:

| Section            | Use it for                                                       |
| :----------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Objective**      | The primary result the agent should work toward                  |
| **Response Style** | Tone, personality, concision, and speaking style                 |
| **Never Do**       | Strict actions, claims, or promises the agent must avoid         |
| **General Info**   | Short, stable business facts the agent may reference at any time |
| **Rebuttals**      | How to respond to common objections or pushback                  |
| **Out of Scope**   | What to do when a request cannot be answered or handled          |
| **Custom**         | Additional agent-wide guidance that does not fit another section |

Prefer the most specific section. For example, place a prohibited promise in **Never Do**, not in a broad Custom section. Keep detailed policies, service information, and frequently changing facts in the Knowledge Base rather than repeating them in **General Info**.

### Configure Response Style

The **Response Style** section combines written guidance with two agent settings:

* **Personality** sets the general conversational style, such as Direct, Formal, Persuasive, or Friendly.
* **Humanize speech** allows the agent to use vocal fillers such as “hmm” and “umm.”

Use the written section for details the preset does not express, such as how concise answers should be or how the agent should respond to an upset caller.

## Write effective guidelines

* State what the agent should do in direct, specific language.
* Define a clear fallback when the agent cannot complete a request.
* Use **Never Do** for genuine hard boundaries, not general preferences.
* Keep shared guidance independent of a particular flow path or block.
* Remove instructions that duplicate or contradict another section.

> **Example:** If the caller asks for a service you cannot confirm, explain that a team member can follow up and offer to collect their contact details. Do not invent availability or pricing.

## Add and edit sections

Open **Agent Design**, then select **Guidelines**.

1. Select **Add Section** and choose a section type.
2. Select the section in the sidebar and enter its guidance.
3. Add a **Custom** section only when no predefined section fits; give it a specific name.

Changes save automatically after you stop editing. Wait for the status to show **Saved** before leaving the editor. You can delete any configured section; only Custom sections can be renamed.

To get help with a section, select it and choose **Ask AI**. Ask AI can inspect or improve the selected section, so review the result alongside the other Guidelines.

## Use Guidelines in a flow

New flows include the agent's Guidelines by default. To review the setting for a flow, open [Flow Settings](/flow-editor/flow-settings) and find **Include Guidelines**.

Turn the setting off only when that flow should operate without the shared guidance. If a flow needs additional instructions, keep Guidelines enabled and add the flow-specific context in Flow Settings or the relevant blocks.

## Test the behavior

Before testing, confirm that **Include Guidelines** is turned on for the flow. Then:

1. Use **Web Chat** to check the agent's goal, boundaries, objection handling, and out-of-scope response across the main conversation and important alternate paths.
2. Use **Web Call** to hear its tone, pacing, and Response Style.
3. Resolve any conflict between Guidelines, Flow Settings, and block instructions before relying on the updated behavior.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The agent does not follow a guideline">
    Confirm that **Include Guidelines** is turned on for the flow. Then check for conflicting or more specific instructions in Flow Settings and the active block. Rewrite broad guidance as a direct rule in the most appropriate section.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The agent's responses are inconsistent">
    Review all configured sections for duplicated or conflicting instructions. Keep one source for each rule, make the desired behavior specific, and test more than one conversation path.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>