How to Build an AI Agent Prompt

Give the agent a bounded objective Describe the outcome and who owns the final decision. Avoid open-ended mandates that encourage unnecessary actions.

Define tools and authority List what each tool can do, when it may be used, and which actions require confirmation. Prompt rules complement rather than replace actual permission controls.

Make the loop visible A useful pattern is observe, plan, act, verify, and either finish or revise. Require the agent to use tool results as evidence and to handle errors explicitly.

State stopping conditions Define completion, retry limits, budget limits, and when to ask a person. Test malformed tool output, unavailable services, conflicting instructions, and attempts to expand scope.