Custom instructions tell Spark how to behave: what to prioritize, which terms your team uses, and where to look first. You can set them at three levels (personal, teamspace, and workspace) and manage all three from one Instructions page. This article explains how each level works, who can edit it, and how to write instructions that improve Spark's responses.
In this article:
How instructions work
Spark draws on everything in your workspace. In larger organizations, that's often more than a single team needs. Instructions narrow Spark's focus so its responses fit particular needs.
Spark applies your instructions automatically. You don't need to mention them in your prompts.
Instruction levels
Each level has a different scope and a different set of people who can edit it.
Note: Spark decides when teamspace instructions are relevant. You can't change when they apply.
Instructions, Agent Knowledge, and skills
Spark offers three ways to shape its responses. Each one solves a different problem:
- Instructions control how Spark behaves. Spark applies them automatically at their level.
- Agent Knowledge controls what Spark knows, such as your strategy, personas, and competitors. Spark retrieves the most relevant documents for each request. See Context management in Spark.
- Skills control how Spark handles a specific type of task, such as writing a spec. See Agentic skills with Spark.
Setting instructions
Anyone who uses Spark can set personal instructions. To edit teamspace or workspace instructions, you must be an admin at that level (see Member role definitions and Teamspace types and member access levels). If you have the access you need:
- From the Main menu, click Agent > Instructions.
- Find the level you want to edit: Personal, Teamspace, or Workspace.
- For teamspace instructions, select the teamspace you want to edit.
- Enter or update your instructions.
- Save your changes.
Spark uses your updated instructions in your next message.
Writing effective instructions
Short, specific instructions work best. Keep these principles in mind:
- Name things exactly: Refer to boards, fields, and documents by their exact names so Spark can find them.
- Define your terms: If your team uses internal names or acronyms, explain what they mean.
- Put each instruction at the right level: Company-wide rules belong in workspace instructions. Team-specific context belongs in teamspace instructions. Your own preferences belong in personal instructions.
- Keep reference material in Agent Knowledge: Instructions should tell Spark where to look and how to respond. Long documents such as strategy or personas belong in Agent Knowledge.
- Review them when your process changes: Outdated instructions lead to outdated responses. Update them when boards, fields, or team priorities change.
Example: A workspace instruction such as "When someone asks what's releasing soon, check the Release Calendar board and use the GA date field" lets anyone ask Spark "What's going GA this week?" without explaining where release dates live.