Skip to main content
The script tells the agent what to cover. Agent Instructions tell it how to behave throughout the conversation: tone, persona, facts to keep in mind, things it must never do. Guardrails go a step further: they check the agent’s responses against rules you define and act when a response breaks one, before the contact hears it.

​
Agent Instructions

1

Open General Settings

In the agent editor, click General Settings in the header.
2

Expand Agent Instructions

Open the Agent Instructions section and type your guidance (Type instructions here). You can insert variables from the Variables tab.
3

Save

Click Save (and Publish, if your account uses versions). Instructions apply to new conversations.

​
What to put in instructions

You are Maya, a friendly scheduling assistant for Bright Smile Dental. Speak casually and keep answers under two sentences.
Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm. We don't accept walk-ins. The contact's current plan is {{planName}}.Longer reference material (price lists, policies, product specs) belongs in the knowledge base.
Never promise a discount. If asked about refunds, explain that the billing team will follow up by email. Don't ask for credit card details.
When quoting a fee, use the exact figure from the knowledge base. If you can't find it, say you'll have someone follow up.
Say dates as "Tuesday, March 3rd", not "03/03". Spell out phone numbers digit by digit.
Write instructions as short, direct rules. Put “always” and “never” rules first. Avoid repeating the script; instructions that contradict a step make the agent inconsistent. See Prompting voice agents for more.
Callers can also run an agent on instructions alone, without following the script. Contact support to adjust this setting.

​
Guardrails

Guardrails are rules such as “Never give medical advice” that Callers checks the agent’s responses against. If a response breaks a rule, the agent doesn’t say it; instead it ends the conversation or hands the call to a person.

​
Create organization guardrails

Organization guardrails are shared by every agent that uses them. Only admins can manage them.
  1. In the sidebar, click Guardrails.
  2. Click Add Custom (or Create on an empty page).
  3. Enter a name (Guardrail name) and describe what to block (Describe what this guardrail should block). Be specific, for example: “Block any content that provides personalized financial or tax advice, recommends specific investments, guarantees returns, or describes investments as risk-free.”
  4. Click Save. New guardrails are on by default; use the toggle on each row to turn one off.
  5. Click Settings to choose What happens when the guardrail is triggered for every agent that uses organization settings.
Changes on this page save immediately.
Guardrails are enabled per account. If you don’t see Guardrails in the sidebar, contact support@callers.ai to turn them on.

​
Turn on guardrails for an agent

Open the agent, click Agent in the header, then click Guardrails (“Set clear boundaries for your agent. Limit what it can say and do in production to reduce risk and maintain consistency.”). Before speaking is the safer choice: nothing reaches the contact until it passes. Streaming responds faster but checks in pieces.

​
Transfer to a human

When the action is Transfer to human (and the agent isn’t using organization guardrails), set: See Call transfers for more on warm transfers.

​
Writing good guardrails

  • One topic per guardrail. “No medical advice” and “No pricing commitments” should be separate rules so you can see which one fired.
  • Describe the behavior, not keywords. “Block any statement that diagnoses a condition or recommends a medication or dosage” works better than a list of words.
  • Leave room for safe answers. Say what’s allowed too: “General information about office hours and booking is fine.”
  • Test the edges. Place test calls that try to push the agent over the line, and check that legitimate questions still get answered.
Common organization guardrails include: no medical advice, no legal or financial advice, no pricing or contract commitments, and staying on topic.

​
FAQ

Checking adds a short delay before the agent speaks, mainly with Before speaking. Streaming reduces the delay.
Guardrail settings are available on Voice agents. For Text and Email agents, put your rules in Agent Instructions.
The call ends or transfers right after the blocked response. Review the transcript of that call to see where it happened.

Agent settings

Where every agent setting lives.

Knowledge base

Reference material the agent can look up.

Human operators

Queues that can receive guardrail transfers.

Scenarios

Prepared responses for specific situations.