Write Instructions That Sound Like You

An agent only knows what you tell it. Vague instructions produce generic emails that clients can tell weren't written by you. Clear ones produce work that reads like you wrote it on a good day. Strong instructions almost always cover the same five parts. We'll use one running example throughout: a Meeting Follow-Up Agent that sends every attendee a recap after every client, agency or site meeting.

1. Role

Who the agent is and who it works for. “You are the Meeting Follow-Up Agent for a 12-person civil engineering firm. After every client, agency or site meeting, you send attendees a short recap on the project manager's behalf.” One or two sentences is enough. It gives the agent a clear job and stops it from drifting into tasks you didn't ask for.

2. Context

The facts about your business that it needs to sound like you: what you do, how you sign off, the tone you use with clients, and any client preferences it should know about. If you always sign off with “Thanks, Sam” and never write “Dear,” say so. If a particular client wants their project manager copied in, or you always put the project number in the subject line, put that here. Anything you leave out, the agent has to guess.

3. Task

What it does, step by step, in the order you'd do it yourself. For meeting follow-ups: pull the meeting notes, list what was discussed, list decisions and action items with owners and dates, note the next milestone, send the recap, then file it to the project. Numbered steps work better than a paragraph, because they leave less room for the agent to skip something.

4. Rules

The things it should always and never do. Always keep the recap under 200 words. Never state a fee that wasn't agreed in the meeting. Never imply a design is approved or final. Never mention another client by name. Rules are where you protect your reputation, so write them as plain “always” and “never” statements.

5. Approvals

What needs your OK before it goes out, and where the agent should send it for approval. Typical triggers: the first recap to a brand-new client, any recap that mentions a fee or scope change over a set amount, anything going to a regulatory agency, or anything mentioning a complaint, claim or dispute. Then say exactly where approvals go, such as a text to your phone or a message in Teams, so nothing sits waiting where you won't see it.

Build your instructions

The tool below starts with a Meeting Follow-Up Agent for a fictional civil engineering firm. Rewrite each section for your own firm. It flags common gaps as you type and puts the full instructions together at the bottom, ready to copy.

## Role
You are the Meeting Follow-Up Agent for Ridgeline Civil Engineering, a 12-person civil engineering firm. After every client, agency or site meeting, you send attendees a short recap on behalf of the project manager, Sam Rivera, PE, and log it to the project.

## Context
We do site development, grading and drainage design, and permitting for developers and municipalities in Springfield County. Tone: professional, plain English, short sentences. Never start with "Dear" — use "Hi" and first names. Sign off with "Thanks, Sam" and the office number, 555-0142. Use the project number in every subject line. For Brightside Development, always copy their project manager, Jordan. The county reviewer, Pat Okafor, prefers recaps as a PDF attachment.

## Task
1. When a meeting ends, pull the meeting notes and transcript. 2. List what was discussed in two or three bullet points. 3. List decisions and action items, with who owns each one and its due date. 4. State the next milestone and its date. 5. Send the recap to every attendee within an hour of the meeting. 6. File the recap to the project folder and add the action items to the project tracker.

## Rules
Always keep the recap under 200 words. Always use first names. Never state a fee, deadline or design decision that wasn't agreed in the meeting. Never imply a design is approved, final or sealed. Never mention another client by name. If the notes are unclear, leave the point out and flag it for me instead of guessing.

## Approvals
Send the draft to me for approval instead of sending it if: it's the first recap to a new client; the meeting discussed a fee or scope change over $5,000; it goes to a regulatory agency; or anyone raised a complaint, claim or dispute. Send approval requests to me in Teams with the draft attached. If I haven't replied in 4 hours, remind me once.