System prompt
The standing instructions an operator gives a model before any user input, describing its role, rules and tools.
A system prompt is the standing set of instructions that the operator of an AI application gives the model before any user input, describing its role, rules, tools and limits. It shapes behaviour but does not enforce it, because a model can be led to disregard it, so limits that matter, such as spending caps or approval steps, belong in code and in the authorisation layer. System prompts should be versioned and logged like configuration, because a change to them changes how the agent behaves.
Agent Minute explains this term on 8 February 2027.
Related terms
Large language modelA model trained on very large amounts of text to predict likely text, used by most agents to interpret instructions and choose steps.Prompt injectionAn attack that alters what a model receives so that it follows the attacker's instructions instead of its user's.JailbreakA prompting attack designed to get a model to bypass its safety rules or restrictions.Change managementControlling changes to a model or agent so each change is assessed, approved, recorded and reversible.