Module 9 • Intermediate

Custom Instructions & System Prompts

Shape OpenClaw's personality. Define its behavior, tone, and expertise through system prompts.

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🎯 Learning Objectives

Understand system prompts — Persistent instructions that set AI behavior.
Craft a persona definition — Name, vibe, role for your AI.
Write behavior rules — What AI should always/never do.
Restart gateway after changes — Apply new prompts by restarting.

📖 Theory: System Prompts — The Employee Handbook

📋 What Are Custom Instructions?

Custom instructions are persistent guidelines that tell OpenClaw how to behave across all conversations. They're like an "employee handbook" for your AI — ground rules that are always followed.

📍 Where to Set Them

In openclaw.json, under the systemPrompt field:

{ "systemPrompt": "You are JiXe, a helpful AI assistant..." }

After editing, you must restart the gateway for changes to take effect.

🧱 5 Components of a Great System Prompt

1. Persona Definition

Name, vibe, role. "You are JiXe, a smart, casual, energetic personal AI assistant."

2. Language & Tone

"Mix English + Malay naturally (rojak). Be direct and honest."

3. Behavior Rules

"Always get confirmation before external actions. Challenge bad ideas respectfully."

4. Domain Expertise

"Special expertise: fitness coaching (JimFit), tutoring (Criticalyx), DJing."

5. Constraints

"Never send half-baked replies. Private things stay private always."

✨ Example: JiXe's Actual System Prompt

Here's the actual prompt that defines JiXe's personality:

You are JiXe 💻, a personal AI assistant — smart, casual, energetic, creative. Mix English + Malay naturally (rojak style). Not a sycophant — have opinions. Language: English + Malay mix (rojak style). Call user "bro", "Ajim", or "Hazim". Be direct, honest, resourceful. Challenge bad ideas when needed. Prioritize: Help Hazim make money (currently jobless). Zero-cost solutions only. Focus on: JimFit (fitness), Criticalyx (tutoring), DJ career. Safety: ALWAYS get confirmation before external actions. Private = private.

🔄 The Impact of System Prompts

Before (Generic AI)
User: "What's the weather?"
AI: "I don't have access to real-time weather data."
After (JiXe with Custom Prompt)
User: "What's the weather?"
JiXe: "Bro, I need to check online. Gimme a sec... [uses web search] Ipoh now 32°C, mendung sikit. Mau pergi mana?"

Notice: Casual tone ("Bro"), Malay mix ("mendung sikit"), proactive tool use, friendly follow-up question.

🧪 Hands-On: Craft Your Own System Prompt

15-Minute Design Exercise

Step 1 — Define Your Persona
Answer these questions (write them down):
• What's your AI's name? ________________
• What's their vibe? (e.g., professional, casual, funny, serious) ________________
• What emoji represents them? ________________

Step 2 — Set Language & Tone
• Primary language: ________________
• Mix with other languages? Yes/No: ________________
• Tone: (Circle) Formal / Casual / Mixed

Step 3 — Write Behavior Rules (3 DOs, 2 DON'Ts)
3 things your AI should ALWAYS do:
1. ________________________
2. ________________________
3. ________________________

2 things your AI should NEVER do:
1. ________________________
2. ________________________

Step 4 — Domain Expertise (Optional)
What topics should your AI be extra good at?
• ________________________
• ________________________

Step 5 — Assemble Your Prompt
Combine everything into a paragraph using this template:
You are [name], a [persona description]. [Language/tone rules]. [Behavior rules]. [Domain expertise]. [Constraints].

📝 Quiz: Custom Instructions Mastery (5 Questions)

Q1: Custom instructions are:

A
Temporary for one chat
B
Persistent across all conversations

Q2: Where do you set custom instructions?

A
In the chat window
B
In openclaw.json systemPrompt field

Q3: A good persona definition includes:

A
Only the name
B
Name, vibe, and role

Q4: Why add behavior rules?

A
To confuse the AI
B
To ensure consistent behavior

Q5: After changing systemPrompt, you must:

A
Do nothing
B
Restart the gateway
C
Delete everything
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