Custom Guidelines are free-text instructions that shape how an Agent writes and behaves. This describes the tone Dosu uses, the formatting it should follow, and what it should and should not do. You set them so Dosu sounds like your team and stays inside the bounds you care about, on every response.
What they are#
In the app, these instructions are called Response Guidelines. Each Agent (how Dosu shows up on GitHub, Slack, or Microsoft Teams) has its own Response Guidelines field. Whatever you write there is applied when that Agent drafts a reply, so you can:
- Set tone and voice (formal, friendly, terse).
- Require or forbid formatting (use bullet lists, avoid code blocks, always link the source).
- Tell Dosu what to do (always suggest the relevant runbook) and what to avoid (do not speculate about timelines, do not give legal advice).
- Add project context that should color every answer.
Guidelines are instructions, not knowledge. The facts Dosu answers with come from the Sources connected to a Library. Guidelines shape how those facts are delivered. For the writing style of generated Documents, see the style guidelines in your Library, which are separate from an Agent's Response Guidelines and apply to documentation generation rather than chat or issue replies.
Why it matters#
Across a growing engineering organization, dozens of repos and channels can drift into dozens of different voices. Custom Guidelines give you one place per Agent to set expectations, so responses stay consistent and governed without a human rewriting each one.
- Consistency at scale. A platform team can maintain consistent standards across many repos instead of relying on whoever happens to answer.
- Governance. Encode the rules that matter (no internal hostnames, escalate security reports to the on-call channel) once, and Dosu follows them.
- Local fit. A customer-facing repo and an internal tooling repo can each have their own tone, because guidelines are set per Agent rather than globally.
How to add them#
Only owners and admins can create or change an Agent, including its guidelines.
- Open Agents and select the Agent you want to adjust, or create one at Agents, Create.
- Find the Response Guidelines field in the Agent's configuration.
- Write your instructions in plain language. Be specific and concrete (state the behavior you want, not just the vibe).
- Save. New guidelines apply to responses the Agent drafts after you save.
Agent configuration lives under your organization settings. You can also reach it from Settings, Organization.
How Dosu uses them#
When an Agent drafts a response, it reads that Agent's Response Guidelines and applies them while writing. Guidelines steer the shape and tone of the answer. They do not override your Sources or your Review controls.
You stay in control of what actually posts. If an Agent's reply mode holds drafts for review, you can read each draft, confirm it followed your guidelines, and edit it before it goes out. See Response Drafts and the Review workflow.
Notes#
- Guidelines change how Dosu answers, not what it knows. To change the facts available to an Agent, add or adjust the Sources in its Library. See Sources.
- Keep guidelines focused. A short list of clear rules is easier for Dosu to follow consistently than a long, contradictory one.
- Style guidelines for generated Documents are configured in your Library and are separate from an Agent's Response Guidelines. See Generate Docs.
