Generate, review, and optimize natural language instructions for Business Central agents (Designer or SDK). Triggers on: agent instructions, InstructionsV1.txt, InstructionsV2.txt, MEMORIZE, qualification rules, agent behavior, instruction keywords, agent task instructions, iterate instructions, or improve agent accuracy. Single source of truth for the Responsibilities-Guidelines-Instructions framework and runtime keywords.
Generate, review, and optimize natural language instructions for Business Central agents (Designer or SDK). Triggers on: agent instructions, InstructionsV1.txt, InstructionsV2.txt, MEMORIZE, qualification rules, agent behavior, instruction keywords, agent task instructions, iterate instructions, or improve agent accuracy. Single source of truth for the Responsibilities-Guidelines-Instructions framework and runtime keywords.
argument-hint
Describe the agent's purpose and tasks, or paste existing instructions to review
BC Agent Instructions Skill
Single source of truth for writing the natural-language instructions that guide Business Central agents. These instructions tell the agent runtime how to navigate the UI, read/set fields, invoke actions, and communicate with users.
For SDK architecture and how instructions are loaded see skill-agent-toolkit. For task-creation patterns (Public API, attachments, multi-turn) see skill-agent-task-patterns.
Every instruction file follows this three-part structure.
1. RESPONSIBILITY (one line)
A single sentence defining the agent's accountability. Anchors all behavior.
**RESPONSIBILITY**: {What the agent is accountable for, one sentence}
Rules:
One sentence only, no paragraphs
State the business outcome, not technical implementation
Include the key domain nouns ("leads", "sales orders", "credit checks")
2. GUIDELINES (cross-task rules)
Rules that apply across all tasks.
**GUIDELINES**:
- ALWAYS {mandatory behavior}
- DO NOT {prohibited action}
- ALWAYS {safety/review gate}
Rules:
ALWAYS (bold) for mandatory behaviors
DO NOT (bold) for prohibited actions
Gate ALL critical actions (posting, sending, releasing, deleting) with user intervention
Include data access boundaries (read-only vs. read-write)
Include reply/output keywords the agent should use for structured responses
Keep to 3-7 guidelines, more causes confusion
3. INSTRUCTIONS (step-by-step per task)
Ordered steps for each task, using runtime keywords.
**INSTRUCTIONS**:
## Task: {Task Name}
1. {Action using keyword}
a. {Sub-step with detail}
b. {Sub-step with detail}
2. If {condition}: {action}
a. **DO NOT** {prohibited action in this context}
3. {Next action}
Rules:
One ## Task: section per distinct workflow
Numbered steps with lettered sub-steps
Use official keywords (table below) to activate runtime tools
Place MEMORIZE BEFORE the value is needed in later steps
Include error handling at the end of each task
Provide example formats for memorized data
Official runtime keywords
Keyword
Runtime tool
Usage
Navigate to "{Page Name}"
Page navigation
Opens a page. Name MUST match the agent's profile pages exactly.
Search for {value} in "{Field}"
List filtering
Filters a list page by a field value.
Set field "{Field}" to {value}
Field setter
Sets a field. Field name must match the page exactly.
Use lookup
Lookup trigger
Opens a lookup on the current field.
Invoke action "{Action}"
Action invocation
Triggers a page action. Name must match the action caption exactly.
Read "{Field}"
Value retrieval
Reads a field's current value for decision-making.
**Memorize**
State retention
Stores a key-value pair for reference in later steps.
**Reply**
Message output
Agent responds to the task. All outgoing messages require review.
Write an email
Email composition
Composes an email. Requires user review before sending.
Request user intervention
Human-in-the-loop
Pauses the agent and asks the user for input/decision.
Request a review
Review gate
Asks user to review work before the agent continues.
Ask for assistance
Help request
Agent seeks help when stuck or encounters an error.
Critical keyword rules:
Page, field, and action names MUST match exactly what the agent sees in its profile
MEMORIZE must include an example format: **Memorize**: "Customer: ACME Corp | Credit: 50,000"
Reply keywords should include structured output patterns for programmatic parsing
The agent does NOT have access to "Tell Me", all navigation must be via explicit page names
Step-by-step creation workflow
Gather inputs: agent purpose (1 sentence), pages in scope, fields to read/write, actions to invoke, decision criteria, output format, safety gates
Draft RESPONSIBILITY: one sentence with domain + outcome
Draft GUIDELINES: 3-7 rules, at least one ALWAYS, one DO NOT, one safety gate
Test and iterate: deploy → observe timeline → refine. Simpler instructions often perform better.
Validation checklist
Page names match agent profile and page customizations exactly
Field names match the fields visible on the agent's pages exactly
Action names match the action captions visible on the agent's pages
MEMORIZE placed BEFORE the memorized value is needed in later steps
MEMORIZE includes example format (e.g., "Key: value | Key: value")
All critical actions (posting, sending, releasing, deleting) gated by user intervention or review
Written in English, agent safeguards are optimized for English
Environment-agnostic, no hardcoded company names, URLs, user IDs
Concise, no redundant prose; each line serves a purpose
Error handling section covers: not found, unavailable pages, failed actions
Reply formats use consistent keywords for structured parsing
No references to "Tell Me" (agents cannot use it)
Guidelines count is 3-7 (not too few, not too many)
Each task has numbered steps with lettered sub-steps
Anti-patterns
Anti-pattern
Problem
Fix
No MEMORIZE before cross-page use
Agent loses field values when navigating away
Add MEMORIZE immediately after reading the value
Vague field names ("the amount")
Agent cannot resolve which field to set
Use exact field name: Set field "Estimated Budget"
Missing error handling
Agent halts or produces confusing output
Add error Reply for each failure scenario
Too many guidelines (>7)
Agent behavior becomes inconsistent
Consolidate into fewer, broader rules
Referencing pages not in profile
Agent cannot navigate there
Verify all pages are in the agent's profile
No user intervention on critical ops
Agent posts/sends/releases without human check
Add Request user intervention or Request a review
Contradictory guidelines
Unpredictable behavior on each run
Remove contradictions, prioritize by specificity
Hard-coded environment values
Instructions break across environments
Use generic references, let setup tables hold specifics
Referencing specific tools by name
Tool renames cause regressions
Describe WHAT to do, not WHICH tool to use
Advanced concepts
Page-specific dynamic instructions
For SDK agents, IAgentTaskExecution.GetAgentTaskPageContext injects dynamic context per page using Liquid-style conditionals:
Consider the following fields:
{% if page.id == 42 %}
Field "The Answer", the meaning of the universe
{% else %}
Field "Business Data", standard business field
{% endif %}
Multi-task instructions
When an agent handles multiple tasks, create separate ## Task: sections. The agent selects the task based on input message content. Use distinct keywords in the Reply for programmatic routing:
## Task: Qualify Lead
...Reply: "qualification successful | ..."
## Task: Re-evaluate Lead
...Reply: "re-evaluation complete | ..."
Agent-to-agent handoff
When one agent creates tasks for another:
Verify the target agent is configured (check setup fields)
Use page actions that trigger task creation (the action handles the API call)
MEMORIZE the handoff result for the final reply
Include fallback instructions if the handoff action is unavailable
Examples
Load an example only when you need a concrete template:
When writing a minimal single-task agent, see Simple instructions (credit check).
When building a multi-task agent with handoff and error handling, see Advanced instructions (lead qualifier).
