Conditional prompts allow a single agent to behave differently depending on the conversation context. Instead of creating a separate agent for each customer segment or service channel, you define instruction blocks that the agent uses only when certain conditions are true.
What is a conditional prompt?
A conditional prompt is an instruction block linked to a condition based on conversation or contact variables. When the condition is true, the block’s instructions are concatenated to the base prompt — they do not replace the main prompt, they simply supplement it with additional context.
Variables available for conditionals:
contact.stage — the contact’s funnel stage (e.g., hot_lead, customer, inactive)contact.plan — the plan contracted by the contact (e.g., enterprise, starter)channel — the conversation’s origin channel (e.g., whatsapp, widget, instagram)contact.language — the contact’s preferred language (e.g., en-US, es)
How conditional prompts work
- At each execution, the system evaluates all configured conditions for the agent.
- For each true condition, the corresponding instruction block is added to the context sent to the model.
- If multiple conditions are simultaneously true, all corresponding blocks are included — which is why it is important that the instructions do not contradict each other.
Usage examples
Common situations where conditional prompts solve problems without needing to create multiple agents:
- Instagram channel: shorter response, up to 3 sentences, no long lists, emojis in moderation
- Enterprise plan contact: confirm ticket number, priority SLA, escalate in under 2 hours if unresolved
- Hot lead: focus on the decision timeline, offer a call with the sales team, avoid drifting to support
- Spanish language: respond in neutral Spanish regardless of the language used in the message
Best practices
- Write small, focused conditional blocks — 2 to 4 clear instructions per block work much better than long blocks that try to cover every scenario
- Test each condition in isolation with the Internal chat using a contact that meets the condition before combining multiple conditions
- Do not replicate in the conditional block instructions that are already in the base prompt — this increases context size with no real benefit
- If a specific condition is being triggered in almost every conversation, move the instruction to the base prompt — it is probably not as conditional as it seems
Keep variable values synchronized with actual CRM data. A condition that is never true due to data inconsistency between systems is invisible and difficult to diagnose.
