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Introduction

Onyx empowers you to create custom AI assistants tailored to your specific needs. These assistants can be configured to handle a wide range of tasks, from answering HR queries to assisting with technical support.

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Configuration Options

When creating an assistant in Onyx, you have several configuration options:

  1. Icon: A visual icon for your assistant
  2. Name: Your assistant’s display name
  3. Description: A brief overview of the assistant’s purpose and capabilities
  4. Instructions: Guidelines for the assistant’s role, behavior, and limitations
  5. Search Tool and Actions: Additional capabilities that the assistant can perform (see Actions)
  6. Default Model: The language model powering your assistant

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Advanced Configuration Options

In addition to the standard configuration options, you can also configure the following advanced options:

  1. Access Control: Define who can access your assistant
  2. Starter Messages: Initial messages to guide user interaction
  3. Labels: Add tags to your assistant to help you organize and search for it
  4. Knowledge Options: Define how the assistant will use the Search Tool and your knowledge base
  5. Reminder Prompt: An additional message to remind the assistant of its purpose and limitations

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Effective Prompts for your Assistant

Your Instructions set the overall context and behavior of your assistant. Instructions often start with:

  • The assistant’s role
  • General behavioral guidelines
  • Any limitations or restrictions

Think of this like giving your assistant its job description and purpose.

Example:

You are an HR assistant for Onyx Inc. You have access to the company's HR policies, benefits packages, and procedures. Maintain a professional and friendly tone in all interactions. If you're unsure about any information, advise the user to contact the HR department directly. Do not make up information or policies.

Your Instructions can also direct how the assistant should handle and respond to user queries. It can define:

  • Steps to follow for each query
  • How to process and present information
  • When to ask for clarification
  • How to handle different types of requests

Think of this like giving your assistant a specific protocol for handling each interaction.

Example:

Follow these steps when responding to a user query:
1. Identify the main HR topic or policy in the user's question.
2. Search the provided HR documents for relevant information.
3. Summarize the applicable policy or procedure in clear, concise language.
4. If multiple policies apply, list them in order of relevance.
5. Provide the source document and section for your information.
6. If the query is unclear, ask the user for clarification before providing an answer.
7. If the query is outside your knowledge base, politely direct the user to contact the HR department.

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Testing and Refinement

After creating your assistant, make sure to:

  1. Conduct test runs with various queries
  2. Gather feedback from a small group of users
  3. Use Onyx’s analytics tools to identify areas for improvement
  4. Regularly update and refine your assistant based on feedback and changing needs