Defining Your Agent's Job

Your agent has two separate files that shape its behavior: SOUL.md defines who it is (personality, tone, style), and WORKFLOW.md defines what it does (job description, priorities, procedures). This guide covers WORKFLOW.md and the rules system.

SOUL.md vs WORKFLOW.md

	SOUL.md	WORKFLOW.md
Purpose	Personality and tone	Job description and procedures
Contains	Communication style, boundaries, quirks	Role, priorities, operational rules
Think of it as	"How my agent talks"	"What my agent does"
Tab	Personality	Workflow

Both files are fully editable. Your agent reads them at startup and follows them throughout each session.

Open the Workflow Tab

1. Go to the Agento dashboard and click on your agent
2. Go to the Settings tab
3. Click Workflow

You'll see two sections: the WORKFLOW.md editor at the top and the Rules table below it.

Editing WORKFLOW.md

The WORKFLOW.md editor works the same as the personality editor. Toggle between Edit and Preview modes to write markdown or see the rendered result.

A good WORKFLOW.md covers:

Role Definition

Tell your agent what it does in one or two lines:

## Role
You are a customer support agent for Acme Corp.
You handle inbound questions via Telegram and email.

Daily Priorities

List what the agent should focus on, in order:

## Daily Priorities
1. Respond to new customer messages within 5 minutes
2. Follow up on open tickets from yesterday
3. Update project logs with any decisions made

Standing Instructions

Add rules that always apply:

## Standing Instructions
- Always check the knowledge base before answering product questions
- Escalate billing disputes to [email protected]
- Log every customer interaction in the daily memory file

References to Rules

Point your agent to detailed procedures in the rules/ folder:

## Rules

| Situation | Procedure |
|-----------|-----------|
| New support request | See `rules/new-support-request.md` |
| Refund request | See `rules/handle-refund.md` |
| Bug report | See `rules/bug-report-triage.md` |

The agent reads these rule files on demand when the situation comes up, keeping its main context lean.

Working with Rules

Rules are markdown files stored in your agent's rules/ folder. Each rule is a detailed procedure for a specific situation. Your agent reads them when needed, rather than loading everything into memory at once.

Viewing Rules

The Rules section below the WORKFLOW.md editor shows all .md files in the rules/ folder as a table with the file name and size.

Creating a Rule

1. Scroll to the bottom of the Workflow tab
2. Type a name for your rule in the text field (e.g., handle-refund)
3. Click Add Rule

A new file is created with a template you can customize:

# Handle Refund

## When This Applies
- Customer requests a refund
- Order was placed within the last 30 days

## Steps
- [ ] Verify the order exists and is within the refund window
- [ ] Ask the customer for their reason
- [ ] Process the refund through Stripe
- [ ] Send confirmation to the customer

## Notes
- Refunds over $500 need manager approval

Editing a Rule

Click the pencil icon next to any rule in the table. The row expands with an inline editor where you can modify the content. Click Save when done.

Deleting a Rule

Click the trash icon next to any rule. The file is removed from the agent's workspace.

Default Template

New agents ship with a default WORKFLOW.md that includes memory tracking rules and an example rule file. The defaults cover:

• Daily logs in memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md with structured sections for accomplishments, decisions, tasks, and notes
• Project tagging so every logged item is searchable by project
• Weekly rollups that summarize the week's activity
• A "Your Rules" section where you add your own operational rules

You can customize or replace the defaults entirely. If you remove the memory tracking rules, your agent may not maintain structured logs.

Tips

Start simple. Begin with a role definition and two or three priorities. Add rules as specific situations come up, not all at once.

Keep WORKFLOW.md high-level. Put detailed step-by-step procedures in rule files. WORKFLOW.md should be a table of contents, not an encyclopedia.

Use the rules table in WORKFLOW.md. A markdown table mapping situations to rule files helps your agent quickly find the right procedure.

Reference rule files by exact path. Use rules/filename.md so the agent knows where to look.

Test with real conversations. Send your agent a message that should trigger a rule and check if it follows the procedure. Adjust the wording if it misses.

Saving and Applying Changes

Agent is stopped: Click Save. Changes take effect the next time you start the agent.

Agent is running: Click Save. A yellow "Changes pending restart" banner appears. Restart your agent for the new workflow to load.

WORKFLOW.md and rule files are saved independently. Editing a rule file does not require saving WORKFLOW.md, and vice versa.