> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dialtu.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The prompt and variables

> How you instruct the agent and how to personalise it

The prompt is **a single document** in the centre column of the editor. Everything goes there: who the agent is, how it greets, what it should achieve, and what it must not do.

<Info>
  **📷 Screenshot needed** — the prompt editor with content and the variables tray open.

  Save to `/images/en/voice-agents/prompt-editor.png`
</Info>

## How to structure it

The editor suggests three sections. They aren't separate fields — just headings inside the same document:

```markdown theme={null}
## Context
You are Mila, calling on behalf of [your company]. We sell [product] to [customer type].
You're on the phone, so keep it short and natural.

## Call Flow
1. Greet them, say your name and who you're calling for.
2. Confirm you're speaking to the right person.
3. Explain the reason in one sentence.
4. If they show interest, offer to book an appointment.
5. Close by confirming the next step.

## Rules
- Never quote prices that aren't in this document.
- If asked something you don't know, say so and offer a callback from a person.
- If they ask not to be called again, apologise, confirm it, and end the call.
```

<Warning>
  **The greeting goes here.** Voice agents have **no first-message field**. If you don't write how the call should open, the agent will improvise.
</Warning>

<Tip>
  Write to be **heard, not read**. Short sentences, no long lists, and no heavy markdown in anything the agent will say out loud.
</Tip>

## The template

The **Use Template** button fills the document with a structured customer-service script, using `[COMPANY NAME]` placeholders you replace.

If you've already written something, it asks for confirmation first.

<Warning>
  **The Spanish template is incomplete.** The English version includes an AI safeguards block (rules against jailbreaking and hallucination) that is **missing from the Spanish version**.

  If your team works in Spanish, add your own safety rules manually, or copy the block across from the English template.
</Warning>

## The editor

| Feature              | How                                                                                  |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Formatting**       | Bold, italic, heading and bullet list in the toolbar                                 |
| **Pasting**          | Formatting is preserved; pasted text that looks like markdown converts automatically |
| **Search**           | `Ctrl` / `Cmd` + `F` inside the document                                             |
| **Insert variable**  | The **Insert Variable** button, or type `{{` or `[[`                                 |
| **Detect variables** | Scans the document and registers any it finds                                        |

## Variables

There are two kinds, with different syntax:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Client variables — {{name}}">
    Replaced with real data about the contact being called.

    The ones that resolve automatically are the contact's: name, first name, email and phone, plus their aliases. If the data is missing, a neutral phrase is substituted rather than leaving a gap.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Global variables — [[name]]">
    Intended for fixed values from your operation.

    <Warning>
      **Global variables are not substituted with any value.** There's no field anywhere to define their content: they reach the agent exactly as written.

      Use them as labels or reminders for yourself, not as data. If you need a value to reach the agent, write it directly into the prompt.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  The `(( ))` and `<< >>` syntaxes come from an older version of the editor and are no longer used. If you see them in an old agent, you can replace them.
</Note>

### The variables tray

Below the document. It shows declared variables, lets you create new ones with **+ Add** (type, name, colour and description), drag them into the text, and **Clean Unused** to remove ones that no longer appear.

### The date, automatically

Dialtu always appends a block with the current **day of week, date, time and timezone** to the end of the prompt. You don't have to do anything — the agent knows what day it is.

## FAQs

The **FAQ** button in the top bar opens a list of questions and answers. They're appended **after the prompt**, as a fallback for anything your script doesn't cover.

* No limit on count or length.
* **None can be left half-finished**: saving with a question but no answer blocks the save and reopens the modal.
* FAQs **count towards the per-minute price**, because they're part of the prompt that gets sent.

<Note>
  **There is no knowledge base.** You can't upload documents or PDFs. FAQs are simply more prompt text, so keep them short and specific.
</Note>

## Atlas, inside the editor

The first tab of the right panel. You can ask for changes in plain language — "make the tone warmer", "add an FAQ about opening hours" — and it applies them to the agent.

In create mode, **Atlas can build the entire agent** for you from a description.

<Warning>
  **Atlas consumes credits**, unlike the test panel, which is free.
</Warning>

If Atlas changes the agent while you have unsaved edits, a notice appears letting you choose between **Reload** and **Keep my edits**.

## Next step

<Card title="Voice, call and AI features" icon="sliders" href="/en/voice-agents/configure">
  How the agent sounds, and what it does when the call ends.
</Card>