Instructions
Last updated: October 19, 2026
Instructions tell Iris how to write: the tone, the length, the audience, the format. They don't change which sources Iris reads (that's what tags do), and they don't supply facts. This page is where your organization keeps its reusable instructions, plus two other things Iris reads when it writes: a short company description and saved project contexts.
Open Settings > Instructions. You'll see three blocks, top to bottom.
Company Context at the top, then your saved instructions, then Default Project Contexts at the bottom.
Company Context
A short blurb about your company, up to 4096 characters. Iris shares it with every Ask Iris answer and with proposal generation. It's pre-filled from your setup, and you can refine it any time. Only organization administrators can edit it. Everyone else sees it read-only. Edit the text and click Save, or Discard to undo.
Custom Instructions Management
This table lists every saved instruction with its Title, the Instruction text, Created By and Created Date. One instruction can be the organization default, marked Default. Click Add New Instruction to make one. A pop-up titled Add Instruction opens, and you can write the instruction yourself or let the builder write it.
Write it yourself
The Freeform tab is a title and a box. Instructions can be up to 5048 characters, but shorter works better. Some that teams use:
"Responses should be concise and use a professional tone."
"This is for a government vendor, where complex and well-detailed answers are important."
"Use bullet points where possible."
"Respond with simply yes or no where applicable."
"Begin each answer with 'Acme believes...'"
Keep instructions about format and tone, not content. Be specific, and try a new one on a few questions before you make it the default.
Use the Custom Instructions Builder
The Builder tab writes the instruction for you. Make your choices on the left and Iris builds the text under Generated instruction on the right as you go.
The Add Instruction pop-up on the Builder tab. It's long, so scroll to see every choice. Pick an audience and the instruction takes shape under Generated instruction.
Field | What you choose |
|---|---|
Title | A name your team will recognize, such as "Public Sector". |
Who is your audience? | Security Reviewer, RFP Evaluator, DDQ Reviewer, Executive Reviewer or Technical Evaluator. This shapes the tone and detail more than anything else. When you pick one, a short note on that audience appears below the choices. |
Response length | 1-2 sentences, 2-3 sentences, 3-5 sentences or Full paragraphs. |
Company voice | Your Company name, and a Point of view: We/Our, Company Name or Passive Voice. |
Industry context | Healthcare, Financial Services, Government or Education. |
Modifiers | Mirror source voice, Sales positioning, No marketing fluff, Evidence-linked and Gap honesty. |
Language | English (US), English (UK), Spanish, French or German. |
Custom rules | Anything else, one rule at a time. Type it and click Add. |
Gap honesty adds text only when the audience is Security Reviewer. To adjust the result by hand, turn on Edit manually. After that, changes in the builder no longer update the text.
Check Set as default instruction if this should be your organization's default. An organization has one default, and Iris asks before replacing the current one. Click Add to save.
Default Project Contexts
A default project context is a saved block of facts and background, such as "This section is about Product A, which is very different from Product B." Click Add Default Project Context, give it a Title and the Context (up to 4096 characters), and save. People with the Project Contexts permission can use them. Adding, editing and deleting needs Manage Project Contexts.
Default Project Contexts, here with none saved yet. Contexts you save show up as choices when someone starts or regenerates a project.
Context is about what's true. An instruction is about how to say it. For how the two work together, and where each one wins, see Understanding Project Context and Custom Instructions.
Where people pick an instruction
New project: in Project Content Details, under saved custom instructions. The organization default is pre-selected unless the person picked a project preset with its own instruction or typed one.
Section setup when mapping a questionnaire: Use Pre-Defined Instruction (optional).
Regenerate: choose a saved instruction, or write one and click Save as New to keep it.
Ask Iris: Response instructions, for one question.
Project presets: a preset can hold an instruction. See Project Presets.
Dropdown answers ignore instructions.
Edit and delete
Click the menu at the end of a row, then Edit or Delete. Editing always opens the plain text box, even for an instruction you built. To change one choice you made in the builder, edit the text, or build a new instruction.
Editing changes the instruction for anything you generate afterward. Answers Iris already wrote don't change.
Deleting can't be undone. The instruction disappears from every picker. Projects that already used it keep working. A project preset that included it may still show it, so open your presets and choose a different instruction.
Deleting the default instruction leaves your organization with no default.
Adding, editing and deleting each have their own permission: Create Custom Instruction, Edit Custom Instruction and Delete Custom Instruction. If an action fails, ask an administrator.