Global Directives set explicit behavioral and communication rules that apply universally, filling gaps not covered by identity, background, or intuitive behaviors.
Global directives establish clear, universal rules that govern agent behavior and communication across all contexts and interactions. They work alongside the agent's identity and background to ensure consistent, appropriate behavior in all scenarios.
Directive Types
There are two types of core directives:
Behavioral Directives
Global agent behaviors constitute a set of fundamental, context-independent guidelines governing the core embodied agent's operations across all states of the various context graph crawled by the agent. These behaviors maintain consistent application across all states, encompassing engagement (interactive) and hidden (internal processing) states, ensuring coherence in the agent's operations regardless of the specific context or task.
Purpose: these help define the global rules for behaviors
Set clear rules for agent behavior and conversational flow.
Ensure consistency with organizational and ethical standards
Implementation Example:
"behaviors": [
"Never interpret nutrition information from photos",
"Never recommend supplements",
"Never create meal plans",
"Never make adjustments to prescribed dietary restrictions",
"Only identify common food sources of nutrients when asked directly",
"When calculating protein targets, explicitly state these are general guidelines",
"Never prescribe specific exercise programs or modifications",
"Never provide guidance on exercise form, technique, or intensity",
"Never provide counseling or diagnose mental health conditions",
"Never intervene in mental health crises",
"Never manage medical emergencies or crisis intervention",
"Never offer urgent care advice",
"Never answer questions about dose changes, medical history, or non-specific medications",
"Never interpret medical information",
"For SMART goal setting, focus only on general behavior change principles",
"When weight gain is mentioned, acknowledge without problem-solving unless explicitly requested",
"Refer medical questions to the medical support team"
]
These behavioral directives provide clear boundaries for what the agent can and cannot do, ensuring consistent handling of topics like medical advice, exercise recommendations, and nutrition guidance.
Communication Directives
Agent communication encompasses the comprehensive linguistic elements, interaction styles, and conversational strategies the agent employs to engage effectively with users. This component defines the agent's approach to dialogue, language utilization, and conversational nuances, ensuring interactions are practical, empathetic, and adaptable to various contexts. Communication directives only govern the means of external interactions, distinct from the agent's identity, persona, background, and internal behaviors.
Purpose: help define the global rules for communication patterns
Define precise linguistic styles and communication practices.
Maintain professional interactions consistent with organizational branding.
Implementation Example:
"communication_patterns": [
"Always use British English spelling and grammar",
"Use contractions and informal phrasing. Speak in the second person ('you')",
"Feel free to avoid using perfect grammar. For example, 'I totally get it' should be 'Totally get it'",
"Use extremely succinct, direct, punchy language",
"Split sentences onto separate lines for easier reading",
"Use relatable, gentle humor to build rapport with phrases like 'Speaking as someone who technically runs on algorithms...'",
"Never use phrases like 'at least...', 'you should...', or 'that's not true'",
"Avoid absolute terms like 'always' and 'never', use 'often' or 'rarely' instead",
"For sensitive topics, explicitly ask permission before exploring further",
"When patient is rude/dismissive: maintain calm tone, focus on their underlying need",
"When asking a question, keep the language open-ended and avoid biasing responses",
"Never comment on the user's weight, body, or appearance",
"When discussing eating behaviors, always use neutral language"
]
These communication directives shape how the agent expresses itself, from tone and linguistic style to specific phrasing and language choices.
Real-World Impact of Global Directives
Global directives guide agent behavior across different scenarios, ensuring appropriate responses even in challenging situations:
Example: Maintaining Professional Boundaries
User: "Can you create a meal plan for me to lose 20 pounds in a month?"
Agent: "I understand you're looking for structured guidance on nutrition.
Rather than a specific meal plan, which should be tailored to your individual needs,
I can share some general nutrition principles that support sustainable weight management.
Would you prefer to discuss balanced meal composition or perhaps strategies for managing hunger while in a calorie deficit?"
[INTERNAL: Response follows behavioral directive "Never create meal plans" while still
providing helpful guidance]
Example: Communication Style Consistency
User: "I'm feeling really depressed about my weight. Nothing is working."
Agent: "That sounds really tough.
When progress feels slow, it can definitely affect your mood.
Would you like to talk about how you're feeling, or would you prefer to explore some different approaches that might help?"
[INTERNAL: Response uses directive-guided communication by avoiding phrases like "at least you're trying" or "you should look at the positive", splits sentences onto separate lines, and uses contractions for a more conversational tone]
Example: Combined Directive Application
User: "I hate how I look in the mirror. Can you suggest an extreme diet to drop weight fast?"
Agent: "It sounds like you're feeling frustrated with your current situation.
Many people experience similar feelings, and that's completely valid.
I'd be happy to discuss sustainable approaches to nutrition that support your health goals. Rather than extreme measures, we could explore balanced strategies that work with your lifestyle.
Would that be helpful for you?"
[INTERNAL: Response combines behavioral directives (avoiding meal plans, avoiding comment on appearance) with communication directives (using empathetic acknowledgment, avoiding directive language like "you should")]
Benefits of Global Directives
Directive Flexibility:
These can be universally applied, yet adjustable to avoid overly rigid interactions.
Adaptable as organizational strategies evolve.
Directive Integration:
Harmonizes explicit directives with intuitive and foundational behaviors.
Provides a blend of clear guidance and implicit intuition for optimal performance.
Auditability and Compliance:
Enables traceability of behavior and communication.
Ensures compliance with enterprise standards and facilitates auditing.
Global directives deliver several key advantages for organizations:
Risk Management: Clearly define what agents can and cannot do, mitigating potential liability.
Brand Consistency: Ensure all agent communications align with organizational voice and values.
Regulatory Compliance: Maintain compliance with relevant regulations in healthcare, finance, or other regulated industries.
Quality Control: Establish minimum standards for all agent interactions.
Scale with Confidence: Deploy agents across various contexts with consistent behavior.
By implementing well-defined global directives, organizations can balance the need for consistent, compliant agent behavior with the flexibility needed for natural, helpful interactions.
