Instructions

/instructions are reusable prompts. They can accept dynamic input using $arguments and reference shared @knowledge. This page explains how arguments work and how to reference knowledge in them.

When to use instructions

Instructions work well for repeated workflows like code review (brand compliance, style checks, security review against a checklist), generating code or tests from specs or guidelines, refactoring and formatting with style guides, and producing documentation or summaries from codebases or knowledge. They also support dynamic $arguments for user input and @references to pull in static knowledge, and keep prompts in one place so your assistant always runs the latest version once published.

Example

An instruction that gives the assistant a clear task and references shared context. When the user runs it with a code snippet, the model gets this prompt plus the content of @brand-guidelines:

Title: review-brand-compliance.md
Description: Reviews code snippets for compliance with brand guidelines.

Your review MUST be based exclusively on @brand-guidelines. Do not use other design knowledge.

When the user provides a code snippet:
1. Analyze colors, typography, and styling in the code.
2. Compare against the palettes and fonts in @brand-guidelines.
3. Report: Pass, or list issues with location and suggested fix.

Code to review: $codeSnippet

Here $codeSnippet is an argument (the user supplies the code when they run the instruction) and @brand-guidelines is referenced knowledge. To reference knowledge in an instruction, use @fileName (see Referencing knowledge in instructions).

Arguments

Type $ in the editor, then the argument name, then Enter. A popover opens next to the argument.

• Name: Pre-filled; edit to change the $name in the prompt.

• Description: Optional; shown when the user runs the instruction.

• Required: Toggle; defaults to optional. Tells MCP whether the argument must be supplied.

One instruction can cover many use cases without rewriting the prompt.

When you run an instruction that has a required argument, the assistant prompts for it before calling the model. Example: /review-brand-compliance asks for $codeSnippet, you paste the code, then the assistant loads @brand-guidelines and returns a compliance check.

Referencing @knowledge in /instructions

In your prompt content, reference a knowledge file by name:

@fileName

Examples:
• Base your review on @brand-guidelines
• Generate this route based on @api-schema
• Use @frontend-style-guide for naming

Reference names must match the knowledge file name exactly (use @fileName syntax), including casing, and the referenced file must be published. See Knowledge for how to create and publish knowledge files.