Older agents: classic fields and Instructions
Agents made before the Instructions document existed kept their prompt in separate "classic" fields: character, job, context, guardrails, a "when stuck" line, WhatsApp rules and voice rules. Those separate boxes are gone from the editor. Every agent now shows one Instructions document.
Find it: Sidebar → Agents → open an older agent → Instructions
What you see on an older agent
When you open an older agent, Voxido builds a document from its classic fields and shows it in the Instructions box. Each field becomes a heading:
| Classic field | Heading in the document |
|---|---|
| Character | # Identity & style |
| Job | # Job |
| Context | # Context |
| Guardrails | # Guardrails (one bullet per rule) |
| When stuck | # When stuck |
| WhatsApp rules | # On WhatsApp |
| Voice rules | # On voice |
Empty fields are left out.
The one thing to know
As long as you don't change this document, the agent keeps running exactly as before, built from its classic fields.
The first time you edit the document and click Save, the agent switches to the document. From then on it uses your document exactly as written. The classic fields stay stored, but they are no longer used.
Should I edit an older agent's Instructions?
| Your situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The agent works well and you don't need changes | Leave the Instructions alone | Nothing changes for customers. |
| You need to change what the agent says or does | Edit the document, save, and test on calls and WhatsApp | Editing is the only way to change the prompt now. |
| You're about to change a lot | Edit, then compare against a sample prompt | A good moment to tidy up into the six parts. See Write your agent's instructions. |
Move an older agent to the document safely
- Open the agent and read the document Voxido built. Copy it somewhere safe (in Markdown view, select all and copy).
- Make your change. Rename
# Identity & styleto# Identityif you like; headings are for readability. - Check the
# On voiceand# On WhatsAppsections. Older agents received some default wording for calls and chats that the document doesn't contain. Add a line or two if the agent needs it, for example "One or two sentences per turn" under# On voice. - Click Save. You'll see: "Saved". This is now the first entry in the agent's versions menu.
- Click Try it live and have a test call. If it also works on WhatsApp, send it a test message.
You can't switch back by emptying the box
The Instructions can't be saved empty ("Describe what this agent should do"). Once an agent uses the document, keep improving the document. Older versions you saved can be restored from the versions menu. See History and versions.
Common problems
I saved other settings. Did that switch my agent to the document? No. Saving without changing the document keeps the agent on its classic fields.
Where did the Guardrails box go? Write guardrails as bullets under a # Rules or # Guardrails heading in the document.