Difference Between Custom Instructions, Prompt Templates & Follow-Up Buttons

Table of Contents

When working in CometAI, you’ll encounter three tools designed to make your experience smoother: Custom Instructions, Prompt Templates and Follow-Up Buttons. While they may sound similar, each serves a unique purpose. This article explains what they are, how they work, and how they differ so you know when to use each one.

Custom Instructions

Custom Instructions are rules or guidelines you set at the start of a conversation. They tell the model how you want it to behave throughout the entire interaction. Think of them as a way to “prime” the model to consistently get the style, tone, or format you prefer. Once applied, Custom Instructions remain active and influence every response in that conversation.

Examples

  • Always return answers as a PowerPoint outline.
  • Use concise bullet points instead of long paragraphs.
  • Maintain a professional tone in all responses.

 

The Advanced Conversation Settings icon is highlighted by a red box. Users must first select this to access the additional settings shown in following image.

 

The Custom Instructions dropdown menu is highlighted in a red box.

 

Prompt Templates

Prompt Templates are pre-written prompts with placeholders that you can quickly reuse. They save time by eliminating repetitive typing and allow you to create consistent prompts that can still be customized for each specific use.

Example

  • Summarize the following document in 3 bullet points: {{Document_Text}}.
    • When you use this template, you will be prompted to fill in the {{Document_Text}} placeholder with your content.
  • Prompt Templates are easy to share with your team and can include attached Custom Instructions for more control.

 

The Prompt Template button is highlighted in a red box on the right-side panel of the main chat window.

 

Follow-Up Button

Follow-Up Buttons are one-click shortcuts that allow you to run predefined instructions within a conversation. Unlike Prompt Templates that start a new conversation, these buttons are designed to streamline repetitive follow-up actions on existing content (e.g., reformatting or summarizing).

Their key feature is the ability to be contextual. You can set a Follow-Up Button to appear only in conversations that have specific tags, keeping your workspace clean and relevant. If no tags are required, the button will appear in every conversation.

Examples

  • A button that reformats a response into Markdown.
  • A button that summarizes a long answer into bullet points.

When to Use Each

  • Use Custom Instructions when... you need to define the AI's behavior, tone, or format for an entire conversation.
  • Use Prompt Templates when... you find yourself repeatedly typing similar prompts and want a reusable and shareable solution.
  • Use Follow-Up Buttons when... you want to create one-click shortcuts for common follow-up tasks, especially when you want those actions to appear only in specific contexts.

Quick Comparison

Feature

Custom Instructions

Prompt Templates

Follow-Up Button

What it is

Rules applied at the start of a conversation

Pre-written prompts with placeholders

One-click shortcuts for follow-up actions

Purpose

Tailor model behavior across responses

Reuse and customize prompts efficiently

Streamline repetitive, contextual follow-up actions

Persistence

Stays active throughout the conversation

Runs once when executed

Appears when required tags are present (or always, if none are set)

Example Workflow

Define Custom Instructions

  • Purpose: Shape the assistant's behavior throughout the onboarding flow.
  • Template Name: Friendly Onboarding
  • Prompt: Act as a friendly and helpful onboarding assistant. Always provide clear next steps and offer support resources. Use a welcoming tone and avoid technical jargon.
  • Conversation Tag: onboard

 

Screenshot of the Prompt Template popup window with ‘Custom Instructions’ selected under the Template Type.

Create a Prompt Template

  • Purpose: Launch the onboarding conversation and tag it for follow-up actions.
  • Template Name: Start Employee Onboarding
  • Custom Instructions: Friendly Onboarding
  • Prompt: Welcome to the team! Let's begin your onboarding process. Please confirm your start date and department.
  • Conversation Tag: onboard

 

Screenshot of the Prompt Template popup window with ‘Prompt Template’ selected under the Template Type.

Add Follow-Up Buttons

  • Purpose: Provide quick-access actions based on the onboarding tag.
  • Button Label: Watch Training Video
  • Prompt: Please watch this introductory video: [link]
  • Required Tag: onboard

Screenshot of the Prompt Template popup window with ‘Follow-up Button’ selected under the Template Type. The user added the tag ‘onboard’ under the Required Tags section.

Summary

Together, these three features provide a flexible toolkit for interacting with CometAI.

  • Custom Instructions shape how the AI behaves in a conversation.
  • Prompt Templates give you reusable prompts with flexibility for each run.
  • Follow-Up Buttons provide one-click shortcuts to streamline repetitive tasks.
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