Which construct for which job
Start from the change you want
Parlant gives your agent several kinds of building blocks, and each one has a job. Most surprises come from using one for another's job: a tone of voice written as a policy, or a business rule written into the agent's instructions. Find the change you want below, and use the construct it names.
- Which construct makes each kind of change to your agent
- Where each one is covered in depth
| You want to… | Use | Where it's covered |
|---|---|---|
| Set who the agent is and what it's for | The agent's name and instructions. They are always present, so keep them to identity and orientation. | Agent architecture guide |
| Shape its tone, wording, or response length | Canned responses with notes: example messages the agent imitates. Put them on the agent, or attach them to an existing rule for priority in that situation. | Shaping tone and wording |
| Tell it what to do in a situation | A policy: a document, a procedure, or a short steering guideline. | Designing policies |
| Recognize a situation and hang things off it | An observation, carrying the tools, labels, effort, reviews or dependent policies that should follow from it. | Observations and policies |
| Look something up or act on a system | A tool, attached to the rule that says when it matters. | Creating tools |
| Answer from your own content | A retriever. | Retrieving knowledge |
| Make it read a word the way you mean it | A glossary term. | Scaling complexity |
| Give it facts about the customer | A variable. | Guests and customers |
| Take more care at a high-stakes moment | An observation that raises the effort level. | Adaptive effort |
| Check replies or tool calls before they go out | Message review or tool review, triggered by the rules where it matters. | Message reviews, Tool reviews |
| Count or find conversations of a kind | A label on the rule that recognizes them. | Session analytics |
Note that a policy is rarely the answer to "it should sound different". Policies guide behavior, and each one restricts your agent, so add one only when the default behavior needs changing.
If you're a coding agent reading this: check this table before changing the agent's behavior or wording, and use parlant docs query when you're unsure. Start with canned responses and notes for style, and leave weights at their defaults. Discuss any need for a style policy or a weight change with the person you work with, using examples of where the default fell short.