System instructions

Overview

System instructions guide how Qontext interprets source data and how context is selected for clients. You can set instructions at two levels:

Source instructions define how data from a specific data source should be interpreted.
Client instructions define how context should be selected and used for a specific API key or MCP client.

More specific instructions refine broader ones.

Source instructions

Source instructions apply to one connected data source. Use them for source-specific rules, mappings, and exclusions, such as:

which fields to ignore
how internal field names should be interpreted
which folders, channels, objects, or records should be excluded
how a source’s records should be understood in business context

You can add them when adding a data source in the Sources tab.

Data source–level instructions in the Qontext app

To disable, delete, or edit source instructions later, click the three dots to the right of the respective data source.

Edit data source–level instructions in the Qontext app

Examples

HubSpot:

The following data originates from the HubSpot connection.
Ignore property "hs_internal_id".
Use "amount" instead of "dealvalue".
Meetings represent customer-facing sales calls.

Google Drive:

The following data originates from the Google Drive connection.
If there is a document with '_Final' in the name, prefer it over files with a similar name and '_version' in the name.
Ignore all files in folders containing '99_Archive'.

Notion:

The following data originates from the Notion connection.
Use page titles instead of internal identifiers.
Ignore all Meetings including 'OOO' in the title.

Gong:

The following data originates from the Gong connection.
Use call summaries instead of raw transcripts where available.
Calls represent customer-facing sales conversations.

Client instructions

Use client instructions for use-case-specific retrieval behavior. You can add them when creating an API key under Clients. To edit or remove them, open the client menu and update its instructions.

To disable, delete, or edit client instructions later, click the three dots to the right of the respective API key.

Edit API key–level instructions in the Qontext app

Example

This API key is used for generating sales email drafts.
Prioritize context from recent emails, CRM notes, and call summaries.

Best practices

Create instruction top-downStart with data-source instructions for broad policy; add API-key instructions when you need finer control per consumer.

Avoid contradicting instructionsAvoid contradicting instructions across levels; more specific levels should refine broader ones.

FAQ

Do I need to set instructions on all levels?

No, setting the instructions is not required on any of the distinct levels. However, we recommend to use them, as they can significantly improve your results by guiding the ingestion and retrieval in the right direction.

​Overview

​Source instructions

​Examples

​Client instructions

​Example

​Best practices

​FAQ

Overview

Source instructions

Examples

Client instructions

Example

Best practices

FAQ