How System Messages Work

A system message is the instruction template that tells your AI how to behave in every conversation — its persona, which topics to handle, when to escalate to a human, and which tools to use. VoxeDesk generates one automatically when you create a support chat.

How to view and edit system messages

1. Go to Dashboard → System Messages
2. Find the system message linked to your support chat or workflow
3. Click to open and edit
4. Save your changes

After editing, restart the workflow so the AI picks up the new instructions.

Protected and editable sections

System messages contain two types of sections:

Editable sections are where you customize the AI's tone, persona, topic coverage, and specific policies. These are yours to change.

Protected sections are auto-managed by VoxeDesk and should not be manually edited or deleted. They are added and updated automatically when you enable or disable certain features:

• When you connect a Business Data integration (WooCommerce, Shopify, HubSpot, etc.), a protected section is added to tell the AI which tools are available and how to use them.
• When you enable Smart Page Context, a SmartPage_Context protected section is added so the AI knows how to interpret page information from the chat widget.
• When you connect a Calendar integration, scheduling rules and tool instructions are added automatically.

If you delete a protected section, it will be regenerated the next time the workflow is restarted or the related integration is toggled.

When system messages regenerate automatically

VoxeDesk regenerates parts of the system message automatically when:

• A knowledge base is linked or unlinked from the workflow
• A calendar integration is connected or disconnected
• A business data integration is enabled or disabled
• Smart Page Context is turned on or off

These changes update the relevant sections while leaving your custom editable content untouched.

Tips for editing

• Be specific. Vague instructions like "be helpful" produce inconsistent results. Instead: "Always greet customers by name if provided, and focus responses on our product line only."
• Test after every change. Send a few messages through your support chat to verify the AI behaves as intended before sharing with customers.
• Restart the workflow after saving significant changes to ensure they take effect in the automation.

What's next

• How to Start, Stop, or Restart a Workflow — apply your changes
• How to Link a Knowledge Base to a Workflow — give the AI the right documents to draw from