Assistant Instructions, Welcome Messages, and Translation
Assistant instructions control response behavior, while Display Name and Welcome Message control visible identity and the first conversation message.
The welcome message is a greeting shown at the beginning of a conversation; instructions are private operational guidance sent to the model on each response. Good instructions define scope, preferred sources, tone, uncertainty, and escalation without pretending to enforce security. AI translation is an authoring aid that replaces a form value only after an administrator reviews and applies it.
Start with the smallest safe step: open the active assistant for editing. Do not consider the task finished before you retest representative and out-of-scope questions; this is where the configuration is tested in the context that truly consumes it.
What this feature does and when to use it
Section titled “What this feature does and when to use it”Use these fields to define scope, tone, escalation rules, and what the assistant should do when knowledge is missing.
Use this feature in the following situations:
- The assistant answers in the wrong tone, claims knowledge it does not have, or needs a clear human-escalation rule.
- You need a visitor greeting that sets accurate expectations before the first question.
- You maintain equivalent instructions or messages in one of the seven supported authoring languages.
Where to find it
Section titled “Where to find it”Before you begin
Section titled “Before you begin”- SmartSite Assistant is installed and activated.
- You are signed in with an account that can manage WordPress options.
Set it up step by step
Section titled “Set it up step by step”- Open the active assistant for editing.
- State the assistant role, allowed scope, source preference, uncertainty behavior, and escalation path in Instructions.
- Keep the Welcome Message short and set correct expectations.
- To translate, expand Translate with AI, choose one of the seven supported languages or the plugin default, add optional guidance, and select Translate.
- Review the read-only preview, then Apply to replace the field value.
- Save the assistant; applying a translation alone does not save the form.
- Retest representative and out-of-scope questions.
Fields, controls, and important values
Section titled “Fields, controls, and important values”The content fields here shape the conversation before and after a visitor sends a message. Instructions influence every generated answer, so they should clearly define scope, tone, uncertainty, and tool use. Welcome text and translations help visitors begin in the right language, but they do not improve factual accuracy unless the underlying instructions and knowledge are also complete.
| Field, control, or status | What SmartSite Assistant does with it | How to use it and why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions | Sanitized with wp_kses_post and sent as developer guidance. Keep Markdown and placeholders intentional. | Write “Instructions” for the person or system that consumes it: a visitor, an administrator, or the model. Specific wording can guide better questions or tool selection; vague promises and mixed purposes make expectations—and sometimes responses—less reliable. |
| Translate with AI | Uses gpt-4.1-mini, temperature 0.1, store=false. Source limit 25,000 characters; guidance limit 240. | “Translate with AI” belongs to the assistant profile rather than the shared knowledge library. Uses gpt-4.1-mini, temperature 0.1, store=false. Source limit 25,000 characters; guidance limit 240. Test it with a new conversation so earlier context does not hide whether the active profile’s behavior changed. |
| Language | English, Dutch, German, Spanish, French, Croatian, or Italian; “plugin default” resolves to Settings → General. | Changing “Language” can alter capability, wording, speed, cost, or language, but it cannot fill gaps in the knowledge base. Compare the same realistic prompts before deciding that a model or translation choice is an improvement. |
| Review / Apply | Lets an administrator inspect the generated translation before replacing the form field. | Choose “Review / Apply” after checking dependent values and any warning on the screen. A saved configuration can still be incomplete, so confirm the observable result in a fresh session rather than stopping at the green notice. |
How to confirm it is working
Section titled “How to confirm it is working”Use a separate test session to confirm Assistant Instructions, Welcome Messages, and Translation. This keeps existing login, browser storage, and response history from hiding the change, and it shows whether the result reaches the complete workflow rather than stopping at WordPress storage.
Practical example
Section titled “Practical example”Tell a support assistant to answer from synchronized policies, say when information is absent, and direct account-specific cases to a human.
Recommended practice
Section titled “Recommended practice”- Change one part of Assistant Instructions, Welcome Messages, and Translation at a time and keep a short record of the previous value and test result.
- Compare the same representative prompts before and after the edit so changes in tone, scope, and tool choice are visible.
Important warnings
Section titled “Important warnings”Common problems and focused checks
Section titled “Common problems and focused checks”| Problem | What to check and what to do next |
|---|---|
| Translation is unavailable. | Add the regular OpenAI API key first. |
| Review becomes stale. | The source changed after translation; run Translate again before applying. |
| Assistant Instructions, Welcome Messages, and Translation is missing or does not match this guide. | Confirm the plugin is active and the account can manage WordPress options. Confirm which local profile is active before editing instructions or blaming the knowledge base. |
| A change on Assistant Instructions, Welcome Messages, and Translation does not produce the expected result. | Keep the exact notice and test case, then review the browser console and WordPress/PHP log. Confirm which local profile is active before editing instructions or blaming the knowledge base. |
Screen reference
Section titled “Screen reference”- Capture
- Open the Review translation modal over a fictional assistant edit form, showing translated text but no organization-specific policy.
- Show
- Translation language, guidance, review text, Cancel and Apply buttons
- Viewport
- Desktop, 1440 × 900
- Annotate
- Use numbered callouts only for controls referenced in the procedure.
- Redact
- OpenAI keys, tokens, secrets, personal information, private URLs, IP addresses, and conversation text