Custom prompts
Rivets uses a handful of built-in prompts for its own features, such as naming tasks and writing pull request descriptions. You can replace any of them for your account, your organization, or a single repository. The prompts run on your workers with your own agents, like everything else.
The six prompts
| Prompt | Used for | Placeholders |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace instructions | Prepended when an agent runtime starts in a task. | {{workspacePath}}, {{baseBranch}} |
| Task naming | Creates task titles and branch names. | |
| Commit messages | Writes a commit subject when no message was supplied. | |
| Pull requests | Writes the title and body when a pull request is created. | |
| Rivets assistant | The system prompt for the conversational assistant. | {{repoName}}, {{workspacePath}} |
| Code review | Attached to the chat the Review button opens. | {{baseBranch}}, {{branch}} |
Placeholders are replaced with the task’s values when the prompt is used.
How layering works
Each prompt is resolved from the most specific level that sets it:
- Repository. Set by owners for one repository.
- Account. Set by you, for yourself.
- Organization. Set by owners for everyone in the organization.
- Platform. Set by Rivets.
- Built-in default.
A level that has not set a prompt inherits from the next one down. For example, if an owner writes a Pull requests prompt for the organization and you have not written one for your account, your pull requests use the organization’s. A repository prompt takes precedence over both.
Edit prompts in Settings
- Open Settings › Prompts.
- Under Edit level, choose My account, Organization, or Repository. Organization and repository levels require owner access. For Repository, pick the repository.
- Each prompt shows its current text. A badge shows whether it is set at this level or Inherited from another level.
- Edit the text and choose Save.
Edit prompts for a repository
Owners can also edit a repository’s prompts from Repository settings, opened from the project’s menu on Home. Under Prompt overrides, edit a prompt and choose Save override. Repository prompts take precedence over account and organization defaults.
The same dialog holds the repository’s merge method. See Pull requests and merging.
Go back to the inherited prompt
To remove your override at a level, choose Use inherited. The prompt falls back to the next level down. There is no separate reset: removing every override returns you to the built-in default.
Tips
- Put project conventions in Workspace instructions at the repository level: test commands, code style, directories to avoid. Every agent run in that repository starts with them.
- Put team-wide writing rules in Pull requests and Commit messages at the organization level, for example a required pull request template or commit prefix.
- Put review rules in Code review at the repository level, so every review in that repository applies them.
- Keep account prompts for personal preferences. They apply to you and nobody else.