> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.weav.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# General settings

> Learn what each setting does in the agent Settings tab, with practical guidance for tone, response length, prohibited phrases, and context.

<Note>
  This page is different from the **Chat** and **Email** tabs.\
  The settings below affect the agent’s core identity and response behavior.
</Note>

***

## General settings

### Name

Your internal display name for this agent.

* Shows in the Agents sidebar and settings screens
* Helps teammates identify the right agent quickly

**Best practices**

* Use role-based names (`Support Assistant`, `Billing Assistant`)
* Avoid ambiguous names (`Agent 1`, `Test Bot`)

***

### Avatar

Profile image used for this agent in UI previews and agent lists.

* Purely visual/identity
* Does not change model behavior

**Best practices**

* Use a clear, brand-aligned icon
* Keep style consistent across all agents in a workspace

***

### ID

Read-only unique ID for the agent, with copy-to-clipboard.

* Useful for support/debugging
* Safe to share internally when referencing a specific agent config

***

## Guidance settings (behavior controls)

These are the most important controls for output quality.

### Tone

Controls *how* the agent says things.

Available options:

* `Warm`
* `Neutral`
* `Professional`
* `Direct`
* `Witty`

#### When to use each tone

| Tone         | Best for                                   | Watch out for                         |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| Warm         | Customer support, high-empathy moments     | Can become verbose or too casual      |
| Neutral      | Mixed workloads, general support           | Can feel generic if overused          |
| Professional | B2B, compliance-heavy, formal comms        | Can sound rigid if over-formal        |
| Direct       | High-volume queues, urgent troubleshooting | Can sound abrupt if not softened      |
| Witty        | Brand voice with personality               | Can sound flippant in sensitive cases |

#### Tone best practices

* Choose one tone per agent and keep it stable
* Match tone to audience (B2B vs consumer)
* If you use Witty, add clear prohibited phrases and context guardrails

***

### **Response length**

Controls *how much detail* the agent gives.

Available options:

* Short
* Standard
* Long

#### How to choose

| Length   | Best for                                       | Risk                     |
| -------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Short    | High-volume support, quick confirmations       | May omit required detail |
| Standard | Most support teams (default recommendation)    | Low risk                 |
| Long     | Complex technical issues, policy-heavy answers | Can overwhelm customers  |

***

### **Prohibited phrases**

A managed list of words/phrases the agent should avoid using when generating responses.

Examples:

* “That’s our policy”
* “I can’t help with that”
* “As an AI language model”

#### How it works

* You maintain the list by clicking **Manage**
* The system instructs the model to never use these phrases

<Warning>
  For strict compliance needs, include phrase variants and continuously review responses.
</Warning>

***

### **Context**

Business context that helps the agent understand your business.

<Tip>
  Think of this as important knowledge that you want your agent to know about your business.
</Tip>

#### What to include

* Product/service scope
* Support boundaries (what you do and don’t support)
* Contact and escalation paths
* Key policies (refunds, SLAs, shipping windows)
* Canonical links or docs to trust

#### What not to include

* Secrets (API keys, passwords, private credentials)
* Time-sensitive data likely to go stale quickly
* Ambiguous or conflicting policy text

#### Good context example

> Weav is a B2B customer support platform for SMB teams.
>
> Support hours: Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm ET.
>
> Refund policy: monthly plans can be refunded within 14 days of first payment.
>
> For billing disputes, route customers to [billing@weav.com](mailto:billing@weav.com) and ask for invoice ID.
>
> Do not provide legal advice or respond to questions unrelated to Weav. For security requests, escalate to [security@weav.com](mailto:security@weav.com).

#### Bad context example

> We are the best support company. Be helpful and nice. We do many things.

#### Context best practices

* Write for decisions, not marketing
* Use short bullets and explicit rules
* Update when policy/process changes
* Add examples of edge cases your team sees often

***

## **How these settings work together**

At generation time, the agent is guided by:

1. Base system prompt
2. Your **Context**
3. Your **Response length**
4. Your **Tone**
5. Your **Prohibited phrases**

This means all four guidance settings are cumulative.

<Warning>
  A weak or vague context can still reduce quality even if tone and length are configured well.
</Warning>