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What are Prompts?

Prompts are instructions that tell your chatbot how to behave and respond. LangChat uses two types:
  1. System Prompt - Defines personality and behavior
  2. Standalone Question Prompt - Converts questions to search queries

Basic Custom Prompt

from langchat import LangChat
from langchat.llm import OpenAI
from langchat.vector_db import Pinecone
from langchat.database import Supabase

# Custom prompt
custom_prompt = """You are a helpful assistant.
Answer questions clearly and concisely.

Context: {context}
History: {chat_history}
Question: {question}

Answer:"""

# Setup
llm = OpenAI(api_key="sk-...", model="gpt-4o-mini")
vector_db = Pinecone(api_key="...", index_name="...")
db = Supabase(url="https://...", key="...")

# Use custom prompt
ai = LangChat(
    llm=llm,
    vector_db=vector_db,
    db=db,
    prompt_template=custom_prompt
)

Prompt Variables

Use these variables in your prompts:
  • {context} - Retrieved documents from your knowledge base
  • {chat_history} - Previous conversation messages
  • {question} - Current user question
Use single braces {variable} in prompts. LangChat handles substitution automatically.

Example Prompts

Education Assistant

EDUCATION_PROMPT = """You are an expert education consultant.

Help students find universities based on:
- Academic profile
- Preferred countries
- Budget constraints

Be friendly, professional, and concise.

Context: {context}
History: {chat_history}
Question: {question}

Answer:"""

ai = LangChat(
    llm=llm,
    vector_db=vector_db,
    db=db,
    prompt_template=EDUCATION_PROMPT
)

Customer Support

SUPPORT_PROMPT = """You are a customer support agent.

Guidelines:
- Be professional and empathetic
- Provide step-by-step solutions
- Ask clarifying questions when needed

Product Info: {context}
Previous Chat: {chat_history}
Customer Question: {question}

Response:"""

ai = LangChat(
    llm=llm,
    vector_db=vector_db,
    db=db,
    prompt_template=SUPPORT_PROMPT
)

Best Practices

1. Be Specific

# ❌ Vague
"""You are an assistant. Help users."""

# ✅ Specific
"""You are an expert education consultant specializing in study abroad programs."""

2. Include Context Instructions

"""Use the following context to answer questions:
{context}

If context doesn't contain relevant information, say so honestly."""

3. Guide Communication Style

"""Communication Style:
- Friendly and professional
- Concise and actionable
- Use emojis appropriately"""

Testing Prompts

Test your prompts with different questions:
test_questions = [
    "What universities offer computer science?",
    "I need help with my visa application",
    "What's the deadline for fall intake?"
]

for question in test_questions:
    result = await ai.chat(
        query=question,
        user_id="test_user"
    )
    print(f"Q: {question}")
    print(f"A: {result['response']}\n")

Next Steps


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