Before you start: Check if an assistant hasn’t already been created on our community repository firstGitlab

Education-ready Community Assistants
Building Your Assistant
Why building an assistant: Increase the power of your digital twin by creating specialized AI assistants that enhance the capabilities by automating tasks in agentic workflow. Use Case: Creating an assistant is recommended when you find yorself needing to repeat a task that has a well define instruction, like create Swagger Annotations, JSON documents, Markdonw text blocks, or more sophisticated workflow, like write/read to files, convert data structures, interact with LLMs or other external sources, coordinate action between agents, like prepare an email and send it, etc. Where do I start: Use the CRISPE methodology a guide. The CRISPE methodology as a structured framework for designing AI assistants and prompts. Here’s the general methodology:CRISPE Methodology Framework
CRISPE is an acronym that provides a systematic approach to creating comprehensive AI assistant instructions:C - Context 🎯
Establishes the situational background and purpose of the assistant. This section defines:- The problem domain or environment
- Who the assistant serves
- What systems or data sources are involved
- The broader organizational or educational context
R - Role 👤
Defines the persona and responsibilities of the assistant. This includes:- The specific character or professional identity the AI should adopt
- Behavioral expectations and tone
- Core competencies and areas of expertise
- How the assistant should interact with users
I - Input 📥
Specifies the types of data and information the assistant will receive:- Data sources and formats
- User-provided parameters
- Optional vs. required inputs
- Contextual information from various systems
S - Steps 📋
Outlines the specific processes and workflows the assistant must follow:- Sequential actions to take
- Decision-making criteria
- Analytical procedures
- Output generation methods
P - Parameters ⚙️
Establishes operational constraints and guidelines:- Communication style requirements
- Output format specifications
- Quality standards and limitations
- Behavioral boundaries and restrictions
E - End Goal 🎯
Clearly states the ultimate objective and success metrics:- Desired outcomes for users
- Value proposition
- Success indicators
- Long-term impact expectations
Benefits of CRISPE Methodology
The CRISPE framework ensures AI assistants are:- Comprehensive: All essential elements are addressed
- Structured: Logical flow from context to outcome
- Actionable: Clear steps and parameters for execution
- Goal-oriented: Focused on specific, measurable outcomes
- User-centered: Designed with end-user needs in mind
Class Health Check Example
The Class Health Check assistant is built based of this methodology:Core code
Prompt
Guidelines for Tool Usage
Additionaly, it is considered best practicies to provide additional instructions guiding the LLM on tool usage. Ex:Prompt
Framework separated from core instructions
Include instructions to detail specific frameworks, threshold, formating guidelines towards the end, while your CRISPE instruction simply refers to themPrompt
Use Variables
Externalize sensitive information or reusable instructions into variables.Assistant Engineering Lifecycle
This comprehensive lifecycle provides a structured approach for developing, testing, and deploying effective AI assistants:Define Your Assistant's Purpose
Clearly establish your assistant’s primary function and target use case:
- Subject Tutors - Specialized instruction in specific academic disciplines
- Study Coaches - Learning strategy guidance, motivation, and study habit development
- Research Assistants - Project support, data analysis, and assignment assistance
- Practice Partners - Interactive skill development, review sessions, and knowledge reinforcement
- Content Generators - Automated creation of educational materials, assessments, and resources
- Language Translators - Multi-language content conversion and localization support
- Content Summarizers - Information distillation, synthesis, and clarity enhancement
- Workflow Orchestrators - Multi-agent coordination and complex task management
- Assessment Evaluators - Automated grading, feedback generation, and performance analysis
Design Your Assistant Identity
Create a comprehensive assistant profile that ensures professional presentation and clear functionality:
- Visual Branding - Design a distinctive icon (optimal: 512x512 pixels, WebP format for performance)
- Naming Convention - Choose a memorable, descriptive name that reflects the assistant’s purpose
-
Compelling Description - Craft a comprehensive description including:
- Catchphrase - A memorable tagline that captures the assistant’s value proposition
- Functional Overview - Clear explanation of capabilities and execution logic
- User Benefits - Specific advantages and learning outcomes Example:
Description - Instruction Architecture - Implement the CRISPE methodology for structured, comprehensive instructions
- Access Control - Define user permissions (Admin-only vs. universal access) and sharing capabilities
- Security Implementation - Externalize sensitive data using variables and secure configuration
- Modular Design - Create reusable instruction components as variables for consistency across assistant families
Test, Debug, and Refine
Conduct comprehensive testing to ensure robust performance across all scenarios:
- Instruction Analysis - Request LLM evaluation of your assistant’s instructions for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness
- Performance Grading - Obtain objective assessment scores and detailed improvement recommendations
Prompto Integration: Leverage the ‘Prompto’ digital twin for advanced instruction optimization and production-readiness validation.
- Iterative Improvement - Systematically address each recommendation and validate changes
- Edge Case Testing - Evaluate assistant behavior with:
- Off-topic user requests
- Ambiguous or incomplete inputs
- Boundary condition scenarios
- Invalid data formats
- Error Handling Enhancement - Implement graceful failure responses and user guidance
Negative Testing Protocol: Proactively stress-test your instructions by deliberately introducing edge cases, invalid inputs, and failure scenarios to expose vulnerabilities and ensure robust error handling—because discovering system weaknesses during development is infinitely better than having users encounter them in production, where broken functionality can damage credibility and user trust.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Validate assistant performance through structured stakeholder testing:
- Controlled Deployment - Restrict access to administrator-level users only
- Stakeholder Testing - Engage multiple administrators in comprehensive evaluation sessions
- Feedback Collection - Document findings, usability issues, and performance gaps
- Priority Assessment - Categorize issues by severity and impact on user experience
- Upgrade Strategy - Develop systematic improvement plan with clear timelines
- Validation Cycles - Implement changes and conduct verification testing
- Acceptance Criteria - Establish clear benchmarks for production readiness
Production Deployment and Maintenance
Launch your assistant with ongoing optimization and support:
- Access Expansion - Transition from admin-only to full user availability
- Performance Monitoring - Track usage patterns, user satisfaction, and system performance
- Experience Analytics - Analyze user interactions, success rates, and engagement metrics
- Version Planning - Develop roadmap for feature enhancements and capability expansion
- Continuous Maintenance - Establish regular review cycles for instruction updates
Proactive Monitoring Strategy: Regularly audit your assistant’s performance as LLMs evolve rapidly with improved reasoning capabilities and updated knowledge cutoffs that can alter how they interpret existing instructions—proactive monitoring ensures consistent execution quality, identifies drift in behavior patterns, and allows for timely adjustments to maintain optimal functionality as the underlying AI technology advances and potentially changes response patterns or instruction comprehension.
- Feedback Integration - Implement user feedback loops for continuous improvement
- Documentation Updates - Maintain current user guides and troubleshooting resources
Version Control Integration
Implement a robust source control repository system such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or Azure DevOps to manage assistant development lifecycles effectively—enabling version tracking, collaborative development, rollback capabilities, and change documentation that ensures systematic evolution of your assistant instructions while maintaining audit trails, facilitating team coordination, and preventing accidental overwrites or loss of critical configuration improvements during iterative development cycles.Be involved: Share and contribute your assistant to our community repository!
Gitlab