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

# Prompting Your Guru

> Learn how to write custom prompts and configure answer behavior for your Guru.

Custom prompts allow you to customize your Guru's responses, tone, and behavior on top of Gurubase's fine-tuned prompts.

## Accessing Custom Prompts

To configure custom prompts:

1. Go to your Guru's edit page
2. Expand the **Advanced Settings** section
3. Find the **Custom Prompt** editor

You can start with predefined prompt templates, modify them, or write completely new ones.

## Writing Effective Prompts

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Provide examples" icon="lightbulb">
    If you want your Guru to answer a certain way, providing examples is highly effective. Simulate a question and answer pair, then include it in your prompt.

    <Note>
      Enclose your examples with triple quotation marks `"""` for best results.
    </Note>

    ```
    """
    Q: How do I reset my password?
    A: To reset your password, click "Forgot Password" on the login page,
    enter your email, and follow the link sent to your inbox.
    """
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Format your prompts" icon="list">
    Use headings and bullet points instead of writing everything in a single paragraph. Well-structured prompts are easier for the AI to follow.

    ```
    ## Response Guidelines
    - Keep answers concise
    - Use bullet points for lists
    - Include code examples when relevant
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Be concise and consistent" icon="check">
    Avoid contradicting yourself. Your Guru can get confused with too many custom
    instructions, especially if they conflict with each other. Keep instructions
    clear and focused.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use instructions over constraints" icon="arrow-right">
    Instead of telling your Guru what NOT to do, specify what it should do instead.

    | Instead of                   | Use                              |
    | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
    | "Don't give long answers"    | "Keep answers under 3 sentences" |
    | "Don't use technical jargon" | "Use simple, everyday language"  |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Document your iterations" icon="file-lines">
    While fine-tuning your prompts, keep track of your attempts and results. This helps you understand what caused improvements or regressions.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Trust Score Threshold

The trust score is a percentage (0-100%) that measures how confident your Guru is in its answer based on the relevance of retrieved sources. The threshold determines the minimum score required before providing an answer.

**When the trust score falls below the threshold**, your Guru will refuse to answer and display: *"\[Guru Name] doesn't have enough data as a source to generate a reliable answer for this question."*

| Domain Type                | Recommended Threshold | Rationale                                       |
| -------------------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Healthcare, Finance, Legal | 70-80%                | Regulated industries where accuracy is critical |
| Technical Documentation    | 50-60%                | Standard documentation and support use cases    |
| General FAQs, Education    | 40-50%                | More flexibility acceptable, broader coverage   |

<Info>
  The trust score threshold is configured on a per-Guru basis. [Contact
  us](https://gurubase.io/contact/) to adjust the threshold for your Guru.
</Info>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Preventing Hallucinations" icon="shield-check" href="/guides/preventing-hallucinations">
    Learn how trust scores prevent inaccurate answers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Edit Answer" icon="pen-to-square" href="/guides/edit-answer">
    Manually correct and improve AI-generated answers
  </Card>
</CardGroup>