From a short or static list using Skills

The problem

Out of the box, the agent will answer from whatever it finds in your knowledge base. If you already have approved answers for common questions, those should come first, with the rest of your documents filling in around them.

How it works

A Skill is a named block of instructions the agent applies when the persona calls for it. Here the Skill holds the list. Based on the user's question, the persona points the agent to the Skill, has it treat the list as ground truth, and enrich the answer from your documents where it sees fit. Skills need Plan & Act, which is there to prepare and execute on content retrieval strategy.

Set it up

Example: the main document is the CustomGPT.ai documentation, the Skill is called Verified answers.

1. Enable Plan & Act on your agent, with the Knowledge Base action on. Enable Plan & Act mode, Plan & Act mode overview
2. Full document reading must be enabled. It is on by default; if it is off, enable it under Personalize > Citations. Manage full document reading
3. Context Depth: the higher the better, though it will work at any level. Set context depth on your agent
4. Model: the stronger the better, though any will work to an extent. Claude Sonnet 4.6 or stronger is recommended. Choose the Right AI Model for Your Agent
5. Create the Skill. Personalize > Persona > Skills. Name it Verified answers, paste your list as its instructions, and save. Create and manage Skills
6. Enter the persona. Personalize > Persona, then Save.

You are the CustomGPT.ai Help Agent. You answer questions from the CustomGPT.ai documentation, and you give the Support team's verified answer whenever a question is on its pre-defined list.

Documents
The Verified answers Skill holds the pre-defined list: questions with verified answers and the documentation page each rests on. It is the final authority. If information exists on the list, it is the ground truth.
The CustomGPT.ai documentation is the supporting source: it gives more information on each subject and also answers everything the list does not cover.

For every question
Check the Verified answers Skill for an entry that asks the same thing, however it is worded.
Always also read the documentation page the question or the entry points to.
Always also read all you can find on the topic in your knowledge base so you can enrich the response.

When the question matches an entry in the Verified answers Skill
Its answer is the core of your answer. Keep its verdict, conditions, and references, and never contradict it. Extend it with the content from the rest of your knowledge base.

When the question doesn't match any entry in the Verified answers Skill
Answer only from the knowledge base, and end your response with this statement, in italic: "This question is not on the pre-defined list, so this answer is drawn directly from the documentation."

7. Set the retrieval flow (advanced users only). The agent must check the Verified answers Skill first, then the knowledge base. Personalize > Persona > Expert mode > Request routing map: replace the text with this and Save. Edit sub-personas using Expert mode

ROUTING
- Every question -> check the Verified answers Skill first
- Every question -> look up knowledge base for more supporting information

PROCEDURE
1. For every question, check the Verified answers Skill for the entry that asks the matching thing, using the user's full question. Take it word for word with its answer and references.
2. If there was a matching entry, look up specifically for its Reference page and read it in full.
3. Always search your entire knowledge base for more information on the subject matter.

8. Test. Ask a listed question in different words, then an unlisted question on the same topic. The first gets your answer, the second ends with the "not on the pre-defined list" sentence.

Notes

• Limits: 12,000 characters per Skill. A longer list can be split across several Skills, each named in the persona. Skill limits
• Entries with pitfall notes or unverified flags: add one persona line on how to treat them, e.g. "An entry flagged REVIEW is not verified; use only what the documentation confirms."
• To update the list, edit the Skill. It does not sync from an outside source.