Custom Instructions

Custom instructions let you control how the AI generates content. There are three types, each applied in a different context.

Types of Custom Instructions

Global Automation Instructions

These apply to every Auto Fill and AI Note generation across all patients.

• Where to find them: Settings > Custom Instructions > Global Automation
• Use for: Writing style preferences, terminology standards, formatting rules, or clinic-wide documentation policies.
• Example: “Always use patient-first language. Write in past tense. Include assist levels for all exercises.”
• Tip: You can also create these on the fly. When you use Chat with Buddy after an Auto Fill and tell it a lasting preference, Buddy offers to save it here as a rule so it applies to your future notes automatically. See How Auto Fill Works.

AI Chat Instructions

These shape how the AI Chat assistant responds in conversation. They do not affect Auto Fill or AI Note.

• Where to find them: Settings > Custom Instructions > AI Chat
• Use for: Preferred conversation style, response format, or specialty-specific guidance.
• Example: “I am a pediatric OT. Keep responses concise and focused on sensory integration terminology.”

How Instructions Combine

Your EHR Fill Rules are standing orders. They apply on every fill, to every field they cover, even when your visit summary does not mention those fields, and they take priority over the AI’s default behavior. The one exception is a direct conflict on the same data point: if your Today’s Visit summary explicitly states a different value than a rule (for example, a rule says TUG 14 but you reported TUG 16 today), the visit summary wins for that value because it is the record of what actually happened, and the rule still applies everywhere else. If you no longer want a rule, delete it in Settings or ask Chat with Buddy to remove it.

The fastest way to add a rule is Chat with Buddy: after an Auto Fill, tell Buddy what to change and it can save your preference as a rule automatically. You can also view and edit all your rules in Settings.

Backup and Restore

Custom instructions are included when you export your data from Settings > Backup & Restore. See Backup & Restore for details.