Write a Handbook procedure

Procedures are how you teach your AI agents what to do. A good procedure is short, prescriptive, and unambiguous — it’s instructions the AI follows, not an essay it reads.

1. Open the Handbook

Go to Handbook in the main navigation. The page lists procedures grouped by category, with a search bar at the top.

If this is the first procedure, the category list may only have a default category. Create more categories from the same screen (the + next to “Categories”) or follow whatever structure makes sense for your team.

2. Pick a category

Click into the category where this procedure belongs. The procedure list updates to show what’s already there.

3. Click New procedure

The button sits above the procedure list. The editor opens.

4. Fill in the procedure

• Title — The name of the procedure. Used by AI retrieval and shown in the procedure list. Make it task-shaped: “When a customer reports a chargeback” beats “Chargebacks”.
• Category — Already filled from the previous step. Change it if you decide it belongs elsewhere.
• Content — The body of the procedure. Write in instruction language — see the next section.
• Keywords — Up to 10 search terms. Include synonyms, internal jargon, error codes.
• Visibility — Toggle on when ready for AI to use. Off keeps the procedure as a draft.

5. Write in instruction language

Procedures are guidance for AI behavior, not articles for customers. Write them like a checklist or a runbook.

Good examples:

When a customer reports a duplicate charge:

1. Confirm the customer’s identity by asking for the order number plus the email on file.
2. Open the duplicate-charge dashboard at admin/charges/duplicates.
3. If the duplicate is verified, refund both charges and offer a 10% goodwill credit on the next purchase.
4. If the customer is on an enterprise plan, transfer to the Billing team after the refund.
5. Tag the conversation chargeback-resolved.

Or:

Tone for VIP customers: lead with acknowledgement of their tier (“Thank you for being a [Tier] member”). Never offer a discount before the customer asks. Always offer a callback option if the conversation has gone past three exchanges.

Avoid:

• “This document explains how to handle duplicate charges…” (article language; the AI doesn’t need framing)
• “We believe in customer-first service…” (mission statement; not actionable)
• “See also the chargeback policy on Confluence” (external links; the AI can’t follow them)

6. Add keywords

Keywords help AI retrieval find this procedure when relevant. Include:

• The customer-facing terms (“chargeback”, “duplicate charge”, “double charged”).
• Internal terms (“CB1”, “type-A reversal”).
• Error codes (“E_PAYMENT_DISPUTE”).
• Common misspellings.

Cap at 10 — the field enforces this.

7. Set access rules (optional)

Default behavior: the procedure is available to every AI agent in your tenant.

If you want to restrict it:

1. In the procedure editor, expand Access rules.
2. Add a rule:
   Confidential — toggle on if the procedure is sensitive. Confidential procedures are hidden from agents without explicit permission.
   Scope — pick Main agent to keep it for the default Sidekick / specialist behavior, or Agent config plus a specific Agent Stack / Specialist Agent. Multiple rules can stack — a procedure can be available to two specific agent configs.
3. Save the rule.

You can also set access rules at the category level, applying to every procedure in that category. Useful when the entire category should be specialist-only or admin-only.

8. Turn visibility on

Toggle Visibility to on. AI agents start using the procedure within seconds — there’s no separate publish step.

If you’re not ready, leave visibility off. The procedure stays in the editor as a draft for as long as you need.

9. Test it

The fastest way to verify a procedure is working:

1. Open Sidekick on a real conversation.
2. Trigger the procedure’s scenario in your message (“the customer says they were charged twice”).
3. Confirm Sidekick’s suggestion reflects the procedure.

If Sidekick doesn’t pick it up:

• Check the procedure’s keywords — does the conversation mention any of them?
• Check the access rules — is the agent in question scoped out?
• Check visibility — is it on?

Editing a procedure

Click into it, edit, save. Changes apply immediately. There’s no version history; if you need to track the wording over time, copy the previous body somewhere else before editing.

Deleting a procedure

Click into the procedure, then Delete. The procedure is gone — there’s no archive state in the Handbook the way there is in the Knowledge Base. If you might need it back, copy the body to a draft procedure with visibility off before deleting.

Common gotchas

• Procedures don’t get translated. Unlike Knowledge Base articles, Handbook procedures stay in the language you wrote them in. Write them in the language your AI agents respond in.
• No bulk operations. Procedures are edited one at a time.
• No tags. The Handbook intentionally skips tags. Use category structure and keywords instead.