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Overview

Every time the main agent is invoked, the runtime compiles a system prompt from up to 15 sections. Most sections are automatic — the runtime builds them from env state, loaded plugins, and live session data. You are only responsible for three fields in config.prompt. Everything else is handled for you.

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The 15 sections

Sections appear in this fixed order. “Always present” means the section is included on every turn regardless of configuration; “conditional” means the section only appears when a specific condition is met.
#SectionPresent
1Oracle section — identity preambleAlways
2Capabilities note — config.prompt.capabilities textConditional
3Capability block — Tier-1 plugin manifest listConditional
4Operating principles — 7 standard bullets + optional styleAlways
5Working with files — file-handling guidanceAlways
6What you know about the user — memory context (6 slots)Conditional
7Current time — {currentTime} ({timezone})Always
8Current entity — {DID}Conditional
9Available user secretsConditional
10User preferencesConditional
11Operational mode — general / editor / task / entityAlways
12Composio context — Composio tool contextConditional
13Editor section — editor plugin stateConditional
14Slack formatting constraints — Slack output rulesConditional
15Degraded services — failed-init noticesConditional

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Section details

1. Oracle section The identity preamble. If config.prompt.opening is set, it is used verbatim. Otherwise the runtime generates a fallback from the other top-level fields: "You are {name}, an AI agent operated by {org}. {description}." (shorter variants when org or description are absent). See the createOracleApp config reference for the exact fallback logic. 2. Capabilities note Rendered if config.prompt.capabilities is non-empty. Appears immediately above the plugin capability block. No header is added by the runtime — include your own heading in the field value if you want one. 3. Capability block Auto-generated list of all loaded plugins with visibility='always' (Tier-1). Each entry includes the plugin name and its manifest description. The runtime enforces a 5,000-token soft budget on this block — if the combined manifest text would exceed that, lower-priority entries are trimmed. You never write this section; the runtime builds it from the loaded plugin set. 4. Operating principles Always present. Contains 7 hardcoded bullets covering tool use, safety, honesty, and task handling. If config.prompt.communicationStyle is non-empty, it is injected here as an additional paragraph after those bullets. If communicationStyle is absent, the section still appears — just without the custom style block. 5. Working with files Always present. Hardcoded guidance on how the agent should handle file uploads, attachments, and generated file output. 6. What you know about the user Conditional on the memory plugin being loaded and at least one context slot being populated. Contains up to 6 slots fetched by UserContextFetcher before the agent is compiled: identity, work, goals, interests, relationships, recent. See How memory reaches the prompt for the pre-fetch details. 7. Current time Always present. Stamped at agent-compile time with the user’s wall-clock time and resolved timezone. 8. Current entity Conditional on state.currentEntityDid being set in the agent state. Surfaces the active entity DID so the agent can route entity-aware tool calls correctly. 9. Available user secrets Conditional on the secrets service having entries for the current user. Lists secret names (not values) so the agent can reference them by name in tool calls. 10. User preferences Conditional on the user-preferences plugin being loaded and the user having saved preferences. May include agentName, language, tone, formality, and customInstructions. 11. Operational mode Always present, but content varies. The runtime selects one of four mode descriptions — general, editor, task, or entity — based on which plugins are active and the current session state. 12. Composio context Conditional on the Composio plugin loading successfully. Auto-injected Composio account and connection context so the agent knows which third-party integrations are available for the current user. 13. Editor section Conditional on the editor plugin being active in the current session. Describes the active document, cursor position, and editor affordances. 14. Slack formatting constraints Conditional on the session client being Slack. Appends Slack-specific formatting rules to prevent the agent from using markdown that Slack does not render correctly (e.g. tables). 15. Degraded services Appended after the main prompt when one or more plugins fail their init. Lists the failed services and tells the agent not to attempt their tools for this turn.

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The 5,000-token capability block budget

Section 3 (the Tier-1 capability block) is the only section subject to a token budget. If the combined manifest text of all visibility='always' plugins exceeds 5,000 tokens, the runtime trims lower-priority plugins from the block. The trimmed plugins are still loaded and their tools are still callable — they simply don’t appear in the capability summary at the top of the prompt. To keep a plugin’s description in the block reliably, keep its manifest description concise.

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What you actually need to write in config.ts

Only three things — all optional:
FieldWhat to writeWhat happens if you skip it
config.prompt.openingA paragraph describing the oracle’s identity, purpose, and domain expertise.Runtime generates a generic fallback from name, org, description.
config.prompt.communicationStyleOne or two paragraphs on tone, vocabulary, and response style.The operating-principles section appears without a custom style block.
config.prompt.capabilitiesA short section (with your own heading) listing what the oracle can do.The capability-notes section is omitted; only the auto-generated plugin list appears.
Time, memory, user preferences, Composio context, entity DID, secrets, editor state, Slack constraints, and degraded-service notices are all injected automatically. You do not need to mention them in config.ts, instruct the agent to fetch them, or account for them in your opening paragraph.
Because memory context is pre-fetched and already in the system prompt by turn 1, you do not need to write instructions like “recall the user’s context before responding” in config.prompt. The agent already has the user’s identity, goals, and recent history before it processes the first message.

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Minimal config.ts example

// src/config.ts
import type { OracleConfig } from '@ixo/oracle-runtime';

export const config: OracleConfig = {
  name: 'Aria',
  org: 'Acme Climate',
  description: 'Carbon-project advisory oracle for portfolio managers.',
  prompt: {
    opening: `You are Aria, the carbon-project advisory oracle operated by Acme Climate.
You help portfolio managers track project status, assess compliance, and draft
stakeholder communications across Verra VCS, Gold Standard, and REDD+ frameworks.`,
    communicationStyle: `Be precise and data-driven. Lead with numbers and deadlines.
Use plain English — avoid jargon unless the user demonstrates familiarity.
When something is uncertain, say so explicitly.`,
    capabilities: `## What Aria can do
- Retrieve live project status and registry issuance data.
- Draft verification reports, CORSIA letters, and board summaries.
- Search and cite methodology documents from the oracle knowledge base.`,
  },
};
Everything else in the 15-section prompt — plugin tools, current time, user memory, preferences, Composio context — is assembled by the runtime from the loaded plugins and session state.

createOracleApp config

Full reference for config.prompt fields and fallback logic.

Memory plugin

How UserContextFetcher pre-loads memory into section 6.

Visibility tiers

What controls which plugins appear in the capability block.

Plugin anatomy

How plugins declare the manifest text that feeds section 3.