Why isn't my AI Agent following its Agent Background instructions?

Agent background instructions only apply if the Agent has chosen deflection as its workflow. Runbooks will not utilize the Agent background since you can provide explicit instructions within the Runbook itself.

Additionally, keep in mind that different instruction locations serve different purposes:

• AI Agent Settings → Agent background — Brief business/product context and broad guardrails only. This is the field to use for high-level guidance like “do not propose meeting times.” It is explicitly not the place for conditional workflows or issue-specific branching.

• Runbooks — Issue-specific guidance and conditional workflows belong here.

• Profile → General tone instructions — Tone of voice for Copilot's drafts.

• Custom Instructions on Copilot — Tone, formatting, and translation tuning for drafts.