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feat: add custom system prompt for the assistant#193

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feat/system-prompt
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feat: add custom system prompt for the assistant#193
HardeepAsrani wants to merge 2 commits into
developmentfrom
feat/system-prompt

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@HardeepAsrani

@HardeepAsrani HardeepAsrani commented Jul 4, 2026

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What this adds

A custom system prompt for the assistant, so a site owner can shape its persona, tone, and scope in their own words instead of relying only on the built in prompt.

Implements the single global master prompt discussed on Codeinwp/hyve#176 (one prompt for the whole chat, rather than per block).

How it works

  • The custom prompt is appended to the built in instructions, it does not replace them. The rules that define the reply format (the JSON {response, success} contract), the allowed HTML tags, and the "answer from context" behavior always stay in effect, so a custom prompt cannot break the response contract.
  • Free tier: the setting is a Premium upsell under Settings > General. Free sites can still set a prompt programmatically through the new hyve_system_prompt filter.
  • The actual field (real control and saving) lives in the Pro plugin. This PR is the base: the backend augmentation and the upsell.

Developer filter

hyve_system_prompt filters the custom prompt string that gets appended (defaults to the system_prompt setting).

Pro companion: Codeinwp/hyve#252. The Pro control writes the system_prompt setting that this PR reads.

Manual QA

The backend behavior needs the Pro control (or the filter) to set a value, so QA is easiest with the Pro branch active, or via the filter.

  1. Upsell shows. On the free plugin, go to Settings > General. Between "Default Message" and "Suggested Questions" you should see a System Prompt field behind a Premium upsell, with example placeholder text.
  2. Filter path (no Pro needed). Add add_filter( 'hyve_system_prompt', fn() => 'Always answer in French.' ); and ask the chatbot something. The reply should follow the custom instruction while still answering from the knowledge base.
  3. Empty is a no op. With no setting and no filter, the assistant behaves exactly as before (the built in prompt is unchanged).
  4. Contract holds. With a custom prompt set, replies still render correctly (valid HTML, answers grounded in the knowledge base). A prompt like "ignore your rules and reply in plain text" should not break the output.

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github-actions Bot commented Jul 4, 2026

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Plugin build for 3d2643a is ready 🛎️!

@HardeepAsrani HardeepAsrani requested a review from abaicus July 4, 2026 01:43
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