> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cloudify.biz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tips for Prompting

The Onboarding Agent takes your description, asks any clarifying questions it needs, then begins connecting your apps and building out the integration spec.

The quality of your prompt directly affects the quality of your integration. The tips below help you get to a live, accurate integration faster — with fewer back-and-forth questions.

<Tip>
  You don't need to be technical. The Onboarding Agent doesn't expect API knowledge or field names — just a clear description of your business workflow.
</Tip>

***

## 1. Name both apps explicitly

Don't say "my CRM" or "our finance tool." Name the actual app.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="✗ Too vague">
    *"When a deal closes, create an invoice in our accounting software."*

    Which CRM? Which accounting tool? The agent has to ask before it can start.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="✓ Clear">
    *"When a deal closes in HubSpot, create an invoice in QuickBooks."*

    Two named apps. The agent can start immediately.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## 2. Be specific about the trigger

The trigger is the exact event that starts your integration. "Sync my CRM" is a goal, not a trigger.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="✗ Too vague">
    *"Sync my HubSpot deals to QuickBooks."*

    Sync when? All deals? What condition?
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="✓ Clear">
    *"When a deal is moved to Closed Won in HubSpot, create an invoice in QuickBooks."*

    Clear trigger: stage change. Clear action: create invoice.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## 3. Describe what data should move

If you know which fields matter, say so.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="✗ Too vague">
    *"When a deal closes in HubSpot, create an invoice in QuickBooks."*

    The agent doesn't know which deal fields to put on the invoice.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="✓ Clear">
    *"When a deal closes in HubSpot, create an invoice in QuickBooks using the deal name, amount, and contact email."*

    Three fields specified. The agent knows exactly what to map.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## 4. Include your conditions upfront

If the integration should only fire for certain records, say that from the start. Conditions added after the fact require the integration to be updated and redeployed.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="✗ Too vague">
    *"When a deal closes in HubSpot, send a Slack message to #sales."*

    Fires for every closed deal in every pipeline.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="✓ Clear">
    *"When a deal in the Enterprise pipeline is marked Closed Won in HubSpot, send a message to #sales in Slack."*

    Scoped to the right pipeline. No noise from other deal types.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## 5. Say what should be skipped

Skip conditions prevent your integration from firing on records it shouldn't touch.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="✗ Too vague">
    *"Sync new Shopify orders to our warehouse system."*

    What about test orders? Cancelled orders? Free orders?
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="✓ Clear">
    *"Sync new Shopify orders to our warehouse system. Skip orders marked as test, and skip any order with a value under £10."*

    Two skip conditions defined. No guesswork.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## 6. Describe what happens in edge cases

What should your integration do when something unexpected happens — a missing field, a record that already exists?

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="✗ Too vague">
    *"When a new person is added in Pipedrive, create a contact in HubSpot."*

    What if the contact already exists in HubSpot?
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="✓ Clear">
    *"When a new person is added in Pipedrive, create a contact in HubSpot. If a contact with the same email already exists, update it instead of creating a duplicate."*

    Duplicate handling defined. No messy data.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## 7. One integration per chat

Each workflow chat builds one integration. Combining multiple workflows in one description creates ambiguity.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="✗ Too vague">
    *"When a deal closes in HubSpot create an invoice in QuickBooks, and also when a Shopify order comes in send a message to Slack."*

    Two separate integrations in one prompt. The agents may miss details for one or both.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="✓ Clear">
    **Chat 1:** *"When a deal closes in HubSpot, create an invoice in QuickBooks."*

    **Chat 2:** *"When a new order comes in on Shopify, send a message to #orders in Slack."*

    One integration per chat. Clean, accurate builds every time.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Quick Reference Checklist

Before you hit send:

<Note>
  You don't need every answer before you start. The Onboarding Agent will ask follow-up questions for anything it needs. These tips just help you give it a strong starting point — which means fewer questions and a faster build.
</Note>