> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.artific.nl/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.artific.nl/en/for-administrators/assistants/advanced-settings.md).

# Advanced settings

The collapsed **Advanced settings** panel at the bottom of an assistant's settings screen. These control access, conversation limits, answer review and what happens when something goes wrong.

Open it with the **Advanced settings** button. You will not need most of these for a straightforward assistant.

## Access

### Only visible to

Restricts the assistant to one or more user groups. Leave it empty and everyone in your organisation who can see assistants can use this one.

This is the main tool for keeping an assistant contained. An assistant built on HR documents should normally be restricted to HR, not open to the whole organisation.

{% hint style="info" %}
Group restrictions interact with sub-agents. If a restricted assistant is used as a sub-agent, users outside the allowed groups cannot reach it. The supervising assistant answers the question itself instead of handing over. The sub-agent row shows a **Restricted access** badge when this applies.
{% endhint %}

## Conversation behaviour

| Setting                              | What it does                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Interaction interval for updates** | How many exchanges pass before the assistant refreshes the conversation's topic and summary. Minimum 1.                                                                        |
| **Session size**                     | The maximum number of messages kept in one conversation.                                                                                                                       |
| **Assistant context size**           | How many of the user's earlier messages the assistant can still see. Lower values keep it focused and cheaper; higher values let it remember more of a long conversation.      |
| **Deadline for resuming a session**  | How long, in seconds, a visitor can come back and continue where they left off. `86400` is one day; `0` disables resuming. Applies only to an assistant embedded on a website. |

## Prompt template

Controls how much scaffolding the platform puts around your **Instructions for AI**.

| Option                          | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           | When to use it                                                       |
| ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Base assistant**              | Recommended. Builds a complete assistant around your instructions: tells the model it is helping a person, applies the assistant name and your chosen tone of voice, asks for readable formatting, and adapts length and detail to how knowledgeable the reader seems. | Almost always.                                                       |
| **Bare prompt**                 | Minimal framing. The model gets only the assistant name and your instructions: no role, no tone of voice, no length guidance, no formatting rules.                                                                                                                     | When you want to shape all of the behaviour yourself.                |
| **Instructions as full prompt** | Your instructions become the entire brief, exactly as written, with nothing added at all.                                                                                                                                                                              | Advanced. Only when you want complete control over the whole prompt. |

Start with **Base assistant**. Move down the list only if it is getting in the way of something specific you are trying to do.

## Handover notifications

Only relevant when **Chat with an employee (Direct Chat add-on)** is on.

| Setting                                               | What it does                                                                    |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Direct Chat email notification**                    | E-mail addresses that get a notification when a user asks to speak to a person. |
| **Enable email notifications (requires Direct Chat)** | Switches those notifications on.                                                |

## Privacy

| Setting                                     | What it does                                                                                                                                 |
| ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Include user metadata in chat context**   | Lets the assistant see information about the signed-in user, so it can personalise answers.                                                  |
| **Block message if pseudonymisation fails** | Stops a message being processed if personal data could not be masked. Only available when **Mask personal data** is on in the main settings. |

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Block message if pseudonymisation fails** is the strict choice: rather than risking unmasked personal data being processed, the message is refused. Turn it on where the masking is a requirement rather than a nicety.
{% endhint %}

## Memory

**Allow users to save memory across conversations (beta)** lets each user build up a small set of facts the assistant remembers between conversations: how they like answers formatted, which department they are in, and so on.

Memory is per user: one person's memories are never visible to another. Users manage their own list under **Preferences** in the chat, where they can add, edit and delete entries. There is a limit on how many entries a person can keep, and the interface warns them as they approach it.

Memory needs a capable model. If the selected model does not support it, the settings screen says so.

## Answer review

You can have a second model check the assistant's answers before they reach the user.

| Setting          | What it does                                                                                                          |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Judge prompt** | Describes when an answer should be accepted, when it should be expanded, and when it should be rejected and replaced. |
| **Judge model**  | Which model performs the check. Only appears once you have written a judge prompt.                                    |

Write the judge prompt as acceptance criteria: *"Accept the answer if it cites at least one policy document and does not speculate about individual contracts. Reject it if it gives legal advice."*

This adds latency and cost to every answer. Use it where a wrong answer is expensive, not everywhere.

## Fallbacks

| Setting                                 | What it does                                                                                                                    |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Don't fail if primary model is down** | Lets the assistant fall back to another model instead of failing when its usual one is unavailable.                             |
| **Fallback strategy**                   | Which fallback configuration to use. Appears once the option above is on. **Global default** uses your organisation's standard. |

Fallback configurations are managed centrally. See [Fallbacks](/en/for-administrators/organization/fallbacks.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Some of these settings only appear if you hold the corresponding rights. If a setting described here is missing from your screen, you do not have rights to it.
{% endhint %}