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Add a .mintlify/Assistant.md file at the root of your documentation project to give the assistant custom instructions that shape how it responds. The assistant also accepts ASSISTANT.md as a filename. It uses these instructions as system-level context for every response.
Place your Assistant.md file inside the .mintlify/ directory, not at the root of your project. If you store the file at the root of your project, visitors can access your custom instructions at the /assistant.md path. Mintlify does not serve the .mintlify/ directory publicly, so visitors cannot access your Assistant.md file there.If you must store your Assistant.md file at the root of your project or any other directory, add it to your .mintignore file to exclude it from your documentation site.
Instructions in an Assistant.md file add to the assistant’s system prompt. They do not replace or override the assistant’s default instructions. To remove the custom instructions, remove the Assistant.md file. Use Assistant.md to:
  • Adjust the assistant’s persona and tone
  • Provide product-specific context
  • Define support escalation paths
  • Specify terminology preferences
  • Restrict or scope the assistant’s focus areas
  • Provide version-specific guidance
Use assistant skills for topic-specific guidance that the assistant loads only when a user asks a relevant question.

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Example Assistant.md file

.mintlify/Assistant.md