File Format Support

Use any text file format for system prompts. ConnectOnion just reads the content.

Key Point: All formats below create identical agents. ConnectOnion doesn't parse the format - it just reads the text content and passes it to the LLM.

Direct String

Pass prompt directly in code (most common)

How to Use Direct String

1from connectonion import Agent
2
3# Pass prompt directly as string
4agent = Agent(
5    name="assistant",
6    system_prompt="""You are a helpful AI assistant with expertise in Python programming and software development.
7
8Core Principles:
9- Be concise and clear in responses
10- Provide code examples when helpful
11- Explain complex concepts simply
12- Focus on practical solutions
13
14Communication Style: Professional yet friendly, using technical terms when appropriate but always ensuring clarity.""",
15    tools=[your_tools]
16)
17
18# Use the agent
19response = agent.input("Hello!")
20print(response)

system_prompt=""" ... """Inline content

1You are a helpful AI assistant with expertise in Python programming and software development.
2
3Core Principles:
4- Be concise and clear in responses
5- Provide code examples when helpful
6- Explain complex concepts simply
7- Focus on practical solutions
8
9Communication Style: Professional yet friendly, using technical terms when appropriate but always ensuring clarity.

Markdown File

Structured format with headers and sections

.md

How to Use Markdown File

1from connectonion import Agent
2
3# Load from markdown file
4agent = Agent(
5    name="assistant",
6    system_prompt="prompts/assistant.md",
7    tools=[your_tools]
8)
9
10# Use the agent
11response = agent.input("Hello!")
12print(response)

assistant.mdFile content

1# AI Assistant
2
3You are a helpful AI assistant with expertise in Python programming and software development.
4
5## Core Principles
6- Be concise and clear in responses
7- Provide code examples when helpful
8- Explain complex concepts simply
9- Focus on practical solutions
10
11## Communication Style
12Professional yet friendly, using technical terms when appropriate but always ensuring clarity.

Plain Text File

Simple text format

.txt

How to Use Plain Text File

1from connectonion import Agent
2
3# Load from plain text file
4agent = Agent(
5    name="assistant",
6    system_prompt="prompts/assistant.txt",
7    tools=[your_tools]
8)
9
10# Use the agent
11response = agent.input("Hello!")
12print(response)

assistant.txtFile content

1You are a helpful AI assistant with expertise in Python programming and software development.
2
3Core Principles:
4- Be concise and clear in responses
5- Provide code examples when helpful
6- Explain complex concepts simply
7- Focus on practical solutions
8
9Communication Style: Professional yet friendly, using technical terms when appropriate but always ensuring clarity.

YAML File

Configuration-style key-value format

.yaml

How to Use YAML File

1from connectonion import Agent
2
3# Load from yaml file
4agent = Agent(
5    name="assistant",
6    system_prompt="prompts/assistant.yaml",
7    tools=[your_tools]
8)
9
10# Use the agent
11response = agent.input("Hello!")
12print(response)

assistant.yamlFile content

1role: AI Assistant
2description: A helpful AI assistant with expertise in Python programming and software development
3
4core_principles:
5  - Be concise and clear in responses
6  - Provide code examples when helpful
7  - Explain complex concepts simply
8  - Focus on practical solutions
9
10communication_style: Professional yet friendly, using technical terms when appropriate but always ensuring clarity

JSON File

Structured data format

.json

How to Use JSON File

1from connectonion import Agent
2
3# Load from json file
4agent = Agent(
5    name="assistant",
6    system_prompt="prompts/assistant.json",
7    tools=[your_tools]
8)
9
10# Use the agent
11response = agent.input("Hello!")
12print(response)

assistant.jsonFile content

1{
2  "role": "AI Assistant",
3  "description": "A helpful AI assistant with expertise in Python programming and software development",
4  "core_principles": [
5    "Be concise and clear in responses",
6    "Provide code examples when helpful",
7    "Explain complex concepts simply",
8    "Focus on practical solutions"
9  ],
10  "communication_style": "Professional yet friendly, using technical terms when appropriate but always ensuring clarity"
11}

No Extension File

Any text file works

How to Use No Extension File

1from connectonion import Agent
2
3# Load from no extension file
4agent = Agent(
5    name="assistant",
6    system_prompt="prompts/assistant",
7    tools=[your_tools]
8)
9
10# Use the agent
11response = agent.input("Hello!")
12print(response)

assistantFile content

1You are a helpful AI assistant with expertise in Python programming and software development.
2
3Core Principles:
4- Be concise and clear in responses
5- Provide code examples when helpful
6- Explain complex concepts simply
7- Focus on practical solutions
8
9Communication Style: Professional yet friendly, using technical terms when appropriate but always ensuring clarity.

All Create the Same Agent

Equivalent Usage

1# All of these create identical agents:
2agent = Agent("bot", system_prompt="""You are a helpful...""")  # Direct String
3agent = Agent("bot", system_prompt="prompts/assistant.md")      # Markdown File
4agent = Agent("bot", system_prompt="prompts/assistant.txt")     # Plain Text File
5agent = Agent("bot", system_prompt="prompts/assistant.yaml")    # YAML File
6agent = Agent("bot", system_prompt="prompts/assistant.json")    # JSON File
7agent = Agent("bot", system_prompt="prompts/assistant")         # No Extension File

Why This Matters

✅ No Vendor Lock-in

Use any format your team prefers. Switch formats without changing code.

✅ Future-Proof

New formats work automatically. No need to wait for framework updates.

✅ Simple

No complex parsing or schemas. Just reads the text content.

✅ Flexible

Team uses YAML? Use YAML. Prefer Markdown? Use Markdown.