The Scroll CheckCheck agent instructions before testing

The situation

Your agent's instructions have grown over weeks. In the test chat it wobbles around, and you don't know which rule is to blame.

The cut

After

Goal: Check the agent instructions below before I test them. Do not rewrite them.

Expectations: Check these points and output a table with location, problem and suggestion.
1. Contradictions between two rules.
2. References to tools, knowledge sources, topics or other agents. List all of them so I can check whether they are really set up in the agent.
3. Steps without a clear transition to the next step.
4. Ambiguous words like “short”, “sometimes” or “important” that an agent can interpret in different ways.
5. Instructions that change or suppress how sources or citations are shown.
6. What the agent should do when it gets stuck. If that is missing, say so.
At the end: the three points I should fix first.

Instructions:
[Agent instructions, e.g. your agent's instructions]

No add-on license in Microsoft Copilot Chat, for instructions from Copilot Studio or Agent Builder. Without a copy button: select the text and copy it with Ctrl+C.

How to use it

1. Copy the instructions from your agent, paste them and send them in Microsoft Copilot Chat.
2. Compare the list of tools and knowledge sources with what is really set up in the agent.
3. Fix the three most important points and then check the agent with No. 18.
4. Add changes one at a time and test in between. That is what Microsoft recommends for instructions in Copilot Studio.

How to spot a good answer

• A table with location, problem and suggestion.
• A complete list of all tools and knowledge sources mentioned.
• Three priority points at the end.
• No rewritten instructions.

The check

Count the passed test questions from No. 18 before and after the fix.

Limits

• According to Microsoft, an agent can only follow instructions about tools, knowledge sources, agents or topics if they are set up in the agent. Point 2 in the prompt makes exactly that visible.
• Microsoft advises against changing or suppressing the citation format in Copilot Studio through instructions. Point 5 finds such places.
• The check only reads text. Whether the agent then behaves correctly only shows in testing.
• Only include internal names and contact details in the instructions if your internal rules allow it.

Sources

Microsoft Learn: Write agent instructions (Copilot Studio), Microsoft Learn: Configure high-quality instructions for generative orchestration (Copilot Studio), Microsoft Learn: Write effective instructions for declarative agents. As of October 15, 2026.

Mark as practiced

Prefer to practice with guidance? Live course “Copilot Ninja in 4 Wochen” (in German) at the Power Platform Academy

Pass it on

Technique 17 from the PowerPlatformAcademy Dojo: The Scroll Check. The prompt checks agent instructions for contradictions, missing transitions and tools that are not even set up. Free to copy, with a source.

https://copilot.ninja/en/techniken/agent-anweisungen-pruefen/

Combo: From chat to agent in production