# Board instructions and fields: what goes where

Board instructions, fields and fill instructions, with a sales and a project example.

Three tools shape how your AI works on a board:

- **Board instructions** tell your AI how to work on this board. Set them in the board's **⋯** menu, under **Board settings** > **Agent access** > **Change**. The board owner or a team admin sets them.
- **Fields** are your own columns on items, such as Stage, Value or Due by client. Add them in the board's **⋯** menu, under **Board settings** > **Fields** > **Edit**. Anyone who can edit the board's fields can add them.
- **Fill instructions** tell your AI how to fill one field. In the **Fields** window, open the field's **...** menu and choose **Fill instructions for agents**. The board owner or a team admin sets them.

From an item, **Add to item** > **New board field...** opens the same **Fields** window. Fields belong to the board: every item on this board gets this field. Each item holds its own value.

## Example 1: a sales pipeline

One item per deal, with the lists Leads, Contacted, Proposal, Won and Lost. Its board instructions: `One item per deal. Log every call as a comment on its deal. Ask before you move a deal to Won or Lost.`

Fields:

- **Stage**, single choice: Lead, Qualified, Proposal, Negotiation
- **Deal value**, money in EUR
- **Close date**, date, with **Show in calendar** turned on in its **...** menu
- **Next step**, text

Fill instructions on Deal value: `Set from the amount in the latest call notes. Leave empty when no amount is named.` and on Next step: `One short sentence from the latest comment: what we do next, and by when.`

A day on this board:

1. After a call, paste your notes and say `Log this call on the Northwind deal`. Your AI adds them as a comment.
2. Say `Fill the fields on my pipeline board`. With the fields_to_fill tool your AI finds the items where a field with fill instructions is empty, or out of date since the item changed, and sets the values.
3. Below agent access level 4, Act, each value waits in the board's Inbox until you accept it. At Act and above it applies right away. A small robot mark shows which values an AI set.

![The Inbox with a suggested Deal value next to the current one, and the reason from the call notes](https://listspace.app/help-images/guide-crm-inbox-light.webp "A filled-in value waits in the Inbox, next to the one it replaces")

## Example 2: a client project

A client project, with the lists Brief, To do, Doing, In review with the client and Done. Its board instructions: `This board may be shared with the client. Keep internal notes and prices we have not agreed off it.`

Fields:

- **Owner**, person: who on the board does it
- **Due by client**, date, with **Show in calendar**
- **Priority**, single choice: High, Normal
- **Blocked**, checkbox

Priority gets fill instructions: `High when the client needs it within a week or it holds up other work, otherwise Normal.`

A day on this board:

1. After a client call, tell your AI what was agreed. It adds the items.
2. Ask it to fill the fields. It sets Priority, and leaves it empty when an item does not say.
3. Open **Table**. Each field has a column. Click **Due by client** to sort by it.
4. Under **Filter**, in **Fields**, choose **Empty** under Owner to see what nobody has taken yet, or **Yes** under Blocked to see what is stuck.

![A board in the Table view, with the views, Filter and Share at the top](https://listspace.app/help-images/guide-board-table-light.webp "The Table view, with Filter at the top")

## Which one do I use?

- How your AI works on this board: **board instructions**.
- Something to sort or filter items by: **a field**.
- A field your AI should fill the same way every time: **fill instructions**.
- A rule for all your boards: **Guidance for agents**, in **Settings** > **Your AI**.

## Why only the owner writes instructions for agents

Both kinds of instructions direct your AI, and your AI can see all your boards. So only the board owner or a team admin writes them. Guests with Edit and team Editors can still add fields and fill in values.

## Read on

- [Custom fields](https://listspace.app/help/custom-fields) and [Fill instructions for agents](https://listspace.app/help/custom-fields#fill-instructions-for-agents)
- [Agents working on a board](https://listspace.app/help/agents-on-a-board)
- [Inbox and agent access](https://listspace.app/help/inbox-and-agent-access)
- [A CRM your AI keeps up to date](https://listspace.app/guides/a-crm-your-ai-keeps-up-to-date) and [Run a client project with your AI](https://listspace.app/guides/run-a-client-project-with-your-ai)

A board has up to 3 fields on Free and 50 on Pro, so these examples need Pro.

## Help articles this guide uses

- [Custom fields](https://listspace.app/help/custom-fields)
- [Agents working on a board](https://listspace.app/help/agents-on-a-board)
- [The Inbox and agent access](https://listspace.app/help/inbox-and-agent-access)

This guide as a web page: https://listspace.app/guides/board-instructions-and-fields. All guides: https://listspace.app/guides.