AI agents need operating rules, not just prompts

AI agents need operating rules, not just prompts When people start using AI agents, the first thing they usually optimize is the prompt. That is not wrong. It is just usually not enough. If you want an agent to move from “sometimes gives a good answer” to “delivers work reliably every day,” the real limit is often not prompt quality. It is whether the agent has clear operating rules. By operating rules, I do not mean abstract principles. I mean the hard constraints that directly change execution