Override guidelines inside an automation - Heyy Help Center

The AI Employee automation action includes an optional Context field for automation-specific guidelines. These supplement — they do not replace — the employee’s base guidelines, and they apply only inside this one automation, not everywhere the employee is used.

When to use an override

Use an override for	Use a base guideline instead
A one-off task specific to this automation’s flow	Behavior that should hold everywhere the employee runs
An extra boundary that only applies on this channel	A permanent rule — belongs in Boundaries
A narrower set of actions than the employee normally has access to	The employee’s default capability set
Channel-specific tone or a seasonal promo script for one automation	Ongoing tone — belongs in Identity setup

Add an override

Open the AI Employee action in the automation editor.
Open the Context field.
Write the additional instruction, scoped to what this automation needs.
Save and publish.

Automation context override field

Overrides are the right tool when one employee runs in several automations that each need a slightly different script — a seasonal promo on one channel, a stricter boundary on another — without maintaining separate cloned employees.

Test the override in the Playground before publishing; the Playground reflects the employee’s base configuration, so verify override behavior once the automation is live with a real test conversation on that channel.