# Set Duties They Always Follow

Duties are standing responsibilities that an employee upholds on every single interaction, no exceptions.

## TL;DR

Duties define WHAT TO uphold at all times. Unlike skills (which load on demand), duties are always fully loaded into the employee's mind. Keep them concise because every word costs attention on every turn. Every employee comes with 3 foundational duties pre-assigned: Be Accountable, Act with Integrity, and Take Notes.

## How It Works

Duties are always-on rules the employee carries in memory on every interaction.

- **Always loaded.** The full text of every active duty is present in the employee's mind. The employee can never forget a duty
- **Short and focused.** Every word costs attention on every turn, so duties must be concise. Long processes belong in skills, not duties
- **Standards, not steps.** Duties state WHAT to uphold, not HOW to do it. The employee uses skills to figure out the how

**Quick comparison with skills:**

| | Skill | Duty |
|---|-------|------|
| **Purpose** | HOW TO do the work (process) | WHAT TO uphold always (standard) |
| **Loading** | On demand, when the task matches | Always active on every message |
| **Length** | As long as needed | Short and concise |
| **Example** | "When writing a blog post, follow these 6 steps..." | "Every article must include keyword in H1 and meta description" |

Every employee gets 3 foundational duties automatically: **Be Accountable**, **Act with Integrity**, and **Take Notes**. These set behavioral baselines and ensure the employee journals their work. They cannot be removed, only disabled (with a warning).

Duties are organized into 7 categories: General, Monitoring, Reporting, Communication, Operations, Research, and Custom.

## Where to Find It

1. Go to your **Workspace**
2. Click on any employee in the sidebar
3. Open the **Duties** tab

You will see duties grouped by category with count badges. Foundational duties appear in a collapsible section at the bottom.

## What You Can Do

| Action | How |
|--------|-----|
| **View all duties** | Open the **Duties** tab. Duties are grouped by category with a count badge on each section |
| **Enable or disable a duty** | Toggle any duty on or off. Foundational duties show a warning before disabling |
| **Read duty instructions** | Click any duty card to expand it and see the full text |
| **Edit duty text** | Expand a duty card, modify the instructions, and click Save |
| **Change category** | Expand a duty card and select a different category from the dropdown |
| **Create a custom duty** | Click **Create Duty** in the top-right toolbar. Fill in the name, instructions, and category |
| **Browse the catalog** | Click **Browse Duties** in the toolbar. The catalog shows Workspace duties and Marketplace templates |
| **Add from the catalog** | In the catalog, click any duty to assign it. Already-assigned duties are marked |
| **Duplicate a duty** | Click the 3-dot menu on any duty card and select **Duplicate** |
| **Copy as Markdown** | Click the 3-dot menu and select **Copy** to copy the duty content to your clipboard |
| **Remove a duty** | Click the 3-dot menu and select the delete option. Foundational duties cannot be removed |
| **Ask the employee to create one** | In chat, say "Always CC me on sales emails" and the employee creates a duty for it |

## How to Set It Up

**Nothing to do.** Every employee comes with duties pre-assigned based on their role. Foundational duties are auto-assigned to everyone. You can add, edit, or remove duties anytime from the Duties tab.

To create a custom duty:

1. Open the **Duties** tab and click **Create Duty**
2. Give it a clear **Name** (e.g., "SEO Standards")
3. Write the **Instructions** describing the standard to uphold (keep it short)
4. Pick a **Category** to keep things organized
5. Click **Create Duty**

## Tips and Tricks

- **State the standard, not the process.** "Every article must have keyword in H1, meta description, and internal links" is a duty. The 6-step blog writing process is a skill
- **Keep it short.** If you find yourself writing steps or checklists, that belongs in a skill instead
- **Fewer is better.** Each duty adds to every single turn. Five focused duties beat fifteen vague ones
- **Let the employee help.** Tell them a standing rule in chat and they will create a duty from it
- **Browse the catalog for ideas.** The platform catalog has pre-built duties for common standards

## Good to Know

- **Always active.** An enabled duty is always in the employee's mind. Every output must meet all active duties
- **Foundational duties cannot be removed.** You can disable them (with a warning), but the Remove option is hidden. "Take Notes" ensures the employee journals their work. "Be Accountable" and "Act with Integrity" set behavioral baselines
- **Employee self-management.** Employees can search the duty catalog and manage their own duties during conversation
- **Different from team guidelines.** Duties are per-employee standards. Team guidelines (in the Charter) are team-wide coordination rules. Both can coexist
- **Changes take effect immediately.** Updated duty text appears in the employee's next interaction
- **No approval modes.** Unlike skills, duties do not have AUTO/ASK modes. Duties are always active when enabled

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can an employee ignore a duty?**
A: No. Duties are always active. Every output must meet them.

**Q: What is the difference between a duty and a skill?**
A: A duty says "every piece of content must meet SEO standards." A skill says "when writing a blog post, follow these 6 steps." Duty = what to uphold. Skill = how to do the work.

**Q: Can I add custom duties?**
A: Yes. Click **Create Duty**, write the standards you want enforced, assign a category, and you are done.

**Q: How many duties should an employee have?**
A: Keep it small. Five to ten focused duties is a good range. Each one is fully loaded on every interaction, so quality matters more than quantity.

**Q: Do duties have approval modes like skills?**
A: No. Duties are always active when enabled. Only skills support approval modes.

**Q: What are the 3 foundational duties?**
A: Be Accountable (behavioral baseline), Act with Integrity (ethical standards), and Take Notes (ensures the employee journals their work). All are auto-assigned to every employee.