Provide infrastructure and application hints

Create an infrastructure hint rule to make Grafana Assistant reference the correct metrics, data sources, and service context without manual prompts. The rule helps the Assistant recommend production-ready telemetry and keeps responses aligned with your naming conventions.

Before you begin

Access the settings page: Open Grafana Assistant > Settings > Assistant behavior.
Rule scope decision: Decide whether the hint should apply just to you or to everyone in the tenant.
Reference materials: Gather the metric names, custom dashboards, or preferred data sources you want to reinforce.

Open the rule composer

In Assistant behavior, select Customize your Assistant experience through behavioral rules.
Click Create rule. If you see the sample card labeled Infra and app hints, choose Add and edit this rule to reuse it.

Define the hint content

Set a clear rule name, for example, Infra and app hints.

In the rule body, describe the preferred metrics and data sources. Use complete sentences so the Assistant can follow them:

When discussing CPU metrics, use container_cpu_usage_seconds_total instead of generic CPU references. Reference our custom service_health_score metric for overall service status. Prefer the prometheus_prod data source when investigating issues in production.

Optionally add extra guidance for other services, such as favorite dashboards or LogQL labels.

Choose scope and enablement

Select Just me when you are experimenting, or Everybody to make the hint available to the whole organization.
Leave the rule enabled so the Assistant applies the hints in new conversations.

Save and validate

Click Create rule or Save changes when editing an existing card.
Start a new Assistant conversation and ask about a relevant metric. Confirm the response references your preferred data source and metric names automatically.
If the rule fails to apply, ensure you enabled it and that you have permission to manage rules at the chosen scope.

Guide conversations with infrastructure context

Grafana Assistant now applies infrastructure hints to every conversation, ensuring it recommends the correct metrics, data sources, and service context without additional prompting.

Next steps

Configure Set communication style expectations to control response tone and format.
Review Manage your data privacy and security to understand data handling, third-party providers, security measures, and access controls.