Configuration and parameters for all_messages() and new_messages()

[pietz]

It would be helpful if the all_messages() and new_messages() methods had an option to exclude the system prompt like all_messages(system_prompt=False). This would probably be a better default behavior too. Why?

Well, when do you use these methods?

1. Passing messages to the client/frontend

@app.post("/chat")
async def chat(data):
    ...
    result = await agent.run(data.message, message_history=data.history)
    return result.all_messages()

You probably don't want to pass the system prompt along.

2. When storing messages in a database

...
result = await agent.run(data.message, message_history=data.history)
db.table("conversations").insert(result.all_messages_json())
...

You probably don't want to store the system prompt for every conversation.

3. When handing over a conversation to a different agent

result1 = agent1.run(message, message_history=history)
...
# handover detected
result2 = agent2.run(message, message_history=result1.all_messages())

You want the chat messages for context, but the system prompt of the new agent.

---

More parameters to exclude tool calls or just tool call responses would be another great addition, I think.

[samuelcolvin]

I'm fine to add these parameters, but I do want to point out that current Agent won't inject a system prompt if any messages are passed to a run. So we probably want to alter the logic to insert a system prompt if it's not already in the messages.

[HamzaFarhan]

@samuelcolvin So right now if Agents A and B have their own system prompts and dynamic system prompts, and we pass the history from A to B, B would take A's system prompt + whatever was dynamically added in it and ignore its own system prompt and won't even bother calling the dynamic system tool right?

[josead]

but I do want to point out that current Agent won't inject a system prompt if any messages are passed to a run.

Hey @samuelcolvin, I want to link to #531 Hamza and I discussed Today.
I see some cases where having this ability would be beneficial. If this is something you are planning to support, I want to see how I can contribute with the use cases and, of course, make a PR if necessary!

[samuelcolvin]

Hi @josead, yes please create a PR.