Creating Custom Bots in BoodleBox

January 16, 2025

Building custom bots in BoodleBox empowers you to create specialized AI assistants tailored to your specific needs. Whether you’re developing a teaching assistant, a research companion, or a specialized task helper, BoodleBox’s bot builder provides a flexible and intuitive platform to bring your vision to life. This guide will walk you through the complete process of creating, configuring, and optimizing your custom bot to ensure it serves its intended purpose effectively.

Creating Custom Bots

Enjoy this step-by-step walkthrough on how to create custom AI chatbots in BoodleBox.

Get Started

To pick up a draggable item, press the space bar. While dragging, use the arrow keys to move the item. Press space again to drop the item in its new position, or press escape to cancel.

Getting Started

• Locate the ‘robot’ icon on the left-hand navigation bar.
• Click to open the bot builder window.
• Select ‘+Build Bot’ to begin.
• Give your bot a name and description (don’t worry, you can adjust this later).

Vibe Build

When you open the ‘+Build Bot’ window, you’ll notice 2 distinct sections: Vibe Build and Configure.

Vibe Build is a built‑in assistant that co‑designs your bot with you—right inside the builder. Just describe what you want, iterate on tone and workflow, and when you’re ready, say: “Configure this bot.” The assistant will auto‑populate the bot’s fields (expertise, role, audience, learning objectives, workflow, etc.) for you—no manual typing or copy‑pasting.

Then switch to the Configure tab to review what was filled in, make any edits, add knowledge files, choose a model, and test. It’s the fastest path from idea to a fully set‑up custom bot.

Bot Configuration

The Configure tab is where you build your bot manually—defining its details, instructions, knowledge, communications, and profile.

1. Bot Details

• Bot Instructions is a blank canvas where you define your bot’s expertise, purpose, and operational approach in your own words. Think through a few key things before you start writing:
  • Upload or replace your bot’s avatar.
  • Set your bot’s name.
  • Set your bot’s alias (URL).

2. Bot Instructions

• Bot Instructions is a blank canvas where you define your bot’s expertise, purpose, and operational approach in your own words. Think through a few key things before you start writing:
  • What is your bot an expert in? Define its area of specialized knowledge (e.g., academic writing, chemistry, data analysis).
  • What is its role? Describe its primary function or purpose (e.g., guide students through writing essays, explain complex concepts, help analyze data).
  • Who is it for? Specify your audience (e.g., undergraduate students, graduate researchers, faculty members).
  • How should it interact with users? Outline the steps it should take—what it asks first, how it responds, and what comes next.

3. Knowledge

• Adding knowledge to your bot transforms it from a generic AI assistant into a specialized tool with context-specific expertise. Your bot can reference uploaded materials to provide more accurate, relevant, and personalized responses.
  • Select ‘Add Knowledge’ to open the file upload dialog box.
  • Click to choose files from your computer or drag and drop relevant documents.
    • Supported formats: .pdf, .docx, .txt, .png, and .jpg
    • Pro tip: Make sure your files have detailed names.
  • Once all files are compiled, click upload to add to your bot’s knowledge base.
  • You can manage, delete, and update files at any time.

4. Knowledge

• Write the greeting your bot uses to start chats.
  • Note: This message only displays when a user clicks “Start New Chat” or prompts “Hi” or “Hello.” It doesn’t impact how your bot behaves—it’s just a static introduction.

5. Bot Profile

• Add an optional description explaining what your bot does.
  • Note: This description appears on your bot’s profile page to help users unfamiliar with it understand its purpose. It doesn’t impact how your bot behaves.

AI Model Selection

When building a custom bot in BoodleBox, choosing the right AI model is crucial for optimal performance. The AI model serves as the foundation for your bot’s capabilities, determining how it processes information and generates responses. Here’s how:

• In the bot builder test window, locate ‘Powered by ___’
• Click the default LLM name (Claude 4.6 Sonnet) to open a dropdown menu and view available models.
• Select the model that best suits your bot’s purpose and requirements.
  • Pro tip: If you need help choosing the best model, you can reference our guide here.

Testing Your Custom Bot

• In the bot builder test window, locate ‘Powered by ___’
• Click the default LLM name (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) to open a dropdown menu and view available models.
• Select the model that best suits your bot’s purpose and requirements.
  • Pro tip: If you need help choosing the best model, you can reference our guide here.

Publish & Share

Once everything is operating as expected, click ‘Publish’ to make your custom bot public. A confirmation window will open, allowing you to share the link to your custom bot. You can access this link at any time in two ways:

• Through your Custom Bot window (robot icon)
• In your bot dropdown window in the chat bar under ‘custom bots’

Bot Remix

After you publish, you can optionally enable ‘Bot Remix’ to let yourself and others duplicate your bot and tailor it for different contexts—like new courses, teams, or assignments. Turning on Remix makes your bot function like a customizable template, so you can rapidly create new versions without rebuilding from scratch.

When you share a link to your custom bot (with ‘Allow Remix’ on), others can open the bot menu, select Remix, and instantly create their own editable copy. You remain in complete control—enable Remix only for the bots you choose and turn it off anytime.

Note: When a bot is remixed, the configuration and instructions carry over, but uploaded knowledge files do not transfer.

Creating a custom bot in BoodleBox is an iterative process that combines clear instruction design, thoughtful configuration, and strategic knowledge integration. Remember that the most effective bots are those that evolve based on user feedback and changing needs. Regular monitoring and refinement of your bot’s performance will help ensure it continues to provide value to its users.

Whether you’re building your first bot or expanding your existing collection, BoodleBox’s comprehensive tools and features support you in creating AI assistants that truly enhance productivity and engagement.