system prompt enhancements

src/services/assistant.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import Attachment from '../models/attachment'
 import Message from '../models/message'
 import LlmFactory from '../llms/llm'
 import { store } from './store'
-import { countryCodeToName } from './i18n'
 import { availablePlugins } from '../plugins/plugins'
 import Generator, { GenerationOpts } from './generator'
 
@@ -87,14 +86,11 @@ export default class extends Generator {
     // we need a chat
     if (this.chat === null) {
 
-      // system instructions
-      const systemPrompt = opts.systemInstructions || this.config.instructions.default
-
       // initialize the chat
       this.chat = new Chat()
       this.chat.docrepo = opts.docrepo
       this.chat.setEngineModel(opts.engine, opts.model)
-      this.chat.addMessage(new Message('system', this.getLocalizedInstructions(systemPrompt)))
+      this.chat.addMessage(new Message('system', this.getSystemInstructions(opts.systemInstructions)))
 
       // save
       if (opts.save) {
@@ -169,7 +165,7 @@ export default class extends Generator {
 
       // build messages
       const messages = [
-        new Message('system', this.getLocalizedInstructions(this.config.instructions.titling)),
+        new Message('system', this.getSystemInstructions(this.config.instructions.titling)),
         this.chat.messages[1],
         this.chat.messages[2],
         new Message('user', this.config.instructions.titling_user)
@@ -201,10 +197,4 @@ export default class extends Generator {
 
   }
 
-  getLocalizedInstructions(instructions: string) {
-    const instr = instructions
-    if (!this.config.general.language) return instr
-    return instr + ' Always answer in ' + countryCodeToName(this.config.general.language) + '.'
-  }
-
 }

src/services/generator.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import { LlmEngine, LlmCompletionOpts, LlmChunk } from 'multi-llm-ts'
 import { Configuration } from 'types/config.d'
 import { DocRepoQueryResponseItem } from 'types/rag.d'
+import { countryCodeToName } from './i18n'
 import Attachment from '../models/attachment'
 import Message from '../models/message'
 
@@ -128,7 +129,10 @@ export default class {
   getConversation(messages: Message[]): Message[] {
     const conversationLength = this.config.llm.conversationLength
     const chatMessages = messages.filter((msg) => msg.role !== 'system')
-    const conversation = [messages[0], ...chatMessages.slice(-conversationLength*2, -1)]
+    const conversation = [
+      new Message('system', this.patchSystemInstructions(messages[0].content)),
+      ...chatMessages.slice(-conversationLength*2, -1)
+    ]
     for (const message of conversation) {
       if (message.attachment && !message.attachment.contents) {
         message.attachment.loadContents()
@@ -137,4 +141,24 @@ export default class {
     return conversation
   }
 
+  getSystemInstructions(instructions?: string) {
+
+    // default
+    let instr = instructions || this.config.instructions.default
+
+    // language. asking the LLM to talk in the user language confuses them more than often!
+    if (this.config.general.language) instr += ' Always answer in ' + countryCodeToName(this.config.general.language) + '.'
+    //else instr += ' Always reply in the user language unless expicitely asked to do otherwise.'
+
+    // add date and time
+    instr += ' Current date and time is ' + new Date().toLocaleString() + '.'
+
+    // done
+    return instr
+  }
+
+  patchSystemInstructions(instructions: string) {
+    return instructions.replace(/Current date and time is [^.]+/, 'Current date and time is ' + new Date().toLocaleString())
+  }
+
 }