Response Formatting Instructions Mixed Into Tool Descriptions

[shanevcantwell]

Before submitting your bug report

• I've tried using the "Ask AI" feature on the Continue docs site to see if the docs have an answer
• I'm not able to find a related conversation on GitHub discussions that reports the same bug
• I'm not able to find an open issue that reports the same bug
• I've seen the troubleshooting guide on the Continue Docs

Relevant environment info

- OS: any
- Continue version: 1.3.28 (verified against main branch)
- IDE version: any
- Model: any (all models receive conflicting instructions)
- config: any

Description

Response Formatting Instructions Mixed Into Tool Descriptions

Summary

Tool descriptions contain instructions about how to format response text, which conflates "how to use this tool" with "how to write your response."

Example

runTerminalCommand.ts:30:

"When suggesting subsequent shell commands ALWAYS format them in shell command blocks."

This instruction is about formatting the assistant's prose response, not about how to call the run_terminal_command tool.

The Problem

1. Separation of concerns: Tool descriptions should describe the tool's purpose and parameters, not response formatting
2. Maintenance: Formatting preferences are scattered across tool definitions instead of centralized
3. Confusion: Models may interpret this as a tool-calling instruction rather than a formatting preference

Proposed Fix

Move response formatting instructions to the base system message or a dedicated formatting section, keeping tool descriptions focused on:

• What the tool does
• What parameters it accepts
• When to use it vs alternatives
• Any constraints or limitations

Affected Tools

• run_terminal_command - "ALWAYS format them in shell command blocks"
• Potentially others with similar mixed concerns

To reproduce

No response

Log output

[continue]

Related Issues

• Conflicting Instructions: Parallel vs Sequential Tool Calling #9308 - Conflicting Instructions: Parallel vs Sequential Tool Calling
• Move Tool Descriptions to System Prompt for Improved Agent Mode #5860 - Move Tool Descriptions to System Prompt for Improved Agent Mode (closed)
• edit_existing_file may need an improved description to help GLM-4.6 use it correctly all the time #8189 - edit_existing_file may need an improved description to help GLM-4.6 use it correctly all the time
• Some rules are treated as prompts #8885 - Some rules are treated as prompts
• Proposed configuration option for better control over hard-coded system messages #3786 - Proposed configuration option for better control over hard-coded system messages (closed)
• Ability to override hardcoded tool call rule #4718 - Ability to override hardcoded tool call rule (closed)