# Update an assistant

For guidance and examples, see [Manage assistants](/guides/build-an-assistant-manage-assistants#add-instructions-to-an-assistant).

```bash curl theme={null}
PINECONE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
ASSISTANT_NAME="example-assistant"

curl -X PATCH "https://api.pinecone.io/assistant/assistants/$ASSISTANT_NAME" \
  -H "Api-Key: $PINECONE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Pinecone-Api-Version: 2026-04" \
  -d '{
  "instructions": "Use American English for spelling and grammar.",
  "metadata": {"team": "customer-support", "version": "1.1"}
}'
```

```json curl theme={null}
{
  "name": "example-assistant",
  "instructions": "Use American English for spelling and grammar.",
  "metadata": {"team": "customer-support", "version": "1.1"},
  "status": "Ready",
  "host": "https://prod-1-data.ke.pinecone.io",
  "created_at": "2025-10-01T12:30:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-10-01T12:45:00Z"
}
```

`PATCH /assistants/{assistant_name}`

:::code-group
```bash title="cURL"
curl --request PATCH \
  --url https://api.pinecone.io/assistant/assistants/{assistant_name} \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <token>' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
  "instructions": "Answer questions with clear, helpful answers. Keep the tone friendly and easy to follow.",
  "metadata": {
    "role": "Customer Support Helper",
    "team": "Operations"
  }
}'
```

```json title="200"
{
  "assistant_name": "<string>",
  "instructions": "Answer questions with clear, helpful answers. Keep the tone friendly and easy to follow.",
  "metadata": {
    "role": "Customer Support Helper",
    "team": "Operations"
  }
}
```
:::

## Authorizations

- `Authorization` (header, string, required) — Bearer authentication header of the form `Bearer <token>`.

## Path Parameters

- `assistant_name` (path, string, required) — The name of the assistant to update.

## Headers

- `X-Pinecone-Api-Version` (header, string, required) — Required date-based version header

## Body

- `instructions` (body, string) — Guidance applied to all responses generated by the assistant. Maximum 16 KB.
- `metadata` (body, object) — Optional metadata associated with the assistant. Metadata is a JSON object that can store custom organizational data, tags, and attributes. Maximum size is 16KB.

## Response

- `200` — Update request successful.
- `400` — Bad Request
- `401` — Unauthorized
- `404` — Assistant not found
- `500` — Internal Server Error

## Related pages

- [Account management](./account-management-index.md)
- [Admin](./admin-2-index.md)
- [Admin](./admin-index.md)
- [APIs](./apis-index.md)
- [Architecture](./architecture-index.md)
- [Assistants](./assistants-index.md)
- [Bring Your Own Cloud](./bring-your-own-cloud-index.md)
- [Build an assistant](./build-an-assistant-index.md)
- [Build an integration](./build-an-integration-index.md)
- [Changelog](./changelog-index.md)

# Agent Instructions

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