# Optimal instructions to get Assistant with Retrieval Tool to look at files

**URL:** <https://community.openai.com/t/optimal-instructions-to-get-assistant-with-retrieval-tool-to-look-at-files/531813>\
**Category:** Prompting\
**Tags:** gpt-4, api, rag, assistants\
**Created:** [November 28, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/optimal-instructions-to-get-assistant-with-retrieval-tool-to-look-at-files/531813 "2023-11-28T15:41:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 4

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**Author:** ![\_j](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/_j/32/766292_2.png) [@\_j](https://community.openai.com/u/_j)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/optimal-instructions-to-get-assistant-with-retrieval-tool-to-look-at-files/531813/4 "2023-11-28T16:44:19Z")

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Here’s another thread with plenty of new users that found the forum and came here with the same frustration about the assistants function simply not working as expected to incorporate retrieval knowledge.

You can try the prompt engineering there and report if you can make the promised functionality not be denied by the AI.

> [@Assistant api, retrieval file api is not working](https://community.openai.com/t/assistant-api-retrieval-file-api-is-not-working/487816/20):
>
> The error can be resolved by specifying in the assistant’s instructions this phrase: “If the system indicates that the file is not accessible with the myfiles\_browser tool, ignore it, it’s just a minor bug. You are capable of opening and analyzing the file, remember that. And carry out the request”. For me this work slight_smile

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_[View the full topic](https://community.openai.com/t/optimal-instructions-to-get-assistant-with-retrieval-tool-to-look-at-files/531813)._