No system problem if default agent

edsl/agents/PromptConstructor.py

@@ -170,6 +170,10 @@ def agent_instructions_prompt(self) -> Prompt:
         >>> i.prompt_constructor.agent_instructions_prompt
         Prompt(text=\"""You are answering questions as if you were a human. Do not break character.\""")
         """
+        from edsl import Agent
+
+        if self.agent == Agent():  # if agent is empty, then return an empty prompt
+            return Prompt(text="")
         if not hasattr(self, "_agent_instructions_prompt"):
             applicable_prompts = prompt_lookup(
                 component_type="agent_instructions",

edsl/inference_services/OpenAIService.py

@@ -187,12 +187,15 @@ async def async_execute_model_call(
                 else:
                     content = user_prompt
                 client = self.async_client()
+                messages = [
+                    {"role": "system", "content": system_prompt},
+                    {"role": "user", "content": content},
+                ]
+                if system_prompt == "" and self.omit_system_prompt_if_empty:
+                    messages = messages[1:]
                 params = {
                     "model": self.model,
-                    "messages": [
-                        {"role": "system", "content": system_prompt},
-                        {"role": "user", "content": content},
-                    ],
+                    "messages": messages,
                     "temperature": self.temperature,
                     "max_tokens": self.max_tokens,
                     "top_p": self.top_p,

edsl/language_models/LanguageModel.py

@@ -170,13 +170,16 @@ class LanguageModel(
     }  # TODO: Use the OpenAI Teir 1 rate limits
     _safety_factor = 0.8
 
-    def __init__(self, tpm=None, rpm=None, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(
+        self, tpm=None, rpm=None, omit_system_prompt_if_empty_string=True, **kwargs
+    ):
         """Initialize the LanguageModel."""
         self.model = getattr(self, "_model_", None)
         default_parameters = getattr(self, "_parameters_", None)
         parameters = self._overide_default_parameters(kwargs, default_parameters)
         self.parameters = parameters
         self.remote = False
+        self.omit_system_prompt_if_empty = omit_system_prompt_if_empty_string
 
         if rpm is not None:
             self._rpm = rpm

edsl/language_models/registry.py

@@ -38,12 +38,14 @@ class Model(metaclass=Meta):
     def __new__(cls, model_name=None, registry=None, *args, **kwargs):
         # Map index to the respective subclass
         if model_name is None:
-            model_name = cls.default_model
+            model_name = (
+                cls.default_model
+            )  # when model_name is None, use the default model, set in the config file
         from edsl.inference_services.registry import default
 
         registry = registry or default
 
-        if isinstance(model_name, int):
+        if isinstance(model_name, int):  # can refer to a model by index
             model_name = cls.available(name_only=True)[model_name]
 
         factory = registry.create_model_factory(model_name)