[Feature Request] Support Multiple System Messages with Better API

[hesamsheikh]

The current implementation enforces a "single system message paradigm" where only one system message can persist throughout an agent's conversation lifecycle. There's no update_system_message() or add_system_message() method in ChatAgent

The current method of creating a new system message is also confusing and requires better API:

  system_message = BaseMessage.make_assistant_message(
      role_name="system",
      content="New system instructions..."
  )

[OmCheeLin]

@hesamsheikh I plan to

1. write method make_system_message() in camel/messages/base.py

return cls(
        role_name,
        RoleType.DEFAULT,
        meta_dict,
        content,
        video_bytes,
        image_list,
        OpenAIVisionDetailType(image_detail).value,
        OpenAIVisionDetailType(video_detail).value,
    )

Is RoleType.DEFAULT right? And as system message, video and image support is necessary?

2. write method add_or_update_system_message() in camel/agents/chat_agent.py
   Once we execute add_or_update_system_message(), should we execute init_messages() again to clear memory in add_or_update_system_message()?

[OmCheeLin]

@hesamsheikh Changing the ChatAgent's system_message property from a single BaseMessage to a List[BaseMessage] would support multiple system prompts, including:

• Allowing multiple system prompts at the beginning of a message
• Allowing system prompts to be inserted into a conversation

This would be a significant project, requiring extensive code changes and testing. This includes classes that inherit from ChatAgent, such as:

camel/agents/task_agent.py
camel/agents/search_agent.py
camel/agents/repo_agent.py
camel/agents/embodied_agent.py
camel/agents/deductive_reasoner_agent.py
camel/agents/knowledge_graph_agent.py
camel/agents/role_assignment_agent.py
camel/agents/mcp_agent.py
camel/agents/multi_hop_generator_agent.py

Personally, I think we should keep system_message as a single message and add system_messages: List[BaseMessage] to provide a unified internal interface for handling single and multiple system prompts.
What do you think?
Or, you can assign this issue to someone else.

[hesamsheikh]

Thanks for the patience @OmCheeLin, I chipped in my opinion in #3167. I hope it's helpful.