diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/Utilities/StringExtensions.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/Utilities/StringExtensions.cs
index 90adac267..d62b9ec0d 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/Utilities/StringExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/Utilities/StringExtensions.cs
@@ -22,4 +22,9 @@ public static string[] SplitByNewLine(this string input)
     {
         return input.Split(new string[] { Environment.NewLine }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
     }
+
+    public static bool IsEqualTo(this string str1, string str2, StringComparison option = StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+    {
+        return str1.Equals(str2, option);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Agents/Services/AgentService.CreateAgent.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Agents/Services/AgentService.CreateAgent.cs
index ce43e58bc..113f2da16 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Agents/Services/AgentService.CreateAgent.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Agents/Services/AgentService.CreateAgent.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using BotSharp.Abstraction.Agents.Models;
 using BotSharp.Abstraction.Functions.Models;
 using BotSharp.Abstraction.Repositories;
+using BotSharp.Abstraction.Utilities;
 using System.IO;
 
 namespace BotSharp.Core.Agents.Services;
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ private Agent FetchAgentFileByName(string agentName, string filePath)
         {
             var agentJson = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(dir, "agent.json"));
             var agent = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Agent>(agentJson, _options);
-            if (agent != null && agent.Name == agentName)
+            if (agent != null && agent.Name.IsEqualTo(agentName))
             {
                 var functions = FetchFunctionsFromFile(dir);
                 var instruction = FetchInstructionFromFile(dir);
@@ -99,13 +100,16 @@ private string FetchInstructionFromFile(string fileDir)
     private List<AgentTemplate> FetchTemplatesFromFile(string fileDir)
     {
         var templates = new List<AgentTemplate>();
-        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(fileDir))
+        var templateDir = Path.Combine(fileDir, "templates");
+        if (!Directory.Exists(templateDir)) return templates;
+
+        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(templateDir))
         {
             var fileName = file.Split(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar).Last();
             var splits = fileName.ToLower().Split('.');
             var name = splits[0];
             var extension = splits[1];
-            if (name != "instruction" && extension == _agentSettings.TemplateFormat)
+            if (extension.IsEqualTo(_agentSettings.TemplateFormat))
             {
                 var content = File.ReadAllText(file);
                 templates.Add(new AgentTemplate(name, content));
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository.cs
index 19a7d1287..bf92c5a46 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository.cs
@@ -399,23 +399,21 @@ private void UpdateAgentTemplates(string agentId, List<AgentTemplate> templates)
         var (agent, agentFile) = GetAgentFromFile(agentId);
         if (agent == null) return;
 
-        var baseDir = Path.Combine(_dbSettings.FileRepository, _agentSettings.DataDir, agentId);
+        var templateDir = Path.Combine(_dbSettings.FileRepository, _agentSettings.DataDir, agentId, "templates");
 
-        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(baseDir))
+        if (!Directory.Exists(templateDir))
         {
-            var fileName = file.Split(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar).Last();
-            var splits = fileName.ToLower().Split('.');
-            var name = splits[0];
-            var extension = splits[1];
-            if (name != "instruction" && extension == _agentSettings.TemplateFormat)
-            {
-                File.Delete(file);
-            }
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(templateDir);
+        }
+
+        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(templateDir))
+        {
+            File.Delete(file);
         }
 
         foreach (var template in templates)
         {
-            var file = Path.Combine(baseDir, $"{template.Name}.{_agentSettings.TemplateFormat}");
+            var file = Path.Combine(templateDir, $"{template.Name}.{_agentSettings.TemplateFormat}");
             File.WriteAllText(file, template.Content);
         }
     }
@@ -427,8 +425,7 @@ private void UpdateAgentResponses(string agentId, List<AgentResponse> responses)
         var (agent, agentFile) = GetAgentFromFile(agentId);
         if (agent == null) return;
 
-        var baseDir = Path.Combine(_dbSettings.FileRepository, _agentSettings.DataDir, agentId);
-        var responseDir = Path.Combine(baseDir, "responses");
+        var responseDir = Path.Combine(_dbSettings.FileRepository, _agentSettings.DataDir, agentId, "responses");
         if (!Directory.Exists(responseDir))
         {
             Directory.CreateDirectory(responseDir);
@@ -512,17 +509,16 @@ public Agent GetAgent(string agentId)
 
     public string GetAgentTemplate(string agentId, string templateName)
     {
-        var fileDir = Path.Combine(_dbSettings.FileRepository, _agentSettings.DataDir, agentId);
-        if (!Directory.Exists(fileDir)) return string.Empty;
+        var dir = Path.Combine(_dbSettings.FileRepository, _agentSettings.DataDir, agentId, "templates");
+        if (!Directory.Exists(dir)) return string.Empty;
 
-        var lowerTemplateName = templateName?.ToLower();
-        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(fileDir))
+        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(dir))
         {
             var fileName = file.Split(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar).Last();
             var splits = fileName.ToLower().Split('.');
             var name = splits[0];
             var extension = splits[1];
-            if (name == lowerTemplateName && extension == _agentSettings.TemplateFormat)
+            if (name.IsEqualTo(templateName) && extension.IsEqualTo(_agentSettings.TemplateFormat))
             {
                 return File.ReadAllText(file);
             }
@@ -742,14 +738,16 @@ private List<FunctionDef> FetchFunctions(string fileDir)
     private List<AgentTemplate> FetchTemplates(string fileDir)
     {
         var templates = new List<AgentTemplate>();
+        var templateDir = Path.Combine(fileDir, "templates");
+        if (!Directory.Exists(templateDir)) return templates;
 
-        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(fileDir))
+        foreach (var file in Directory.GetFiles(templateDir))
         {
             var fileName = file.Split(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar).Last();
             var splits = fileName.ToLower().Split('.');
             var name = splits[0];
             var extension = splits[1];
-            if (name != "instruction" && extension == _agentSettings.TemplateFormat)
+            if (extension.Equals(_agentSettings.TemplateFormat, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
             {
                 var content = File.ReadAllText(file);
                 templates.Add(new AgentTemplate(name, content));
diff --git a/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.MongoStorage/Models/FunctionDefMongoElement.cs b/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.MongoStorage/Models/FunctionDefMongoElement.cs
index d99435771..ec9699c0e 100644
--- a/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.MongoStorage/Models/FunctionDefMongoElement.cs
+++ b/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.MongoStorage/Models/FunctionDefMongoElement.cs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ public static FunctionDef ToDomainElement(FunctionDefMongoElement mongoFunction)
             Parameters = new FunctionParametersDef
             {
                 Type = mongoFunction.Parameters.Type,
-                Properties = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<JsonDocument>(mongoFunction.Parameters.Properties),
+                Properties = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<JsonDocument>(mongoFunction.Parameters.Properties.IfNullOrEmptyAs("{}")),
                 Required = mongoFunction.Parameters.Required,
             }
         };