diff --git a/src/agent/agent.js b/src/agent/agent.js
index deed4f5..ed11fc3 100644
--- a/src/agent/agent.js
+++ b/src/agent/agent.js
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ export class Agent {
             };
 
             if (init_message) {
-                this.handleMessage('system', init_message);
+                this.handleMessage('MINECRAFT', init_message);
             } else {
                 this.bot.chat('Hello world! I am ' + this.name);
                 this.bot.emit('finished_executing');
diff --git a/src/models/claude.js b/src/models/claude.js
index 46691d5..0304714 100644
--- a/src/models/claude.js
+++ b/src/models/claude.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import Anthropic from '@anthropic-ai/sdk';
+import { strictFormat } from '../utils/text.js';
 import { getKey } from '../utils/keys.js';
 
 export class Claude {
@@ -15,36 +16,7 @@ export class Claude {
     }
 
     async sendRequest(turns, systemMessage) {
-        let prev_role = null;
-        let messages = [];
-        let filler = {role: 'user', content: '_'};
-        for (let msg of turns) {
-            if (msg.role === 'system') {
-                msg.role = 'user';
-                msg.content = 'SYSTEM: ' + msg.content;
-            }
-            if (msg.role === prev_role && msg.role === 'assistant') {
-                // insert empty user message to separate assistant messages
-                messages.push(filler);
-                messages.push(msg);
-            }
-            else if (msg.role === prev_role) {
-                // combine new message with previous message instead of adding a new one
-                messages[messages.length-1].content += '\n' + msg.content;
-            }
-            else {
-                messages.push(msg);
-            }
-            prev_role = msg.role;
-            
-        }
-        if (messages.length > 0 && messages[0].role !== 'user') {
-            messages.unshift(filler); // anthropic requires user message to start
-        }
-        if (messages.length === 0) {
-            messages.push(filler);
-        }
-        
+        const messages = strictFormat(turns);
         let res = null;
         try {
             console.log('Awaiting anthropic api response...')
diff --git a/src/models/local.js b/src/models/local.js
index dd3af34..21b70df 100644
--- a/src/models/local.js
+++ b/src/models/local.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { strictFormat } from '../utils/text.js';
+
 export class Local {
     constructor(model_name, url) {
         this.model_name = model_name;
@@ -8,8 +10,8 @@ export class Local {
 
     async sendRequest(turns, systemMessage) {
         let model = this.model_name || 'llama3';
-        let messages = [{'role': 'system', 'content': systemMessage}].concat(turns);
-
+        let messages = strictFormat(turns);
+        messages.unshift({role: 'system', content: systemMessage});
         let res = null;
         try {
             console.log(`Awaiting local response... (model: ${model})`)
@@ -56,4 +58,4 @@ export class Local {
         }
         return data;
     }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/utils/text.js b/src/utils/text.js
index b0a273a..bf7b509 100644
--- a/src/utils/text.js
+++ b/src/utils/text.js
@@ -24,4 +24,39 @@ export function toSinglePrompt(turns, system=null, stop_seq='***', model_nicknam
     if (role !== model_nickname) // if the last message was from the user/system, add a prompt for the model. otherwise, pretend we are extending the model's own message
         prompt += model_nickname + ": ";
     return prompt;
+}
+
+// ensures stricter turn order for anthropic/llama models
+// combines repeated messages from the same role, separates repeat assistant messages with filler user messages
+export function strictFormat(turns) {
+    let prev_role = null;
+    let messages = [];
+    let filler = {role: 'user', content: '_'};
+    for (let msg of turns) {
+        if (msg.role === 'system') {
+            msg.role = 'user';
+            msg.content = 'SYSTEM: ' + msg.content;
+        }
+        if (msg.role === prev_role && msg.role === 'assistant') {
+            // insert empty user message to separate assistant messages
+            messages.push(filler);
+            messages.push(msg);
+        }
+        else if (msg.role === prev_role) {
+            // combine new message with previous message instead of adding a new one
+            messages[messages.length-1].content += '\n' + msg.content;
+        }
+        else {
+            messages.push(msg);
+        }
+        prev_role = msg.role;
+        
+    }
+    if (messages.length > 0 && messages[0].role !== 'user') {
+        messages.unshift(filler); // anthropic requires user message to start
+    }
+    if (messages.length === 0) {
+        messages.push(filler);
+    }
+    return messages;
 }
\ No newline at end of file