Reference · Cheatsheet

Prompt recipe card

Use this five-part recipe for reliable prompts. Not every part is required — but skipping **Task** and **Format** is the most common mistake.

Use this five-part recipe for reliable prompts. Not every part is required — but skipping **Task** and **Format** is the most common mistake.

The recipe

| Part | Question to answer | Example |

|------|-------------------|---------|

| **Role** | Who should the AI act as? | "You are a patient ESL tutor." |

| **Task** | What exact job? | "Explain photosynthesis in 3 steps." |

| **Context** | What background matters? | "Audience: 12-year-olds. No jargon." |

| **Format** | How should output look? | "Bullet list, max 80 words." |

| **Constraints** | What to avoid? | "No medical advice. No URLs." |

Copy-paste template

Role: [who the AI is]
Task: [one clear job]
Context: [audience, data, situation]
Format: [bullets / table / JSON / length]
Constraints: [must include / must avoid]

Quick fixes

  • Vague output → add **Format** and an example of good output
  • Wrong tone → tighten **Role** and **Constraints**
  • Missing facts → add **Context** or attach documents (RAG)
  • **Related lessons:** `prompts-have-a-job`, `add-context`, `iterate-bad-to-better`