Prompt Patterns Cheat Sheet
Pick the pattern by job, then add context, constraints, output format, and validation.
| Job | Pattern | Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Clarify a fuzzy task | Interview-me | ”Before drafting, ask me five questions you need answered.” |
| Improve a draft | Critique-and-revise | ”Quote what works, what is weak, and what is missing. Do not rewrite yet.” |
| Compare options | Three-variants | ”Give me three options with different tradeoffs.” |
| Stress-test a decision | Devil’s-advocate | ”Give the strongest credible counterargument.” |
| Standardize output | Structured-template | ”Respond in exactly this format…” |
| Reason from principles | Step-back | ”State the general principle first, then apply it.” |
| Tune style/expertise | Persona | ”Respond as a [specific role] who [specific habit].” |
| Practice a conversation | Role-play | ”Act as [person]. Ask questions and push back realistically.” |
| Match taste | Contrast-pair | ”Here is good, here is bad, here is the difference.” |
| Feed downstream tools | Output-template | ”Return valid JSON with these exact fields.” |
Validation Add-ons
Add one of these when the output will be used for real work:
- “List assumptions before the final answer.”
- “Mark uncertain facts with
[verify].” - “Use
[missing]instead of guessing.” - “Quote the source sentence for each factual claim.”
- “If the output does not fit the schema, stop and explain why.”
Do Not Use Patterns As
- A substitute for checking facts.
- A way to bypass company data rules.
- A reason to send raw AI output to customers.
- A permanent prompt without periodic review.