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Manuals / Prompt Engineering / Chapter 2

A · Structure · beginner · ~30 min · Chapter 2 of 12

Prompt anatomy: role, goal, context, constraints, format

Structure beats adjectives. A good prompt names who the model is, what it must produce, what context it has, what it must not do, and how output should look.

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Step 1 of 2

Rewrite a vague prompt

Turn "write about testing" into a structured brief: audience, length, tone, format, constraints.

Rewrite a vague promptDrag stickies · tap for tips
Study mapDrag stickies · tap for tipsKeep it shortdrag · tap →Name the waitdrag · tap →Scope locatorsdrag · tap →Trace when stuckdrag · tap →One browser firstdrag · tap →Isolate statedrag · tap →Assert the UIdrag · tap →Retry wiselydrag · tap →Seed datadrag · tap →Close the loopdrag · tap →Keep it shortdrag · tap →Name the waitdrag · tap →Scope locatorsdrag · tap →Trace when stuckdrag · tap →One browser firstdrag · tap →Isolate statedrag · tap →Pathwise hackdrag · tap →Rewrite a vague prdrag · tap →Try thisdrag · tap →Follow the dashed drag · tap →

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Side-by-side: vague vs structured. Compare outputs on the same topic.

Pro tip: One concrete example beats three adjectives.

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Chapter learning outcomes
  • Prompt anatomy
  • Specificity
  • Output schemas

Clear these before you leave

Side quest

Work prompt

Take a real task from your week; structure it; ship the output.