Promptingยท6 min read
Prompting an Agent: The Basics
The handful of prompting habits that make agents dramatically more reliable.
Prompting an Agent: The Basics
Prompting an agent is less about clever wording and more about being a clear manager.
Four habits that matter
- State the goal and the done-condition. "Draft a reply that answers their question and offers one next step."
- Give context, not just commands. Who is this for? What tone? What must stay true?
- Name the boundaries. What it should never do is as important as what it should.
- Ask for the plan first on anything complex, then approve it.
A simple template
Goal: ___. Audience: ___. Must be true: ___. Never: ___. Show me your plan before acting.
Why this works
Agents fail most often from ambiguity, not inability. Removing ambiguity is the highest-leverage thing you can do โ and it takes one extra sentence.