The articulation of intent to a machine, transforming a vague need into a request precise enough for an agent to act on meaningfully.
Intent
explicit and implicit…
Input mechanisms
Structured prompt
Reference materials with @mentions
Using @mentions to reference documents, images, code, and other materials provides context for better LLM responses.
Prompt guidance and scaffolding
Bridging the gap between fuzzy idea inside a human’s head and what makes an effective prompt for LLMs.
Quality feedback
Editing assistance
Templates
…
Suggestions
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Prompt evaluation
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Reflective prompting
Real-time, context-aware prompt completions derived dynamically from users’ immediate and historical interactions.
To-do
Precursors to capture: session, thread, and the other conversational containers a prompt sits within.
Resources & references
Consequences
- intent is stated in the actor's own words, and initiative stays with whoever framed the request rather than with whoever built the interface
- what comes back depends on what the request happened to carry, so the actor is now responsible for context they may not know is missing
- the request is a durable artefact — keepable, editable, shareable, templatable — which makes a good one worth more than any single thing it produced
Related patterns
Precedes
- Agent — the prompt articulates the request the agent acts on
- Generated content — the input that leads to generated content.
- AI tuning — lets the actor refine how the model gets prompted
Enables
- Conversation — the prompt is the turn-level move a conversation with an AI is built from
Enacts
- Agency — the actor directs the system in their own words; initiative stays with whoever frames the request
Complements
- Searching — modern search inputs are evolving into prompt interfaces, accepting instructions alongside keywords
Preceded by
- Suggestion — can provide an initial prompt
Enabled by
- Reference material — grounding material is a constituent of the articulated request
Instantiated by
- Prompt scaffolding — a structured way of composing the request — one end of the open-to-scaffolded spectrum