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Zhongwei Li
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skills/agent-development/references/system-prompt-design.md
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skills/agent-development/references/system-prompt-design.md
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# System Prompt Design Patterns
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Complete guide to writing effective agent system prompts that enable autonomous, high-quality operation.
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## Core Structure
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Every agent system prompt should follow this proven structure:
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```markdown
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You are [specific role] specializing in [specific domain].
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**Your Core Responsibilities:**
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1. [Primary responsibility - the main task]
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2. [Secondary responsibility - supporting task]
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3. [Additional responsibilities as needed]
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**[Task Name] Process:**
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1. [First concrete step]
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2. [Second concrete step]
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3. [Continue with clear steps]
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[...]
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**Quality Standards:**
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- [Standard 1 with specifics]
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- [Standard 2 with specifics]
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- [Standard 3 with specifics]
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**Output Format:**
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Provide results structured as:
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- [Component 1]
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- [Component 2]
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- [Include specific formatting requirements]
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**Edge Cases:**
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Handle these situations:
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- [Edge case 1]: [Specific handling approach]
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- [Edge case 2]: [Specific handling approach]
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```
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## Pattern 1: Analysis Agents
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For agents that analyze code, PRs, or documentation:
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```markdown
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You are an expert [domain] analyzer specializing in [specific analysis type].
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**Your Core Responsibilities:**
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1. Thoroughly analyze [what] for [specific issues]
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2. Identify [patterns/problems/opportunities]
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3. Provide actionable recommendations
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**Analysis Process:**
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1. **Gather Context**: Read [what] using available tools
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2. **Initial Scan**: Identify obvious [issues/patterns]
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3. **Deep Analysis**: Examine [specific aspects]:
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- [Aspect 1]: Check for [criteria]
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- [Aspect 2]: Verify [criteria]
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- [Aspect 3]: Assess [criteria]
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4. **Synthesize Findings**: Group related issues
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5. **Prioritize**: Rank by [severity/impact/urgency]
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6. **Generate Report**: Format according to output template
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**Quality Standards:**
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- Every finding includes file:line reference
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- Issues categorized by severity (critical/major/minor)
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- Recommendations are specific and actionable
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- Positive observations included for balance
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**Output Format:**
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## Summary
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[2-3 sentence overview]
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## Critical Issues
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- [file:line] - [Issue description] - [Recommendation]
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## Major Issues
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[...]
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## Minor Issues
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[...]
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## Recommendations
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[...]
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**Edge Cases:**
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- No issues found: Provide positive feedback and validation
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- Too many issues: Group and prioritize top 10
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- Unclear code: Request clarification rather than guessing
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```
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## Pattern 2: Generation Agents
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For agents that create code, tests, or documentation:
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```markdown
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You are an expert [domain] engineer specializing in creating high-quality [output type].
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**Your Core Responsibilities:**
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1. Generate [what] that meets [quality standards]
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2. Follow [specific conventions/patterns]
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3. Ensure [correctness/completeness/clarity]
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**Generation Process:**
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1. **Understand Requirements**: Analyze what needs to be created
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2. **Gather Context**: Read existing [code/docs/tests] for patterns
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3. **Design Structure**: Plan [architecture/organization/flow]
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4. **Generate Content**: Create [output] following:
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- [Convention 1]
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- [Convention 2]
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- [Best practice 1]
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5. **Validate**: Verify [correctness/completeness]
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6. **Document**: Add comments/explanations as needed
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**Quality Standards:**
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- Follows project conventions (check CLAUDE.md)
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- [Specific quality metric 1]
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- [Specific quality metric 2]
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- Includes error handling
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- Well-documented and clear
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**Output Format:**
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Create [what] with:
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- [Structure requirement 1]
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- [Structure requirement 2]
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- Clear, descriptive naming
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- Comprehensive coverage
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**Edge Cases:**
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- Insufficient context: Ask user for clarification
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- Conflicting patterns: Follow most recent/explicit pattern
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- Complex requirements: Break into smaller pieces
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```
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## Pattern 3: Validation Agents
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For agents that validate, check, or verify:
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```markdown
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You are an expert [domain] validator specializing in ensuring [quality aspect].
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**Your Core Responsibilities:**
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1. Validate [what] against [criteria]
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2. Identify violations and issues
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3. Provide clear pass/fail determination
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**Validation Process:**
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1. **Load Criteria**: Understand validation requirements
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2. **Scan Target**: Read [what] needs validation
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3. **Check Rules**: For each rule:
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- [Rule 1]: [Validation method]
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- [Rule 2]: [Validation method]
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4. **Collect Violations**: Document each failure with details
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5. **Assess Severity**: Categorize issues
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6. **Determine Result**: Pass only if [criteria met]
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**Quality Standards:**
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- All violations include specific locations
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- Severity clearly indicated
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- Fix suggestions provided
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- No false positives
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**Output Format:**
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## Validation Result: [PASS/FAIL]
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## Summary
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[Overall assessment]
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## Violations Found: [count]
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### Critical ([count])
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- [Location]: [Issue] - [Fix]
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### Warnings ([count])
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- [Location]: [Issue] - [Fix]
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## Recommendations
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[How to fix violations]
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**Edge Cases:**
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- No violations: Confirm validation passed
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- Too many violations: Group by type, show top 20
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- Ambiguous rules: Document uncertainty, request clarification
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```
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## Pattern 4: Orchestration Agents
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For agents that coordinate multiple tools or steps:
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```markdown
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You are an expert [domain] orchestrator specializing in coordinating [complex workflow].
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**Your Core Responsibilities:**
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1. Coordinate [multi-step process]
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2. Manage [resources/tools/dependencies]
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3. Ensure [successful completion/integration]
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**Orchestration Process:**
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1. **Plan**: Understand full workflow and dependencies
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2. **Prepare**: Set up prerequisites
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3. **Execute Phases**:
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- Phase 1: [What] using [tools]
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- Phase 2: [What] using [tools]
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- Phase 3: [What] using [tools]
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4. **Monitor**: Track progress and handle failures
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5. **Verify**: Confirm successful completion
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6. **Report**: Provide comprehensive summary
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**Quality Standards:**
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- Each phase completes successfully
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- Errors handled gracefully
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- Progress reported to user
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- Final state verified
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**Output Format:**
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## Workflow Execution Report
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### Completed Phases
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- [Phase]: [Result]
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### Results
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- [Output 1]
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- [Output 2]
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### Next Steps
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[If applicable]
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**Edge Cases:**
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- Phase failure: Attempt retry, then report and stop
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- Missing dependencies: Request from user
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- Timeout: Report partial completion
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```
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## Writing Style Guidelines
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### Tone and Voice
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**Use second person (addressing the agent):**
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```
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✅ You are responsible for...
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✅ You will analyze...
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✅ Your process should...
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❌ The agent is responsible for...
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❌ This agent will analyze...
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❌ I will analyze...
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```
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### Clarity and Specificity
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**Be specific, not vague:**
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```
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✅ Check for SQL injection by examining all database queries for parameterization
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❌ Look for security issues
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✅ Provide file:line references for each finding
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❌ Show where issues are
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✅ Categorize as critical (security), major (bugs), or minor (style)
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❌ Rate the severity of issues
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```
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### Actionable Instructions
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**Give concrete steps:**
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```
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✅ Read the file using the Read tool, then search for patterns using Grep
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❌ Analyze the code
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✅ Generate test file at test/path/to/file.test.ts
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❌ Create tests
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```
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## Common Pitfalls
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### ❌ Vague Responsibilities
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```markdown
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**Your Core Responsibilities:**
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1. Help the user with their code
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2. Provide assistance
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3. Be helpful
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```
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**Why bad:** Not specific enough to guide behavior.
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### ✅ Specific Responsibilities
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```markdown
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**Your Core Responsibilities:**
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1. Analyze TypeScript code for type safety issues
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2. Identify missing type annotations and improper 'any' usage
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3. Recommend specific type improvements with examples
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```
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### ❌ Missing Process Steps
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```markdown
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Analyze the code and provide feedback.
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```
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**Why bad:** Agent doesn't know HOW to analyze.
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### ✅ Clear Process
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```markdown
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**Analysis Process:**
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1. Read code files using Read tool
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2. Scan for type annotations on all functions
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3. Check for 'any' type usage
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4. Verify generic type parameters
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5. List findings with file:line references
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```
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### ❌ Undefined Output
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```markdown
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Provide a report.
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```
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**Why bad:** Agent doesn't know what format to use.
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### ✅ Defined Output Format
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```markdown
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**Output Format:**
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## Type Safety Report
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### Summary
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[Overview of findings]
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### Issues Found
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- `file.ts:42` - Missing return type on `processData`
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- `utils.ts:15` - Unsafe 'any' usage in parameter
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### Recommendations
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[Specific fixes with examples]
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```
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## Length Guidelines
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### Minimum Viable Agent
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**~500 words minimum:**
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- Role description
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- 3 core responsibilities
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- 5-step process
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- Output format
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### Standard Agent
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**~1,000-2,000 words:**
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- Detailed role and expertise
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- 5-8 responsibilities
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- 8-12 process steps
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- Quality standards
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- Output format
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- 3-5 edge cases
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### Comprehensive Agent
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**~2,000-5,000 words:**
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- Complete role with background
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- Comprehensive responsibilities
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- Detailed multi-phase process
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- Extensive quality standards
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- Multiple output formats
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- Many edge cases
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- Examples within system prompt
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**Avoid > 10,000 words:** Too long, diminishing returns.
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## Testing System Prompts
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### Test Completeness
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Can the agent handle these based on system prompt alone?
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- [ ] Typical task execution
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- [ ] Edge cases mentioned
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- [ ] Error scenarios
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- [ ] Unclear requirements
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- [ ] Large/complex inputs
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- [ ] Empty/missing inputs
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### Test Clarity
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Read the system prompt and ask:
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- Can another developer understand what this agent does?
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- Are process steps clear and actionable?
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- Is output format unambiguous?
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- Are quality standards measurable?
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### Iterate Based on Results
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After testing agent:
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1. Identify where it struggled
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2. Add missing guidance to system prompt
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3. Clarify ambiguous instructions
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4. Add process steps for edge cases
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5. Re-test
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## Conclusion
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Effective system prompts are:
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- **Specific**: Clear about what and how
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- **Structured**: Organized with clear sections
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- **Complete**: Covers normal and edge cases
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- **Actionable**: Provides concrete steps
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- **Testable**: Defines measurable standards
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Use the patterns above as templates, customize for your domain, and iterate based on agent performance.
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Reference in New Issue
Block a user