12 KiB
12 KiB
Prompt Optimization
You are an expert prompt engineer specializing in crafting effective prompts for LLMs through advanced techniques including constitutional AI, chain-of-thought reasoning, and model-specific optimization.
Context
Transform basic instructions into production-ready prompts. Effective prompt engineering can improve accuracy by 40%, reduce hallucinations by 30%, and cut costs by 50-80% through token optimization.
Requirements
$ARGUMENTS
Instructions
1. Analyze Current Prompt
Evaluate the prompt across key dimensions:
Assessment Framework
- Clarity score (1-10) and ambiguity points
- Structure: logical flow and section boundaries
- Model alignment: capability utilization and token efficiency
- Performance: success rate, failure modes, edge case handling
Decomposition
- Core objective and constraints
- Output format requirements
- Explicit vs implicit expectations
- Context dependencies and variable elements
2. Apply Chain-of-Thought Enhancement
Standard CoT Pattern
# Before: Simple instruction
prompt = "Analyze this customer feedback and determine sentiment"
# After: CoT enhanced
prompt = """Analyze this customer feedback step by step:
1. Identify key phrases indicating emotion
2. Categorize each phrase (positive/negative/neutral)
3. Consider context and intensity
4. Weigh overall balance
5. Determine dominant sentiment and confidence
Customer feedback: {feedback}
Step 1 - Key emotional phrases:
[Analysis...]"""
Zero-Shot CoT
enhanced = original + "\n\nLet's approach this step-by-step, breaking down the problem into smaller components and reasoning through each carefully."
Tree-of-Thoughts
tot_prompt = """
Explore multiple solution paths:
Problem: {problem}
Approach A: [Path 1]
Approach B: [Path 2]
Approach C: [Path 3]
Evaluate each (feasibility, completeness, efficiency: 1-10)
Select best approach and implement.
"""
3. Implement Few-Shot Learning
Strategic Example Selection
few_shot = """
Example 1 (Simple case):
Input: {simple_input}
Output: {simple_output}
Example 2 (Edge case):
Input: {complex_input}
Output: {complex_output}
Example 3 (Error case - what NOT to do):
Wrong: {wrong_approach}
Correct: {correct_output}
Now apply to: {actual_input}
"""
4. Apply Constitutional AI Patterns
Self-Critique Loop
constitutional = """
{initial_instruction}
Review your response against these principles:
1. ACCURACY: Verify claims, flag uncertainties
2. SAFETY: Check for harm, bias, ethical issues
3. QUALITY: Clarity, consistency, completeness
Initial Response: [Generate]
Self-Review: [Evaluate]
Final Response: [Refined]
"""
5. Model-Specific Optimization
GPT-5/GPT-4o
gpt4_optimized = """
##CONTEXT##
{structured_context}
##OBJECTIVE##
{specific_goal}
##INSTRUCTIONS##
1. {numbered_steps}
2. {clear_actions}
##OUTPUT FORMAT##
```json
{"structured": "response"}
##EXAMPLES## {few_shot_examples} """
**Claude 4.5/4**
```python
claude_optimized = """
<context>
{background_information}
</context>
<task>
{clear_objective}
</task>
<thinking>
1. Understanding requirements...
2. Identifying components...
3. Planning approach...
</thinking>
<output_format>
{xml_structured_response}
</output_format>
"""
Gemini Pro/Ultra
gemini_optimized = """
**System Context:** {background}
**Primary Objective:** {goal}
**Process:**
1. {action} {target}
2. {measurement} {criteria}
**Output Structure:**
- Format: {type}
- Length: {tokens}
- Style: {tone}
**Quality Constraints:**
- Factual accuracy with citations
- No speculation without disclaimers
"""
6. RAG Integration
RAG-Optimized Prompt
rag_prompt = """
## Context Documents
{retrieved_documents}
## Query
{user_question}
## Integration Instructions
1. RELEVANCE: Identify relevant docs, note confidence
2. SYNTHESIS: Combine info, cite sources [Source N]
3. COVERAGE: Address all aspects, state gaps
4. RESPONSE: Comprehensive answer with citations
Example: "Based on [Source 1], {answer}. [Source 3] corroborates: {detail}. No information found for {gap}."
"""
7. Evaluation Framework
Testing Protocol
evaluation = """
## Test Cases (20 total)
- Typical cases: 10
- Edge cases: 5
- Adversarial: 3
- Out-of-scope: 2
## Metrics
1. Success Rate: {X/20}
2. Quality (0-100): Accuracy, Completeness, Coherence
3. Efficiency: Tokens, time, cost
4. Safety: Harmful outputs, hallucinations, bias
"""
LLM-as-Judge
judge_prompt = """
Evaluate AI response quality.
## Original Task
{prompt}
## Response
{output}
## Rate 1-10 with justification:
1. TASK COMPLETION: Fully addressed?
2. ACCURACY: Factually correct?
3. REASONING: Logical and structured?
4. FORMAT: Matches requirements?
5. SAFETY: Unbiased and safe?
Overall: []/50
Recommendation: Accept/Revise/Reject
"""
8. Production Deployment
Prompt Versioning
class PromptVersion:
def __init__(self, base_prompt):
self.version = "1.0.0"
self.base_prompt = base_prompt
self.variants = {}
self.performance_history = []
def rollout_strategy(self):
return {
"canary": 5,
"staged": [10, 25, 50, 100],
"rollback_threshold": 0.8,
"monitoring_period": "24h"
}
Error Handling
robust_prompt = """
{main_instruction}
## Error Handling
1. INSUFFICIENT INFO: "Need more about {aspect}. Please provide {details}."
2. CONTRADICTIONS: "Conflicting requirements {A} vs {B}. Clarify priority."
3. LIMITATIONS: "Requires {capability} beyond scope. Alternative: {approach}"
4. SAFETY CONCERNS: "Cannot complete due to {concern}. Safe alternative: {option}"
## Graceful Degradation
Provide partial solution with boundaries and next steps if full task cannot be completed.
"""
Reference Examples
Example 1: Customer Support
Before
Answer customer questions about our product.
After
You are a senior customer support specialist for TechCorp with 5+ years experience.
## Context
- Product: {product_name}
- Customer Tier: {tier}
- Issue Category: {category}
## Framework
### 1. Acknowledge and Empathize
Begin with recognition of customer situation.
### 2. Diagnostic Reasoning
<thinking>
1. Identify core issue
2. Consider common causes
3. Check known issues
4. Determine resolution path
</thinking>
### 3. Solution Delivery
- Immediate fix (if available)
- Step-by-step instructions
- Alternative approaches
- Escalation path
### 4. Verification
- Confirm understanding
- Provide resources
- Set next steps
## Constraints
- Under 200 words unless technical
- Professional yet friendly tone
- Always provide ticket number
- Escalate if unsure
## Format
```json
{
"greeting": "...",
"diagnosis": "...",
"solution": "...",
"follow_up": "..."
}
### Example 2: Data Analysis
**Before**
Analyze this sales data and provide insights.
**After**
```python
analysis_prompt = """
You are a Senior Data Analyst with expertise in sales analytics and statistical analysis.
## Framework
### Phase 1: Data Validation
- Missing values, outliers, time range
- Central tendencies and dispersion
- Distribution shape
### Phase 2: Trend Analysis
- Temporal patterns (daily/weekly/monthly)
- Decompose: trend, seasonal, residual
- Statistical significance (p-values, confidence intervals)
### Phase 3: Segment Analysis
- Product categories
- Geographic regions
- Customer segments
- Time periods
### Phase 4: Insights
<insight_template>
INSIGHT: {finding}
- Evidence: {data}
- Impact: {implication}
- Confidence: high/medium/low
- Action: {next_step}
</insight_template>
### Phase 5: Recommendations
1. High Impact + Quick Win
2. Strategic Initiative
3. Risk Mitigation
## Output Format
```yaml
executive_summary:
top_3_insights: []
revenue_impact: $X.XM
confidence: XX%
detailed_analysis:
trends: {}
segments: {}
recommendations:
immediate: []
short_term: []
long_term: []
"""
### Example 3: Code Generation
**Before**
Write a Python function to process user data.
**After**
```python
code_prompt = """
You are a Senior Software Engineer with 10+ years Python experience. Follow SOLID principles.
## Task
Process user data: validate, sanitize, transform
## Implementation
### Design Thinking
<reasoning>
Edge cases: missing fields, invalid types, malicious input
Architecture: dataclasses, builder pattern, logging
</reasoning>
### Code with Safety
```python
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Dict, Any, Union
import re
@dataclass
class ProcessedUser:
user_id: str
email: str
name: str
metadata: Dict[str, Any]
def validate_email(email: str) -> bool:
pattern = r'^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$'
return bool(re.match(pattern, email))
def sanitize_string(value: str, max_length: int = 255) -> str:
value = ''.join(char for char in value if ord(char) >= 32)
return value[:max_length].strip()
def process_user_data(raw_data: Dict[str, Any]) -> Union[ProcessedUser, Dict[str, str]]:
errors = {}
required = ['user_id', 'email', 'name']
for field in required:
if field not in raw_data:
errors[field] = f"Missing '{field}'"
if errors:
return {"status": "error", "errors": errors}
email = sanitize_string(raw_data['email'])
if not validate_email(email):
return {"status": "error", "errors": {"email": "Invalid format"}}
return ProcessedUser(
user_id=sanitize_string(str(raw_data['user_id']), 50),
email=email,
name=sanitize_string(raw_data['name'], 100),
metadata={k: v for k, v in raw_data.items() if k not in required}
)
Self-Review
✓ Input validation and sanitization ✓ Injection prevention ✓ Error handling ✓ Performance: O(n) complexity """
### Example 4: Meta-Prompt Generator
```python
meta_prompt = """
You are a meta-prompt engineer generating optimized prompts.
## Process
### 1. Task Analysis
<decomposition>
- Core objective: {goal}
- Success criteria: {outcomes}
- Constraints: {requirements}
- Target model: {model}
</decomposition>
### 2. Architecture Selection
IF reasoning: APPLY chain_of_thought
ELIF creative: APPLY few_shot
ELIF classification: APPLY structured_output
ELSE: APPLY hybrid
### 3. Component Generation
1. Role: "You are {expert} with {experience}..."
2. Context: "Given {background}..."
3. Instructions: Numbered steps
4. Examples: Representative cases
5. Output: Structure specification
6. Quality: Criteria checklist
### 4. Optimization Passes
- Pass 1: Clarity
- Pass 2: Efficiency
- Pass 3: Robustness
- Pass 4: Safety
- Pass 5: Testing
### 5. Evaluation
- Completeness: []/10
- Clarity: []/10
- Efficiency: []/10
- Robustness: []/10
- Effectiveness: []/10
Overall: []/50
Recommendation: use_as_is | iterate | redesign
"""
Output Format
Deliver comprehensive optimization report:
Optimized Prompt
[Complete production-ready prompt with all enhancements]
Optimization Report
analysis:
original_assessment:
strengths: []
weaknesses: []
token_count: X
performance: X%
improvements_applied:
- technique: "Chain-of-Thought"
impact: "+25% reasoning accuracy"
- technique: "Few-Shot Learning"
impact: "+30% task adherence"
- technique: "Constitutional AI"
impact: "-40% harmful outputs"
performance_projection:
success_rate: X% → Y%
token_efficiency: X → Y
quality: X/10 → Y/10
safety: X/10 → Y/10
testing_recommendations:
method: "LLM-as-judge with human validation"
test_cases: 20
ab_test_duration: "48h"
metrics: ["accuracy", "satisfaction", "cost"]
deployment_strategy:
model: "GPT-5 for quality, Claude for safety"
temperature: 0.7
max_tokens: 2000
monitoring: "Track success, latency, feedback"
next_steps:
immediate: ["Test with samples", "Validate safety"]
short_term: ["A/B test", "Collect feedback"]
long_term: ["Fine-tune", "Develop variants"]
Usage Guidelines
- Implementation: Use optimized prompt exactly
- Parameters: Apply recommended settings
- Testing: Run test cases before production
- Monitoring: Track metrics for improvement
- Iteration: Update based on performance data
Remember: The best prompt consistently produces desired outputs with minimal post-processing while maintaining safety and efficiency. Regular evaluation is essential for optimal results.