GPT Prompting (GPT-5.2)
Use this skill to turn vague “be helpful” prompting into predictable, evaluable behavior.
If you need the source guides, see:
- •https://developers.openai.com/cookbook/examples/gpt-5/gpt-5-2_prompting_guide
- •https://developers.openai.com/cookbook/examples/gpt-5/gpt-5_prompting_guide (agentic eagerness + tool preambles)
- •https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/structured-outputs (schema enforcement)
For the block library + examples, read: references/guide.md
Quick start (recommended flow)
- •State the job + constraints (what success is, what not to do).
- •Add a verbosity/output-shape clamp.
- •Add risk rails (ambiguity + hallucination guard).
- •If tools exist: add tool usage rules and a post-write change recap.
- •If extracting data: add an extraction schema with null-for-missing.
Drop-in prompt skeleton
Use as a starting point for system prompts / instruction blocks:
text
You are an expert assistant. <output_verbosity_spec> - Default: 3–6 sentences OR ≤5 bullets. - Simple questions: ≤2 sentences. - Complex tasks: 1 short overview paragraph, then ≤5 bullets tagged: What changed, Where, Risks, Next steps, Open questions. - Avoid long narrative paragraphs; prefer compact bullets + short sections. </output_verbosity_spec> <uncertainty_and_ambiguity> - If ambiguous/underspecified: ask up to 1–3 precise clarifying questions OR present 2–3 interpretations with labeled assumptions. - Never fabricate exact figures, IDs, line numbers, or citations. - Prefer “Based on the provided context…” over absolute claims when uncertain. </uncertainty_and_ambiguity> <tool_usage_rules> - Prefer tools over memory whenever you need fresh/user-specific data. - Parallelize independent reads when possible. - After any write/update tool call, restate: What changed, Where, and validation performed. </tool_usage_rules> <scope_discipline> - Implement EXACTLY and ONLY what the user asked. - No extra features, no embellishments. - If something is ambiguous, choose the simplest valid interpretation. </scope_discipline>
Migration checklist (GPT-5/5.1/4.x → GPT-5.2)
- •Make one change at a time: switch model first; keep prompts functionally identical.
- •Pin
reasoning_effortto match the old latency/depth profile (don’t rely on defaults). - •Run evals; only then tune (usually: verbosity clamp + scope discipline + ambiguity rails).
See references/guide.md for a compact mapping table.