Prompt Engineering Tips
Advanced techniques for crafting effective agent descriptions
Mastering agent prompts
The quality of your prompts directly impacts your agents’ performance. Small wording changes can significantly alter agent behavior.
Your prompt is the foundation of your agent’s capabilities. Precision matters.
Essential prompt components
- Clear role definition
- Specific knowledge domains
- Defined personality traits
- Explicit capabilities
- Task descriptions
- Interaction guidelines
- Performance criteria
Effective structure
Advanced techniques
Domain-specific patterns
Analytical agents
Focus on: Data handling, analytical frameworks, statistical approaches, visualization preferences
Pattern: “Analyze [data] using [methods] to identify [insights], presenting results with [visualization] and indicating confidence levels.”
Creative agents
Focus on: Stylistic preferences, creative constraints, inspiration sources, iteration approaches
Pattern: “Generate [output] in the style of [reference], balancing [quality A] and [quality B], with variations exploring different [dimensions].”
Educational agents
Focus on: Teaching methodologies, knowledge scaffolding, assessment approaches, explanation techniques
Pattern: “Teach [subject] from [level], using [methodology], adapting explanations based on comprehension.”
Operational agents
Focus on: Process definitions, decision criteria, exception handling, verification steps
Pattern: “Manage [process] following [procedure], making decisions based on [criteria], handling exceptions by [approach].”
Example prompts
Iterative refinement process
Start with a basic prompt
Create your initial agent with a solid description.
Test thoroughly
Interact with your agent across various relevant scenarios.
Identify gaps
Note areas where your agent underperforms or misunderstands.
Refine your prompt
Revise your description to address specific issues.
Repeat
Continue this cycle until your agent performs consistently.
Keep records of your prompt revisions and how each change affected performance.
Troubleshooting common issues
Expert tips
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Use concrete examples of expected outputs to provide clear guidance.
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Define interaction patterns for different request types to create consistency.
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Anticipate edge cases with instructions for handling unusual or ambiguous inputs.
Prompt engineering is an evolving discipline. What works for one agent may not work for another. Stay experimental in your approach.