Write good requests
How to ask a bot for what you want and get it the first time. Plain advice, before-and-after examples, and templates you can copy.
A bot is like a capable new colleague who knows nothing about your situation. The clearer you are about what you want, the better the result. You don't need special words or tricks. Just be specific.
The five things to include
Not every request needs all five, but the more you include, the better.
| Include | Why | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The task | What should it do? | Compare three CRMs… |
| The context | Who is it for, and why? | …for a 5-person sales team that lives in Gmail… |
| The details | What matters most? | …looking at price, ease of use, and email integration. |
| The format | What should you get back? | Give me a table, then your pick in two sentences. |
| The output | Where should it go? | Save the table as crm-comparison.md. |
Before and after
| Vague | Clear |
|---|---|
| Look into CRMs. | Compare HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Zoho for a 5-person sales team. Make a table of monthly price, ease of use, and Gmail integration. End with your pick and why, in two sentences. |
| Make me a website. | Make a one-page website for my bakery, "Rise". Include opening hours (Tue–Sun, 7am–3pm), the address 12 High St, and three menu highlights. Use warm colors. Show me a preview when it's running. |
| Fix this spreadsheet. | In the attached sales.xlsx, remove duplicate rows, change every date to YYYY-MM-DD, and add a total row at the bottom. Save it as sales-clean.xlsx. |
| Write a post about our launch. | Write a LinkedIn post announcing our new app, Pebble, which helps teachers plan lessons. 120 words max, friendly, no hashtags, end with a question to readers. |
| Summarize this. | Summarize the attached contract in 5 bullet points for someone non-legal. Then list anything unusual I should ask a lawyer about. |
Tips
Give context
"This is for a board meeting, so keep it to one page and lead with the numbers" changes the result a lot. Say who will read it and what they'll do with it.
Attach instead of describing
Drop in the file, screenshot, or document. It's faster and more accurate than describing it. See Attachments.
Ask for a file when you want to keep something
"Save it as report.md" means you can open, download, and come back to it later from the bot's computer.
Break big jobs into steps
Ask for a plan first, check it, then let the bot carry on:
First, make an outline of the guide and show me. Don't write the full thing yet.
Shortcut: type /plan at the start of the message box. It puts "Before you do anything, write a short plan for this and wait for my OK:" in the box for you to finish. See Slash commands for more shortcuts like this, such as /remember and /brief.
Correct it like a person
If something isn't right, reply with what to change. You don't need to start over:
Good, but shorter. Drop the history section and add a pricing table.
Ask it to check its work
When you're done, open the website and check every link works.
Say what not to do
Don't change the existing code, only add the new page.
One task per thread
When you move on to something unrelated, start a new thread. The bot stays focused, and it's cheaper.
Put repeated instructions in the Soul
If you find yourself writing "keep it short" in every message, put it in the bot's Soul instead.
Templates to copy
Research
Research [topic] for [who / why]. Look at [specific things]. Use at least [number] reliable sources and link them. Give me a short summary first, then the details. Save the full report as [name].md.
Writing
Write a [type of text] about [topic] for [audience]. Length: [about N words]. Tone: [e.g. friendly, formal]. Include [must-haves]. Avoid [things to avoid]. Show me an outline first.
Data
In the attached [file], [what to change]. Then [what to calculate or chart]. Save the result as [new file name] and tell me anything odd you noticed in the data.
Building something
Build a [website / script / tool] that [does what]. It should [key features]. Keep it simple. When it runs, show me a preview and explain how to use it.
On your computer (in a This PC thread)
In this folder, [what to do with the files]. Don't delete anything. Show me the list of changes before you make them.
When the result isn't what you wanted
- Say what's wrong, specifically: "The table is missing prices" beats "that's not right."
- Try a more capable model for hard tasks. See Choosing a model.
- Raise the effort on models that support it. See Reasoning effort.
- Edit your message to rephrase it, which rewinds the conversation (the replies after it are replaced). See Message actions.
- Branch from here to try a different direction in a new thread, keeping this one as it is. Hover the bot's reply to find it.
- Start fresh in a new thread if the conversation has gone off track.