# 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.

Canonical page: https://themachine.myapps.ai/docs/desktop/chat/writing-requests

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

![A clear request typed in the message box](/images/docs/desktop/good-request.webp)

| 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](/docs/desktop/chat/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](/docs/desktop/cloud-computer/files).

### 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](/docs/desktop/chat/message-actions#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](/docs/desktop/bots/threads-and-folders). 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](/docs/desktop/bots/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](/docs/desktop/this-pc/overview) 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

1. **Say what's wrong**, specifically: *"The table is missing prices"* beats
   *"that's not right."*
2. **Try a more capable model** for hard tasks. See [Choosing a
   model](/docs/desktop/models/choosing-a-model).
3. **Raise the effort** on models that support it. See [Reasoning
   effort](/docs/desktop/models/reasoning-effort).
4. **Edit your message** to rephrase it, which rewinds the conversation (the
   replies after it are replaced). See [Message actions](/docs/desktop/chat/message-actions).
5. **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.
6. **Start fresh** in a new thread if the conversation has gone off track.