prompt-engineering

# Prompt Engineering ## Overview Use this skill to design prompt systems that are clear, testable, and reusable. It covers prompt drafting, optimization, evaluation, and production-oriented patterns for few-shot prompting, reasoning workflows, templates, and system prompts. Keep the main workflow in this file and load the targeted reference files only for the pattern you are applying. ## When to Use Use this skill when: - A user asks to write, rewrite, or improve a prompt - A prompt needs better structure, reliability, or output formatting - Few-shot examples or reasoning scaffolds are needed - A system prompt or reusable prompt template must be created - An existing prompt needs measurable optimization and testing Read the relevant files in `references/` when you need deeper guidance on a specific pattern. ## Core Patterns ### 1. Few-Shot Learning #### Example Selection Strategy - Use `references/few-shot-patterns.md` for comprehensive selection frameworks - Balance example count (3-5 optimal) with context window limitations - Include edge cases and boundary conditions in example sets - Prioritize diverse examples that cover problem space variations - Order examples from simple to complex for progressive learning #### Few-Shot Example (Sentiment Classification) ``` Classify the sentiment as Positive, Negative, or Neutral. Text: "I love this product! It exceeded my expectations." Sentiment: Positive Reasoning: Enthusiastic language, positive adjectives, satisfacti...