Initial instructions that define an AI assistant's behavior and constraints.
A System Prompt is a set of instructions provided at the beginning of a conversation that establishes the AI's role, personality, capabilities, and constraints. It acts as the foundational context that shapes all subsequent interactions, defining how the model should interpret and respond to user messages.
Effective system prompts typically include: role definition ("You are a helpful coding assistant"), behavioral guidelines ("Always explain your reasoning"), constraints ("Never provide medical advice"), output format specifications, and relevant context or knowledge. Well-crafted system prompts significantly improve consistency and reliability.
System prompt engineering is crucial for production applications. Key considerations include: keeping prompts concise yet comprehensive, testing edge cases, handling prompt injection attempts, versioning prompts as they evolve, and balancing flexibility with safety constraints. The system prompt is often the most important piece of prompt engineering in an application.
Initial instructions that define an AI assistant's behavior and constraints.
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