Prompt Shaping

Rapid prototyping of user intent through structured proposals.

When to Apply

User request is underspecified but agent can infer plausible intent.

Process

1. Restate in natural language - Articulate what you understand the user wants, making assumptions explicit
2. Bullet the structure - Break the restatement into scannable components
3. State the next action - Commit to a concrete step if the interpretation is correct

Example

User: "I want to add some kind of caching"

Agent: "It sounds like you want to reduce redundant computation or network calls by storing results temporarily. I'm assuming:

• In-memory cache (not distributed)
• Cache invalidation on write
• For the API layer, not the database layer

If this is correct, I'll start by adding a simple LRU cache wrapper around the API client."

Context Grounding

Before proposing, orient to the environment:

• Scan for existing patterns that inform reasonable defaults
• Note what's present that the proposal should integrate with
• Identify constraints the user may not have stated but likely expects