Prompt Engineering & Structured Output

Craft production prompts: system prompts, examples, XML structure, structured output and prefills.

1. 4.1System Prompts, Roles and Clear InstructionsHow the system parameter shapes Claude's behaviour, what belongs in it versus the user turn, and how to write instructions that survive contact with production.8 min
2. 4.2Few-Shot Examples and XML StructuringUsing worked examples and XML tags to show Claude exactly what you want, and the rules for doing both without introducing new failure modes.8 min
3. 4.3Chain of Thought and Extended ThinkingThe difference between asking Claude to reason in its output and giving it a dedicated thinking phase, how extended thinking is configured, and what it costs.9 min
4. 4.4Structured Output: JSON Mode, Tools and SchemasThe three ways to get machine-readable output from Claude, what each guarantees, and how to design schemas that work.9 min
5. 4.5Prefilling, Stop Sequences and Output ControlThe request-level controls that bound and steer generation, from max_tokens and stop sequences to sampling parameters and the legacy prefill technique.8 min
6. 4.6Prompt Iteration, Templates and VersioningTreating prompts as engineered, versioned artefacts: the iteration workflow, templating with variables, and the discipline that keeps changes safe in production.8 min