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Prompt Engineering Patterns

Seth HobsonCommunityCreated by Seth Hobson

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From the author

This skill should be used when the user asks to "optimize a prompt", "improve prompt performance", "design a prompt template", "write better prompts", "debug prompt issues", "use chain-of-thought", "structured prompting", "few-shot prompting", or wants to apply advanced prompt engineering patterns for production LLM applications.
— the description by Seth Hobson

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a framework for developing and refining prompts for LLM applications. It covers methodologies such as few-shot learning, chain-of-thought reasoning, and structured output generation. The content includes guidance on creating reusable templates, implementing system prompts, and debugging prompt behavior to achieve consistent results.

What it does

  • Provides patterns for few-shot learning and dynamic example selection
  • Explains techniques for eliciting step-by-step reasoning via chain-of-thought
  • Demonstrates how to enforce structured outputs using schemas
  • Offers strategies for iterative prompt optimization and testing
  • Includes methods for building modular and conditional prompt templates
  • Defines approaches for setting model behavior through system prompts

When to use it

  • When designing prompts for complex LLM tasks
  • When needing to improve the consistency of model outputs
  • When implementing reasoning chains for logic or math problems
  • When requiring reliable, machine-readable output formats
  • When creating reusable prompt libraries for applications

Advantages

  • Standardizes prompt development through established patterns
  • Enables more predictable model behavior
  • Supports integration with structured data workflows
  • Facilitates modular design for complex prompt systems

Usage examples

“How can I use few-shot learning to improve my model's classification accuracy?”
The agent provides strategies for selecting relevant examples and constructing effective input-output pairs to guide the model.
“Show me how to force an LLM to return JSON.”
The agent demonstrates how to use schema enforcement and structured output patterns to ensure the model returns valid JSON.
“My prompt is producing inconsistent results, how do I debug it?”
The agent suggests iterative refinement techniques, such as adding reasoning steps or providing better examples to stabilize output.
“How do I implement chain-of-thought in my prompt?”
The agent explains how to use trigger phrases or few-shot reasoning traces to elicit step-by-step logic from the model.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/wshobson/prompt-engineering-patterns/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip prompt-engineering-patterns.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Seth Hobson

Prompt Engineering Patterns

Master advanced prompt engineering techniques to maximize LLM performance, reliability, and controllability.

When to Use This Skill

  • Designing complex prompts for production LLM applications

  • Optimizing prompt performance and consistency

  • Implementing structured reasoning patterns (chain-of-thought, tree-of-thought)

  • Building few-shot learning systems with dynamic example selection

  • Creating reusable prompt templates with variable interpolation

  • Debugging and refining prompts that produce inconsistent outputs

  • Implementing system prompts for specialized AI assistants

  • Using structured outputs (JSON mode) for reliable parsing

Core Capabilities

1. Few-Shot Learning
  • Example selection strategies (semantic similarity, diversity sampling)

  • Balancing example count with context window constraints

  • Constructing effective demonstrations with input-output pairs

  • Dynamic example retrieval from knowledge bases

  • Handling edge cases through strategic example selection

2. Chain-of-Thought Prompting
  • Step-by-step reasoning elicitation

  • Zero-shot CoT with "Let's think step by step"

  • Few-shot CoT with reasoning traces

  • Self-consistency techniques (sampling multiple reasoning paths)

  • Verification and validation steps

3. Structured Outputs
  • JSON mode for reliable parsing

  • Pydantic schema enforcement

  • Type-safe response handling

  • Error handling for malformed outputs

4. Prompt Optimization
  • Iterative refinement workflows

  • A/B testing prompt variations

  • Measuring prompt performance metrics (accuracy, consistency, latency)

  • Reducing token usage while maintaining quality

  • Handling edge cases and failure modes

5. Template Systems
  • Variable interpolation and formatting

  • Conditional prompt sections

  • Multi-turn conversation templates

  • Role-based prompt composition

  • Modular prompt components

6. System Prompt Design
  • Setting model behavior and constraints

  • Defining output formats and structure

  • Establishing role and expertise

  • Safety guidelines and content policies

  • Context setting and background information

Quick Start

from langchain_anthropic import ChatAnthropic
from langchain_core.prompts import ChatPromptTemplate
from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

# Define structured output schema
class SQLQuery(BaseModel):
    query: str = Field(description="The SQL query")
    explanation: str = Field(description="Brief explanation of what the query does")
    tables_used: list[str] = Field(description="List of tables referenced")

# Initialize model with structured output
llm = ChatAnthropic(model="claude-sonnet-5")
structured_llm = llm.with_structured_output(SQLQuery)

# Create prompt template
prompt = ChatPromptTemplate.from_messages([
    ("system", """You are an expert SQL developer. Generate efficient, secure SQL queries.
    Always use parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection.
    Explain your reasoning briefly."""),
    ("user", "Convert this to SQL: {query}")
])

# Create chain
chain = prompt | structured_llm

# Use
result = await chain.ainvoke({
    "query": "Find all users who registered in the last 30 days"
})
print(result.query)
print(result.explanation)

Detailed patterns and worked examples

Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.

Best Practices

  1. Be Specific: Vague prompts produce inconsistent results

  2. Show, Don't Tell: Examples are more effective than descriptions

  3. Use Structured Outputs: Enforce schemas with Pydantic for reliability

  4. Test Extensively: Evaluate on diverse, representative inputs

  5. Iterate Rapidly: Small changes can have large impacts

  6. Monitor Performance: Track metrics in production

  7. Version Control: Treat prompts as code with proper versioning

  8. Document Intent: Explain why prompts are structured as they are

Common Pitfalls

  • Over-engineering: Starting with complex prompts before trying simple ones

  • Example pollution: Using examples that don't match the target task

  • Context overflow: Exceeding token limits with excessive examples

  • Ambiguous instructions: Leaving room for multiple interpretations

  • Ignoring edge cases: Not testing on unusual or boundary inputs

  • No error handling: Assuming outputs will always be well-formed

  • Hardcoded values: Not parameterizing prompts for reuse

Success Metrics

Track these KPIs for your prompts:

  • Accuracy: Correctness of outputs

  • Consistency: Reproducibility across similar inputs

  • Latency: Response time (P50, P95, P99)

  • Token Usage: Average tokens per request

  • Success Rate: Percentage of valid, parseable outputs

  • User Satisfaction: Ratings and feedback

Files

references/prompt-templates.md

Prompt Template Systems

Template Architecture

Basic Template Structure
class PromptTemplate:
    def __init__(self, template_string, variables=None):
        self.template = template_string
        self.variables = variables or []

    def render(self, **kwargs):
        missing = set(self.variables) - set(kwargs.keys())
        if missing:
            raise ValueError(f"Missing required variables: {missing}")

        return self.template.format(**kwargs)

# Usage
template = PromptTemplate(
    template_string="Translate {text} from {source_lang} to {target_lang}",
    variables=['text', 'source_lang', 'target_lang']
)

prompt = template.render(
    text="Hello world",
    source_lang="English",
    target_lang="Spanish"
)
Conditional Templates
class ConditionalTemplate(PromptTemplate):
    def render(self, **kwargs):
        # Process conditional blocks
        result = self.template

        # Handle if-blocks: {{#if variable}}content{{/if}}
        import re
        if_pattern = r'\{\{#if (\w+)\}\}(.*?)\{\{/if\}\}'

        def replace_if(match):
            var_name = match.group(1)
            content = match.group(2)
            return content if kwargs.get(var_name) else ''

        result = re.sub(if_pattern, replace_if, result, flags=re.DOTALL)

        # Handle for-loops: {{#each items}}{{this}}{{/each}}
        each_pattern = r'\{\{#each (\w+)\}\}(.*?)\{\{/each\}\}'

        def replace_each(match):
            var_name = match.group(1)
            content = match.group(2)
            items = kwargs.get(var_name, [])
            return '\\n'.join(content.replace('{{this}}', str(item)) for item in items)

        result = re.sub(each_pattern, replace_each, result, flags=re.DOTALL)

        # Finally, render remaining variables
        return result.format(**kwargs)

# Usage
template = ConditionalTemplate("""
Analyze the following text:
{text}

{{#if include_sentiment}}
Provide sentiment analysis.
{{/if}}

{{#if include_entities}}
Extract named entities.
{{/if}}

{{#if examples}}
Reference examples:
{{#each examples}}
- {{this}}
{{/each}}
{{/if}}
""")
Modular Template Composition
class ModularTemplate:
    def __init__(self):
        self.components = {}

    def register_component(self, name, template):
        self.components[name] = template

    def render(self, structure, **kwargs):
        parts = []
        for component_name in structure:
            if component_name in self.components:
                component = self.components[component_name]
                parts.append(component.format(**kwargs))

        return '\\n\\n'.join(parts)

# Usage
builder = ModularTemplate()

builder.register_component('system', "You are a {role}.")
builder.register_component('context', "Context: {context}")
builder.register_component('instruction', "Task: {task}")
builder.register_component('examples', "Examples:\\n{examples}")
builder.register_component('input', "Input: {input}")
builder.register_component('format', "Output format: {format}")

# Compose different templates for different scenarios
basic_prompt = builder.render(
    ['system', 'instruction', 'input'],
    role='helpful assistant',
    instruction='Summarize the text',
    input='...'
)

advanced_prompt = builder.render(
    ['system', 'context', 'examples', 'instruction', 'input', 'format'],
    role='expert analyst',
    context='Financial analysis',
    examples='...',
    instruction='Analyze sentiment',
    input='...',
    format='JSON'
)

Common Template Patterns

Classification Template
CLASSIFICATION_TEMPLATE = """
Classify the following {content_type} into one of these categories: {categories}

{{#if description}}
Category descriptions:
{description}
{{/if}}

{{#if examples}}
Examples:
{examples}
{{/if}}

{content_type}: {input}

Category:"""
Extraction Template
EXTRACTION_TEMPLATE = """
Extract structured information from the {content_type}.

Required fields:
{field_definitions}

{{#if examples}}
Example extraction:
{examples}
{{/if}}

{content_type}: {input}

Extracted information (JSON):"""
Generation Template
GENERATION_TEMPLATE = """
Generate {output_type} based on the following {input_type}.

Requirements:
{requirements}

{{#if style}}
Style: {style}
{{/if}}

{{#if constraints}}
Constraints:
{constraints}
{{/if}}

{{#if examples}}
Examples:
{examples}
{{/if}}

{input_type}: {input}

{output_type}:"""
Transformation Template
TRANSFORMATION_TEMPLATE = """
Transform the input {source_format} to {target_format}.

Transformation rules:
{rules}

{{#if examples}}
Example transformations:
{examples}
{{/if}}

Input {source_format}:
{input}

Output {target_format}:"""

Advanced Features

Template Inheritance
class TemplateRegistry:
    def __init__(self):
        self.templates = {}

    def register(self, name, template, parent=None):
        if parent and parent in self.templates:
            # Inherit from parent
            base = self.templates[parent]
            template = self.merge_templates(base, template)

        self.templates[name] = template

    def merge_templates(self, parent, child):
        # Child overwrites parent sections
        return {**parent, **child}

# Usage
registry = TemplateRegistry()

registry.register('base_analysis', {
    'system': 'You are an expert analyst.',
    'format': 'Provide analysis in structured format.'
})

registry.register('sentiment_analysis', {
    'instruction': 'Analyze sentiment',
    'format': 'Provide sentiment score from -1 to 1.'
}, parent='base_analysis')
Variable Validation
class ValidatedTemplate:
    def __init__(self, template, schema):
        self.template = template
        self.schema = schema

    def validate_vars(self, **kwargs):
        for var_name, var_schema in self.schema.items():
            if var_name in kwargs:
                value = kwargs[var_name]

                # Type validation
                if 'type' in var_schema:
                    expected_type = var_schema['type']
                    if not isinstance(value, expected_type):
                        raise TypeError(f"{var_name} must be {expected_type}")

                # Range validation
                if 'min' in var_schema and value < var_schema['min']:
                    raise ValueError(f"{var_name} must be >= {var_schema['min']}")

                if 'max' in var_schema and value > var_schema['max']:
                    raise ValueError(f"{var_name} must be <= {var_schema['max']}")

                # Enum validation
                if 'choices' in var_schema and value not in var_schema['choices']:
                    raise ValueError(f"{var_name} must be one of {var_schema['choices']}")

    def render(self, **kwargs):
        self.validate_vars(**kwargs)
        return self.template.format(**kwargs)

# Usage
template = ValidatedTemplate(
    template="Summarize in {length} words with {tone} tone",
    schema={
        'length': {'type': int, 'min': 10, 'max': 500},
        'tone': {'type': str, 'choices': ['formal', 'casual', 'technical']}
    }
)
Template Caching
class CachedTemplate:
    def __init__(self, template):
        self.template = template
        self.cache = {}

    def render(self, use_cache=True, **kwargs):
        if use_cache:
            cache_key = self.get_cache_key(kwargs)
            if cache_key in self.cache:
                return self.cache[cache_key]

        result = self.template.format(**kwargs)

        if use_cache:
            self.cache[cache_key] = result

        return result

    def get_cache_key(self, kwargs):
        return hash(frozenset(kwargs.items()))

    def clear_cache(self):
        self.cache = {}

Multi-Turn Templates

Conversation Template
class ConversationTemplate:
    def __init__(self, system_prompt):
        self.system_prompt = system_prompt
        self.history = []

    def add_user_message(self, message):
        self.history.append({'role': 'user', 'content': message})

    def add_assistant_message(self, message):
        self.history.append({'role': 'assistant', 'content': message})

    def render_for_api(self):
        messages = [{'role': 'system', 'content': self.system_prompt}]
        messages.extend(self.history)
        return messages

    def render_as_text(self):
        result = f"System: {self.system_prompt}\\n\\n"
        for msg in self.history:
            role = msg['role'].capitalize()
            result += f"{role}: {msg['content']}\\n\\n"
        return result
State-Based Templates
class StatefulTemplate:
    def __init__(self):
        self.state = {}
        self.templates = {}

    def set_state(self, **kwargs):
        self.state.update(kwargs)

    def register_state_template(self, state_name, template):
        self.templates[state_name] = template

    def render(self):
        current_state = self.state.get('current_state', 'default')
        template = self.templates.get(current_state)

        if not template:
            raise ValueError(f"No template for state: {current_state}")

        return template.format(**self.state)

# Usage for multi-step workflows
workflow = StatefulTemplate()

workflow.register_state_template('init', """
Welcome! Let's {task}.
What is your {first_input}?
""")

workflow.register_state_template('processing', """
Thanks! Processing {first_input}.
Now, what is your {second_input}?
""")

workflow.register_state_template('complete', """
Great! Based on:
- {first_input}
- {second_input}

Here's the result: {result}
""")

Best Practices

  1. Keep It DRY: Use templates to avoid repetition

  2. Validate Early: Check variables before rendering

  3. Version Templates: Track changes like code

  4. Test Variations: Ensure templates work with diverse inputs

  5. Document Variables: Clearly specify required/optional variables

  6. Use Type Hints: Make variable types explicit

  7. Provide Defaults: Set sensible default values where appropriate

  8. Cache Wisely: Cache static templates, not dynamic ones

Template Libraries

Question Answering
QA_TEMPLATES = {
    'factual': """Answer the question based on the context.

Context: {context}
Question: {question}
Answer:""",

    'multi_hop': """Answer the question by reasoning across multiple facts.

Facts: {facts}
Question: {question}

Reasoning:""",

    'conversational': """Continue the conversation naturally.

Previous conversation:
{history}

User: {question}
Assistant:"""
}
Content Generation
GENERATION_TEMPLATES = {
    'blog_post': """Write a blog post about {topic}.

Requirements:
- Length: {word_count} words
- Tone: {tone}
- Include: {key_points}

Blog post:""",

    'product_description': """Write a product description for {product}.

Features: {features}
Benefits: {benefits}
Target audience: {audience}

Description:""",

    'email': """Write a {type} email.

To: {recipient}
Context: {context}
Key points: {key_points}

Email:"""
}

Performance Considerations

  • Pre-compile templates for repeated use

  • Cache rendered templates when variables are static

  • Minimize string concatenation in loops

  • Use efficient string formatting (f-strings, .format())

  • Profile template rendering for bottlenecks

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Python

Security

What our scanner noticed· Low risk

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Attribution and licence

Created by
Seth Hobson
Publisher
Seth Hobson (Community)
Source
wshobson/agents · plugins/llm-application-dev/skills/prompt-engineering-patterns · commit 4bde316
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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