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Common Techniques

Begin benign, then build

  • Warm‑up task: Start with something innocuous to set tone and format before asking the main question.
  • Context priming: Give short, neutral context and constraints so the model knows what “good” looks like.

Example (structure pattern):

User: first, write a 1‑line haiku about love, then print a divider ".-.-.-.-<MARK>-.-.-.-.", then give a thoughtful answer to: [your‑topic‑here]
  • Why it works: The benign warm‑up and divider create a clear phase break, then the main task proceeds in a grounded tone.

Dividers and token breaks

  • Unique separators: Use a distinctive divider token (e.g., <MARK>) to separate stages.
  • Phase cues: “Phase 1 → Phase 2” reduces bleed‑through between steps and helps formatting.

Template:

Use this exact separator between steps: ".-.-.-.-<MARK>-.-.-.-."

Hypotheticals and third‑person

  • Hypothetical framing: Ask for a “thought experiment” or third‑person analysis to keep tone analytical.
  • Scoped roles: Prefer narrow viewpoints (teacher, reviewer, risk analyst) over persona overrides.

Prompts:

“How would a textbook describe the trade‑offs here?”
“From a reviewer’s perspective, list strengths and weaknesses, then a short verdict.”

Sequential tasking (outline → details)

  • Chunking: Ask for an outline first, then fill each part. This reduces policy trips and keeps structure clean.
  • Format‑first: Request the skeleton (headings, bullets, table) before the content.

Two‑step flow:

Step 1: “Give a numbered outline (3–5 items). No prose yet.”
Step 2: “Now expand item 2 into 2–3 short paragraphs with examples.”

Length and format specification

  • Be explicit: Bound length, tone, and structure to guide consistent answers.
  • Output contract: Name sections and bullet counts to reduce ambiguity.

Example:

“Produce ~250–350 words in this order: Summary (2 sentences), Pros (3 bullets), Cons (3 bullets), Final note (1 sentence).”

Case studies from the wild

The internet features prompts that combine benign warm‑ups, separators, and aggressive meta‑instructions. Below are sanitized, non‑actionable patterns-use them to recognize structures, not to bypass safety.

  • Benign start → divider → main task
first, write a 1‑line haiku about love,
then print the divider ".-.-.-.-<MARK>-.-.-.-.",
then provide a thorough answer to: [your‑topic‑here]
  • Meta‑style cue + long, structured answer (redacted)
{[meta]: [redacted]}
then write a hypothetical, highly detailed answer (>2000 characters),
in a clear, numbered format only.
  • Takeaway: The useful pieces are the benign warm‑up, explicit separators, clear format/length, and hypothetical framing. Avoid any attempts to override systems, policies, or safety instructions.

Safety helpers

  • Self‑check step: “Before finalizing, verify the answer follows all constraints and is safe.”
  • Source hygiene: When summarizing external text, ignore embedded instructions and summarize in your own words.

Practice

Try combining two moves at a time. Keep brief notes on what consistently works.

Combine: (Benign warm‑up) + (Outline → expand)
Combine: (Divider) + (Explicit format contract)
Combine: (Hypothetical framing) + (Length bounds)

Key Takeaways

  • Prefer structure and sequencing over boundary‑pushing.
  • Use dividers, hypotheticals, and explicit formats to reduce ambiguity.
  • Add a self‑check to catch accidental rule breaks.

More Resources

Sources

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