PromptSharp
Issue #005 · Sun, Jun 28, 2026
Sharpen how you instruct AI — from your first prompt to full agents. |
Decomposition: break the big ask into a pipeline
A giant one-shot prompt is where quality goes to die. Split the task, chain the steps. |
When you ask for everything at once — research, outline, draft, edit, format — the model does all of it mediocrely, because attention is spread thin. Better: decompose into stages and run them in sequence, feeding each stage's output into the next. This mirrors how a person works (outline → draft → edit) and lets you inspect and fix quality at each handoff instead of re-rolling a 2,000-word blob. |
▸ Copy-paste prompt
We're going to write this in stages. Do ONLY stage 1 now and stop.
GOAL: A 700-word explainer on 'what is an API' for non-technical founders.
STAGE 1 — OUTLINE ONLY:
Produce a 5-section outline. For each section: a heading + one sentence on what it covers + the single analogy you'll use.
Do not write the article yet. Wait for me to approve the outline.
(After I approve, I'll say 'Stage 2: draft section 1' and so on.) |
▸ Level it up
New to this: Don't ask for the whole thing at once. Ask for the outline first, approve it, then ask for each part. Smaller asks = better answers.
Vibe coder: Make the model stop after each stage so you can steer. Fixing the outline costs one line; fixing a finished 2,000-word draft costs a re-roll.
Advanced: Turn the stages into an actual pipeline: separate prompts (or agent steps) where stage N's output is stage N+1's input. Add a validation/critique step between stages so errors don't compound downstream. |
Today's takeaway: Decompose big asks into a staged pipeline — quality compounds when you can fix each handoff. |
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Know someone who'd sharpen their prompts with this?
Forward it. Refer 3 friends and we'll send you our private prompt-pack.
Refer & get the prompt-pack → |
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