The prompt that makes AI ask its questions

Tool

Claude (works elsewhere too)

Price

Free

Time

5 min

Level

Beginner

Anthropic's documentation compares Claude to a brilliant but new employee who knows neither your habits nor your context: the more precise you are, the better the result. It suggests a simple test: if a colleague with no background on the task would be confused by your request, Claude will be too. Rather than planning for everything, let it ask for what is missing.

The prompt to copy

1. Paste the prompt, then your requestReplace the last line with what you want (an email, a sales page, a proposal, an outline).

   PromptCopy

   Before producing anything, ask me questions.
   
   Rules:
   1. Ask at most 5 questions, numbered, one idea per question.
   2. Only ask what would really change the result: goal, reader, tone, length, constraints, examples to follow or avoid.
   3. For each question, suggest a default answer in brackets that I can approve in one word.
   4. Wait for my answers. Write nothing else before that.
   5. Then sum up in 3 lines what you understood, and produce the work.
   6. If something is still missing, write [TO COMPLETE] instead of making it up.
   
   My request: [describe what you want here]

2. Answer quicklyThanks to the default answers, you can reply "1 ok, 2 ok, 3: more formal". A minute is usually enough.
3. Read the summaryThe three-line summary is your chance to fix a misunderstanding before it spreads through the whole text.

Keep it in a Claude project

A Claude project groups conversations under shared instructions. Projects are open to everyone, including free accounts (up to five projects on that plan).

1. Create the projectOn claude.ai/projects, click + New Project and name it, for example "Client writing".
2. Add the instructionsClick Set project instructions, paste the prompt without the last line, then save. Claude applies them to every conversation in the project.
3. Add context (optional)Upload your offer, your rates or an example of an email that worked. Claude will use them to ask better questions.

Good to know

• For a simple, clear request ("translate this paragraph"), questions waste time: use this prompt for the texts that matter.
• If Claude asks too many questions, remind it of rule 1. If the answer depends a lot on the reader, ask it to state who it thinks it is writing for.
• Conversations in a project do not share their content with each other, except what you add to the project knowledge.

Sources

• Anthropic docs: Prompting best practices
• Claude Help Center: How can I create and manage projects?

The same idea works in a real tool: an assistant that asks your prospects the right questions before preparing a quote. That is the kind of AI agent I build.