Collect
Gather the source material Claude must use. Remove duplicates and obsolete versions.
Tool guide / Claude
Practical guide / 02
How to use Claude well.
Claude is especially useful when the work depends on a substantial body of material. The quality of the context still matters more than the quantity.
Build the contextContext, not clutter
Give the work a clean room.
A long prompt is not automatically a good prompt. Make the hierarchy visible.
Separate
Distinguish source material, your instructions, examples, and the output you want.
Label
Use headings or simple XML-style tags when a request has many distinct parts.
Prompt lab
Structure for substantial work.
Examples help define quality. Explicit boundaries help keep the answer attached to the source.
Analyze documents
Using only the material inside <sources>, answer the question in <task>. Cite the filename and relevant section for every major claim. If the sources do not support a conclusion, say so. <sources>[attach or paste]</sources> <task>[question]</task>
Match an example
Create [deliverable] for [audience]. Follow the qualities demonstrated in <example>, but do not copy its wording. Before drafting, list the patterns you will preserve. <example>[example]</example>
Revise precisely
Update only the section beginning “[unique opening words]”. Keep every other section unchanged. The goal of this revision is [goal]. Afterward, summarize exactly what changed.
Projects
Make recurring work remember its brief.
Keep related chats, reference material, and project instructions together. Add only knowledge that should shape work across the project; a chat does not automatically need every file you own.
- Name the scope.
- Write standing instructions.
- Curate the knowledge base.
- Start fresh chats for distinct tasks.
Artifacts
Move the work out of the scroll.
Ask Claude to create a standalone document, plan, diagram, prototype, or small interactive tool when the result deserves its own working surface.
- Define the user and job.
- Request a first working version.
- Revise one identifiable part at a time.
- Test before sharing.
Keep going