Claude prompting thread seeks bare minimum

The real answer is not “write longer prompts,” it is “write clearer prompts.” Anthropic’s own guidance leans toward explicit instructions, examples, XML structure, and prompt chaining, which suggests that the minimum effective prompt is mostly about clarity and task framing, not persona theater.

• –Define the task, output format, and success criteria up front; vague goals produce vague answers.
• –Use a few concrete examples when you need consistency more than creativity.
• –Split complex work into smaller steps instead of trying to force one giant prompt to do everything.
• –Role prompts can help, but they are a secondary lever compared with clear instructions and good evaluations.
• –If hallucination is the concern, the fix is usually tighter constraints plus verification, not just “be smarter” prompting.