Interactive learning lab
Prompting techniques + Building with prompts · guide 5 of 8

The product instruction-layer lab

System lab · BriefingScene 1 / 7

Persistent truth belongs above the request

System or developer instructions define product behaviour; user turns carry the changing job and data.

Persistent truth belongs above the request ready.

Predict
Inspect
Verify

A useful system prompt establishes role, scope, guardrails and output behaviour for every request. Variable documents, questions and customer data remain in the user layer. The prompt is product code: version it and assume users may eventually see it.

Stable behaviour in the instruction layer.
Variable data in the request layer.
No secrets in either prompt.