prompt

A prompt is the input text or structured message that tells a generative model what to do by providing instructions, context, examples, templates, and constraints.

Prompts can include task descriptions, examples, retrieved passages, schemas for outputs, tool call hints, and safety or policy guidance. In chat-style systems, messages may be organized by roles such as system and user prompts to set behavior and intent.

Effective prompts are specific, unambiguous, and formatted to match the model and task. Their quality can be evaluated by how well the resulting outputs meet the desired criteria.