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Claude for Operators

Prompting Cheat Sheet

Last verified: 13 February 2026 | Applies to: All plans

In 30 seconds

Section titled “In 30 seconds”

Quick-reference prompting patterns you can copy and adapt. For the full guide with examples and explanations, see Prompting for Operators.

The framework

Section titled “The framework”
  1. Role + context — tell Claude who it’s working as
  2. Output format — describe exactly what you want back
  3. Examples — share a previous version if you have one
  4. Constraints — tell Claude what NOT to do
  5. Options — ask for multiple approaches when you need to decide

Copy-paste patterns

Section titled “Copy-paste patterns”

Briefing

Section titled “Briefing”
Read [document/data].
Brief me on:
- What's the key issue?
- What decision do I need to make?
- What are my options?
- What would you recommend?
Keep it under 200 words. Lead with the recommendation.

Delegation

Section titled “Delegation”
I need you to [task].
Context: [who this is for, what they care about, constraints]
Deliverable: [exactly what you want back]
Quality check: Before you deliver, verify [specific things].

Review

Section titled “Review”
Review this [document] for:
1. [Specific thing to check]
2. [Second thing]
3. [Third thing]
For each issue, suggest a specific fix. Don't rewrite — just flag and fix.

Extraction

Section titled “Extraction”
Extract from [source]:
| Field | What to look for |
|-------|-----------------|
| [field 1] | [description] |
| [field 2] | [description] |
Output as a table. Flag anything unclear with [UNCLEAR].

Comparison

Section titled “Comparison”
Compare [A] and [B]:
- Features/capabilities
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Which is better for [specific use case]
Output as a table with your recommendation.

Draft with audience

Section titled “Draft with audience”
Draft a [document type] for [audience].
They care about: [what matters to them]
Tone: [specific tone]
Length: [word count or constraint]
Include: [required elements]
Do NOT: [things to avoid]

Iteration

Section titled “Iteration”
This is close. Adjust:
- [Change 1]
- [Change 2]
Keep [thing that worked] as-is.

Multi-step

Section titled “Multi-step”
Step 1: [First action]
Step 2: Based on Step 1, [second action]
Step 3: Compile into [final output]

Quick tips

Section titled “Quick tips”
  • Be specific — “summarise for my CFO who wants numbers” beats “summarise”
  • Iterate, don’t restart — if it’s 70% right, fix the 30%
  • Use artifacts — ask for “a downloadable Excel file” not just “a spreadsheet”
  • Set constraints — tell Claude what to avoid, not just what to include
  • Save winners — turn your best prompts into custom skills
Section titled “Related”

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