# Prompts for Claude: explicit steps and quality bar

> Templates for Claude that emphasize clear evaluation criteria and careful handling of missing info.

Source: Promptea — https://www.promptea.me/en/models/claude · Language: English · Last updated: 2026-11-09

## Quick tips

- Give a checklist of what must be covered.
- Ask for a short plan before the final answer (when complex).
- Add examples of desired tone/format when needed.

## Current models Promptea supports

Capabilities come from the provider’s official documentation; each entry shows the date it was last verified.

### Claude Opus 5.5 (default)

Anthropic's recommended starting model (GA 2026-09-22): long-running agentic coding and knowledge work, 1M context. It always thinks — depth is set with effort (default medium), not with 'think carefully' in the prompt.

- Context window: 1M tokens · max output: 128K
- Input: text, image, pdf · output: text
- Latency: balanced · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: reasoning, coding, writing, long context, multimodal
- How to prompt it: Give the goal, context, constraints, and what 'done' looks like in one complete request; drop 'think carefully' or 'double-check' lines — it always thinks and effort (default medium) is the control. For frontend work name the specific styles to avoid, and wrap pasted third-party text in tags so its instructions are treated as data.
- Verified: 2026-09-24 — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/opus-5-5/overview)

### Claude Fable 5.1

Anthropic's most capable widely released model (GA 2026-09-01), for the most demanding reasoning and long autonomous runs. Explain the intent and state boundaries — over-prescriptive step lists reduce its quality.

- Context window: 1M tokens · max output: 128K
- Input: text, image, pdf · output: text
- Latency: slower (deliberate) · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: reasoning, writing, long context, coding, multimodal
- How to prompt it: Say who the result is for and what it enables, and state goals and constraints instead of steps. Mark what not to touch, ask for a final message that leads with the outcome, and keep your verification instructions. Effort starts at high; step down to medium/low where your evals hold.
- Verified: 2026-09-24 — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/fable-5-1/overview)

### Claude Sonnet 5.5

The Claude with the best combination of speed and intelligence (2026-09-28), for everyday coding, agent, and enterprise work; 1M context. Sonnet 5 prompts keep working; effort (default high) is the main control.

- Context window: 1M tokens · max output: 128K
- Input: text, image, pdf · output: text
- Latency: fast · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: writing, reasoning, speed, long context
- How to prompt it: Structure with XML tags, long documents at the top and the query at the end, and explicit success criteria. Control thinking with effort (default high; medium or low for chat and latency-sensitive work), not with lines like 'think less'. If you only want ideas or a plan, say so, and don't ask it to write out its reasoning: ask for a short explanation instead.
- Verified: 2026-10-09 — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/sonnet-5-5/overview)

### Claude Haiku 5.5

The fastest Claude (2026-10-07), for high-volume, latency-sensitive work: classification, extraction, routing, and subagents. 1M context and, for the first time on Haiku, effort levels (default medium).

- Context window: 1M tokens · max output: 128K
- Input: text, image, pdf · output: text
- Latency: fast · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: speed, writing
- How to prompt it: Keep prompts short and explicit: a clear task, an exact output format, and 1-2 examples. Effort replaces Haiku 4.5's budget_tokens: low for chat and high volume, medium (default) for most work, high for strict instruction following. If it can search, give it today's date.
- Verified: 2026-10-09 — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/haiku-5-5/overview)

## Templates

### Rubric-based review

```text
Review this code with a rubric.
Rubric: correctness, security, performance, readability, tests.
Return:
- prioritized issues (P0/P1/P2)
- concrete fixes (snippets)
- test checklist
```

[Open in Promptea](https://www.promptea.me/en/analyzer?prompt=Review+this+code+with+a+rubric.%0ARubric%3A+correctness%2C+security%2C+performance%2C+readability%2C+tests.%0AReturn%3A%0A-+prioritized+issues+%28P0%2FP1%2FP2%29%0A-+concrete+fixes+%28snippets%29%0A-+test+checklist&purpose=code&target=claude)

### Long-context summarizer

```text
Summarize the text below.
Output:
1) 10 bullets (key facts)
2) 5 decisions
3) 5 open questions
Text:
"""[paste]"""
```

[Open in Promptea](https://www.promptea.me/en/analyzer?prompt=Summarize+the+text+below.%0AOutput%3A%0A1%29+10+bullets+%28key+facts%29%0A2%29+5+decisions%0A3%29+5+open+questions%0AText%3A%0A%22%22%22%5Bpaste%5D%22%22%22&purpose=text&target=claude)

## Frequently asked questions

### Should I ask for chain-of-thought?

Ask for a brief plan or key steps instead of full hidden reasoning. It keeps output short and useful.