# Prompts for Gemini: specify goal + format, iterate

> Practical Gemini prompt templates focused on format, constraints, and iteration loops.

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

## Quick tips

- State the goal and the output format up front.
- Use examples when you need strict structure.
- Tell it what to do when uncertain (ask questions / say 'unknown').

## Current models Promptea supports

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

### Gemini 3.8 Flash (default)

Google's most intelligent Flash (GA Sep 2026), for long-horizon software engineering, autonomous agents, and complex enterprise workflows. Defaults to terse answers; ask for detail when you need it.

- Context window: 1.05M tokens · max output: 66K
- Input: text, image, audio, video, pdf · output: text
- Latency: fast · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: coding, reasoning, speed, multimodal, long context
- How to prompt it: For long inputs put context first and the instruction last, with one consistent delimiter style. thinking_level defaults to medium (low, medium, or high; minimal is unavailable) and sampling parameters are deprecated — don't send them. It is terse by default, so ask for detail explicitly.
- Verified: 2026-09-24 — [source](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models)

### Gemini 3.7 Flash

Previous-generation Flash (GA Aug 2026) for complex coding and agentic workflows. Same 1M context and full multimodality.

- Context window: 1.05M tokens · max output: 66K
- Input: text, image, audio, video, pdf · output: text
- Latency: fast · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: coding, speed, multimodal, long context
- How to prompt it: Context first and instructions last for long inputs, with consistent delimiters. thinking_level defaults to medium (low, medium, or high); ask explicitly for detailed prose because it is terse by default.
- Verified: 2026-09-24 — [source](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models)

### Gemini 3.6 Flash

GA Flash (Jul 2026) balancing speed and multimodality for general agentic tasks. Defaults to terse answers; ask for detail when you need it.

- Context window: 1.05M tokens · max output: 66K
- Input: text, image, audio, video, pdf · output: text
- Latency: fast · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: speed, multimodal, long context, coding
- How to prompt it: Place context first and instructions at the end for long inputs, using one consistent delimiter style. Control depth with thinking_level (default medium; minimal is available); it is terse by default, so ask explicitly for detailed prose.
- Verified: 2026-09-24 — [source](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models)

### Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

The fastest, lowest-cost 3.5 model. Google recommends it (alongside 3.8 Flash) for new high-volume work such as data extraction and subagents.

- Context window: 1.05M tokens · max output: 66K
- Input: text, image, audio, video, pdf · output: text
- Latency: fast · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: speed, multimodal, data
- How to prompt it: Keep prompts compact with explicit instructions and an exact output format or schema; raise thinking_level from the minimal default when a task needs multi-step logic, and add one short example of the expected result.
- Verified: 2026-09-24 — [source](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models)

### Gemini 3.1 Pro

Advanced intelligence for complex problem-solving (still in preview; there is no newer Pro). Ask it to state assumptions and use a visible format.

- Context window: 1.05M tokens · max output: 66K
- Input: text, image, audio, video, pdf · output: text
- Latency: slower (deliberate) · structured output: yes · tool use: yes · native search: yes
- Strengths: reasoning, multimodal, long context, data
- How to prompt it: Ask it to state assumptions on complex problems; thinking_level defaults to high (low, medium, or high). Context first, instructions last for long inputs, with consistent delimiters.
- Verified: 2026-09-24 — [source](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models)

## Templates

### Strict JSON extraction

```text
Return ONLY JSON.
Schema: {"items":[{"name":"string","value":"number|null"}]}
Text:
"""[paste]"""
```

[Open in Promptea](https://www.promptea.me/en/analyzer?prompt=Return+ONLY+JSON.%0ASchema%3A+%7B%22items%22%3A%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22string%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22number%7Cnull%22%7D%5D%7D%0AText%3A%0A%22%22%22%5Bpaste%5D%22%22%22&purpose=data&target=gemini)

### Compare options table

```text
Compare these options: [A, B, C]
Output as a table with columns: Option | Pros | Cons | Risks | Best for.
```

[Open in Promptea](https://www.promptea.me/en/analyzer?prompt=Compare+these+options%3A+%5BA%2C+B%2C+C%5D%0AOutput+as+a+table+with+columns%3A+Option+%7C+Pros+%7C+Cons+%7C+Risks+%7C+Best+for.&purpose=text&target=gemini)

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I avoid verbose outputs?

Set a max length (e.g., '<= 120 words') or fixed number of bullets/rows.