Constraints and format
You set the boundaries of the agent’s work and describe the exact form of the result you expect.
ObjectiveBy the end of this lesson, you will be able to set the constraints and format of a request to get a result you can use without rework.
Constraints set the boundaries of what the agent can do. The format describes the form of the result. Together, they turn a good text into a text you can use without rework.
Useful constraints
- Length: one page, 300 words, 10 slides.
- Sources: official sources only, or only the project documents.
- Tone and register: formal, sober, no jargon.
- Language: in English, with a German version for colleagues in German-speaking Switzerland.
- Limits on action: send nothing, delete nothing, publish nothing.
A negative constraint is often more useful than a positive one. “No figure without a source” or “do not invent any quotes” close doors the agent might have opened out of excess zeal. They cost one line and save a laborious review.
The format
First state the object you expect. Learnya can reply in the conversation, but it can also produce a document with revision history, an Excel-compatible spreadsheet, a Deck presentation, a Flow lesson, a review deck or a sketch. Then specify the structure: headings, a three-column table, a numbered list, one paragraph per option.
Compare these three training offers.
Compare the three attached offers in a table: one row per offer, with columns for price, duration, format, target audience and weaknesses. Below the table, a recommendation of three sentences at most. Use only the attached documents, and flag any missing information.
The format and the source constraint make the result comparable, verifiable and ready to pass on.
The last example shows a valuable constraint: asking the agent to leave a gap rather than fill it. An empty cell shows. An invented deadline goes unnoticed.