> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.circuit.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Prompting best practices

> Practical techniques for writing questions that get accurate, detailed answers from your Circuit agent.

These techniques help you get the most out of every chat with a Circuit agent.

## Be specific about what you need

Vague questions produce vague answers. Specific questions produce specific, actionable answers.

| Instead of...               | Try...                                                                                                             |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| "Tell me about the product" | "What are the key technical specifications for the XYZ-500, including dimensions, weight, and power requirements?" |
| "Installation help"         | "Walk me through the installation procedure for the XYZ-500 in a ceiling-mounted configuration"                    |
| "Pricing"                   | "What is the current list price for the XYZ-500 and what discount tiers are available for orders over 50 units?"   |

## Explain your situation

Context helps the agent choose the right information and present it in the most useful way.

<Accordion title="Examples of good context">
  **Field technician:**

  > I'm on-site with a customer and their XYZ-500 unit is showing error code E-47. The unit was installed six months ago. What troubleshooting steps should I follow?

  **Sales rep:**

  > A prospect is comparing our XYZ-500 against the competitor's ABC unit. What are our key differentiators in energy efficiency and total cost of ownership?

  **RFP writer:**

  > I'm responding to an RFP that asks about our data security practices for cloud-hosted solutions. Can you summarize our security certifications and data handling policies?

  **Support rep:**

  > A customer called asking why their output quality dropped after the last maintenance cycle. They have the XYZ-500 with firmware version 3.2. What should I check?
</Accordion>

## Iterate, don't repeat

If the first answer isn't right, don't rephrase the same question. Instead, build on the chat:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Tell the agent what was wrong">
    > That answer references the XYZ-400 series. I need the XYZ-500 specifically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add missing constraints">
    > Good, but I need this for the European market, so please use CE compliance specs and metric units.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Request a different angle">
    > Can you compare that to the previous model so I can highlight what's improved?
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Ask for the format you need

The agent can structure its response in different ways. Just ask:

* "Summarize this in three bullet points"
* "Put that in a table"
* "Give me a step-by-step procedure I can follow"
* "Write this as a paragraph I can paste into an email to the customer"
* "List just the part numbers and quantities"

## Use follow-up questions

A single chat can cover a lot of ground. After getting an initial answer, you can:

* Ask the agent to **go deeper** on one part: "Tell me more about step 3"
* Request **related information**: "What spare parts would I need for this procedure?"
* Ask it to **verify**: "Does this apply to units manufactured after 2023?"
* Get **alternatives**: "What if the customer doesn't have the recommended tool? Is there a workaround?"

## What to avoid

<Warning>
  These patterns tend to produce less useful results:

  * **Single-word queries** like "specifications" or "pricing": too ambiguous
  * **Multiple unrelated questions in one message**: the agent handles one topic at a time better
  * **Asking it to guess**: if you have specific requirements, state them
  * **Ignoring citations**: always check that the answer references current, relevant documents
</Warning>