Use when. Before any long generation. Forces a single deliverable.

You are my operator assistant. Do exactly one job.

JOB: [one sentence naming the deliverable]
AUDIENCE: [who uses this]
CONTEXT: [paste only what the job needs]
CONSTRAINTS:
- Hard limit: [time, length, stack, tone]
- Hard limit: [budget, tools, cannot-do]
ANTI-GOALS: [what a lazy version of this would look like]
OUTPUT FORMAT: [sections, file type, length]
DONE WHEN: [2–5 testable checks a stranger could verify]

If anything required is missing, ask at most three questions. Then proceed with labeled assumptions. Do not add a second deliverable.

Operator note. If the job needs two artifacts, run this twice.

Use when. When the request is ambitious and you need the walls visible before work starts.

Build a constraint ledger for this job. Do not start the job itself.

JOB: [sentence]
KNOWN FACTS: [bullets]
UNKNOWN: [bullets]
NON-NEGOTIABLES: [legal, brand, stack, deadline, money]
FLEXIBLE: [what can move]
RISKS IF WE IGNORE A CONSTRAINT: [cause → effect]

Output a table with columns: Constraint | Type (hard/soft) | Owner | Evidence | Default if unspecified.

End with: the three constraints most likely to make the first draft fail.

Use when. When you are about to generate work that will be judged, not admired.

Write acceptance tests before any draft.

JOB: [deliverable]
USER: [role]
SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: [observable]
FAILURE LOOKS LIKE: [observable]

Produce 8–12 checks in this shape:
- GIVEN [context]
- WHEN [action]
- THEN [result]

Mark each check Must or Should. No vague words (good, nice, engaging, robust) unless you define them in one line. After the list, name the two checks that should be run first.

Use when. When the output will be read by a real person with a real cost of being wrong.

Profile the audience and the stakes. Then rewrite the job so it can only be for them.

JOB: [draft job]
AUDIENCE: [name a real role, not "everyone"]
WHAT THEY ALREADY KNOW: [ ]
WHAT THEY FEAR GETTING WRONG: [ ]
TIME THEY WILL SPEND: [minutes]
STAKES IF THIS IS WRONG: [money, reputation, safety, delay]

Output:
1. One-paragraph audience portrait
2. Three things this audience will skip
3. A rewritten JOB line
4. A tone sentence: "Sound like [X], never like [Y]."

Use when. When previous drafts were fluffy, off-brand, or tried to do everything.

Write anti-goals for this job so the next draft cannot hide in extras.

JOB: [ ]
PRIOR DRAFT FAILURES: [paste, or "none"]
BRAND / VOICE: [ ]

List 10 anti-goals. Each one:
- Names a specific cheap move (example: "do not open with a rhetorical question")
- Names the replacement move

End with a 6-line "banned phrases" list drawn from the domain, not generic AI tells.

Use when. When notes, chats, and docs disagree and the model will otherwise invent a blend.

Establish a source of truth. Do not write the deliverable yet.

JOB: [ ]
SOURCES (paste or list):
1. [doc / note / URL / transcript]
2. [ ]
CONFLICTS I ALREADY SEE: [ ]

Output:
- Ranked sources (primary, secondary, ignore)
- Contradictions table: Claim | Source A | Source B | Resolve by
- Facts we may treat as true
- Facts we must flag as unverified
- One sentence: "If sources conflict, prefer [rule]."

Use when. When the piece must sound like a specific operator, studio, or brand — not a generic assistant.

Lock a voice. Then rewrite a 120-word sample in that voice.

VOICE NAME: [ ]
REFERENCE TEXT (paste 150–400 words that already sound right): [ ]
JOB THIS VOICE MUST SERVE: [ ]
MUST NEVER SOUND LIKE: [competitor, intern, press release]

Output a voice card:
- Cadence (sentence length, fragments, humor)
- Words we prefer
- Words we refuse
- Point of view (I / we / the studio / no person)
- How we handle uncertainty
Then the 120-word sample.

Use when. When the work has to fit a real clock, not an ideal process.

Plan this job for a hard time box. Do not exceed the box in your plan.

JOB: [ ]
TIME BOX: [e.g. 45 minutes]
OPERATOR SKILL: [novice / fluent / expert]
TOOLS AVAILABLE: [ ]

Output a minute-by-minute plan with:
- What is in scope
- What is explicitly cut
- The "good enough" artifact at the deadline
- A 5-minute recovery if the first approach fails
No inspirational padding. If the job cannot fit, say so in one line and propose the cut.

Use when. Before shipping a public, legal, or customer-facing artifact.

Create a risk register for this job. You are not counsel. Flag issues for a human.

JOB: [ ]
AUDIENCE / CHANNEL: [ ]
SENSITIVE MATERIALS: [PII, money, medical, legal, minors, secrets — list]

Table: Risk | Likelihood (L/M/H) | Impact | Early signal | Mitigation | Human gate required? (Y/N)

Then list:
- Facts I must not invent
- Claims that need a citation
- What to strip before pasting into a public model

Use when. When you need a decision, not a brainstorm.

I need a decision memo, not options theater.

DECISION: [question in one sentence]
DEADLINE: [ ]
DECISION MAKER: [role]
OPTIONS ON THE TABLE: [A / B / C]
CONSTRAINTS: [money, time, people, legal]
WHAT WOULD MAKE THIS IRREVERSIBLE: [ ]

Output a one-page memo:
- Recommendation (pick one)
- Why (5 bullets max)
- What we are not choosing, and the cost of that
- Reversible until [date/event]
- First 72-hour actions
Do not end with "it depends" unless you name the single missing fact that would flip the pick.

Use when. When the truth is in a dump of notes and you need a brief a stranger could run.

Turn these messy notes into a run-ready brief. Do not add new strategy.

NOTES: [paste]
JOB I THINK I WANT: [optional]

Output:
1. Clean JOB line
2. Background (8 lines max)
3. Constraints
4. Open questions (numbered)
5. First draft outline
6. A "do not invent" list pulled from gaps in the notes

Preserve names, numbers, and dates exactly. Mark anything you normalized.

Use when. When you cannot write the brief because the operator has not thought it through.

Interview me like a producer who has 12 minutes.

JOB I THINK I WANT: [ ]
WHAT I PASTED: [optional context]

Ask the smallest set of questions (max 10) that would let you write a complete brief. Group them:
- Outcome
- Audience
- Constraints
- Proof
- Anti-goals

After the questions, draft the brief you would write IF I answered with reasonable defaults, and label every default. Do not wait for my answers to show the shape.

Use when. When the request is three products pretending to be one.

Cut scope. Protect the core job.

REQUEST: [paste]
HARD DEADLINE: [ ]
TEAM: [solo / N people]

Output:
- The core job (one sentence)
- Three versions: Thin / Honest / Deluxe
- What moves from Deluxe to a later ticket
- A parking lot of ideas with no argument, just names
Recommend Thin or Honest. Never Deluxe unless the deadline is false.

Use when. When done has been an argument on the last three projects.

Write a definition of done for this job that a contractor could be paid against.

JOB: [ ]
CHANNEL / ARTIFACT: [doc, PR, video, email, agent]
REVIEWERS: [roles]

Output a DoD checklist:
- Content complete
- Facts checked
- Voice
- Format
- Legal/safety
- Handoff (where it lives, who is told)
Each item is a yes/no. Add a "not done if" list of 5 common near-misses.

Use when. When you will not be in the room when the next person runs the work.

Build a handoff packet so a competent stranger can continue without me.

JOB: [ ]
CURRENT STATE: [not started / in progress / blocked]
LINKS / PATHS: [ ]
VOICE: [ ]
LANDMINES: [ ]

Packet sections:
1. Mission (10 lines)
2. Map of files/tools
3. Decisions already made
4. Open decisions (with my lean)
5. First three actions
6. How to reach me, and when not to
No cheerleading. Write as if I am unavailable for 10 days.