Write a compact brief and bound the output
Shorten the task brief and cap output without dropping acceptance criteria, safety rules, or the checks that prove the work.
Step 1 of 4
Short is not the same as clear
A rambling prompt wastes input tokens. A vague short prompt often wastes more: the model guesses, you correct it, and retries multiply input, output, and tool calls. Compact means every sentence earns its place — outcome, constraints, allowed files, and how you will check the result — not that the text is twelve words.
Keep: observable acceptance criteria, out-of-scope lines, secret-handling rules, and the test or inspection you will run. Cut: repeated pep talks, pasted stack traces you already summarised, and “also maybe also” extras. If two readers would disagree about done, the brief is too short in the wrong place. Compare short vs clear, not short at any price.