prompt-engineering-patterns

name	prompt-engineering-patterns
description	Advanced prompt engineering for production LLM applications with LangGraph and Google ADK. Covers few-shot learning, chain-of-thought, Tree-of-Thought, self-consistency, system prompt design, prompt optimization, and reusable templates. Use when designing agent system prompts, implementing structured reasoning, optimizing LLM outputs, or debugging inconsistent model responses.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write, Edit
metadata	{"triggers":"prompt engineering, few-shot, chain of thought, tree of thought, self-consistency, system prompt design, prompt optimization, prompt template, CoT, ToT, LLM prompting, agent instruction, structured reasoning, prompt debugging, prompt versioning","related-skills":"agentic-ai-dev, google-adk, agentic-ai-coding-standard, gemini-api-dev","domain":"backend","role":"specialist","scope":"implementation","output-format":"code"}
last-reviewed	2026-03-15

Iron Law

NO SYSTEM PROMPT WITHOUT ROLE + TASK + OUTPUT FORMAT — vague system prompts produce inconsistent LLM outputs and degrade agent reliability in both LangGraph and ADK. Every agent instruction must state what the agent IS, what it DOES, and what format it RETURNS.

Prompt Engineering Patterns — LangGraph + Google ADK

When to Use This Skill

• Designing or reviewing system prompts / ADK agent instructions
• LLM outputs are inconsistent or hallucinating — apply CoT or self-consistency
• Output format needs demonstration — apply few-shot learning
• Complex multi-step reasoning required — apply chain-of-thought
• Need to explore multiple solution paths — apply Tree-of-Thought
• Reducing prompt token cost while keeping quality — prompt optimization
• Building reusable, testable prompt templates

Framework Decision Tree

What's the problem?
├── Output format is wrong / inconsistent
│   └── Apply Few-Shot Learning → reference/few-shot-learning.md
├── Model skips reasoning steps / wrong answers on complex tasks
│   └── Apply Chain-of-Thought → reference/chain-of-thought.md
├── Need to explore multiple solution branches
│   └── Apply Tree-of-Thought → reference/chain-of-thought.md#tot
├── Need highest accuracy (can afford 3-5x cost)
│   └── Apply Self-Consistency → reference/chain-of-thought.md#self-consistency
├── System prompt is vague or producing variable behavior
│   └── Apply System Prompt Design → reference/system-prompts.md
├── Prompts are too long / expensive / slow
│   └── Apply Prompt Optimization → reference/prompt-optimization.md
└── Need reusable structured prompts across agents
    └── Apply Template Patterns → reference/prompt-templates.md

Key Patterns

Pattern	When	LangGraph	Google ADK	Reference
Few-Shot	Output format needs demonstration	HumanMessage with examples in node prompt	instruction= block with examples	reference/few-shot-learning.md
Chain-of-Thought	Multi-step reasoning, math, debugging	SystemMessage with "think step by step"	instruction= with numbered steps	reference/chain-of-thought.md
Tree-of-Thought	Complex exploration / planning	Parallel branch nodes + aggregator	ParallelAgent + synthesizer	reference/chain-of-thought.md
Self-Consistency	High-accuracy critical tasks	Multiple llm.invoke() + majority vote	Multiple ADK runs + vote	reference/chain-of-thought.md
System Prompt Design	Define agent role, behavior, constraints	SystemMessage as first message	LlmAgent(instruction=...)	reference/system-prompts.md
Prompt Templates	Reusable structured prompts	f-string + SystemMessage	instruction= with {variable}	reference/prompt-templates.md
Prompt Optimization	Reduce tokens, improve consistency	Offline A/B test framework	Offline A/B test framework	reference/prompt-optimization.md

Instruction Hierarchy (Universal Rule)

Always structure prompts in this order:

[System Context / Role]     <- who the agent IS
[Task Instruction]          <- what it MUST DO
[Constraints]               <- what it MUST NOT DO
[Examples / Few-Shot]       <- show, don't just tell
[Input Data]                <- the actual input
[Output Format]             <- exact expected output shape

Quick Examples

LangGraph — CoT Node

from langchain_core.messages import SystemMessage, HumanMessage

COT_SYSTEM = SystemMessage(content="""You are a senior software architect.
When analyzing a problem:
1. State your understanding of the problem
2. Identify constraints and requirements
3. Consider 2-3 solution approaches with trade-offs
4. Select the best approach with justification
5. Outline implementation steps

Always show your reasoning explicitly before giving a recommendation.""")

def analysis_node(state: AgentState) -> AgentState:
    response = llm.invoke([COT_SYSTEM, HumanMessage(content=state["problem"])])
    return {"analysis": response.content}

Google ADK — CoT Agent

from google.adk.agents import LlmAgent

analysis_agent = LlmAgent(
    name="analysis_agent",
    model="gemini-3.1-flash",
    instruction="""You are a senior software architect.
When analyzing a problem, follow these steps explicitly:
1. State your understanding of the problem
2. Identify constraints and requirements
3. Consider 2-3 solution approaches with trade-offs
4. Select the best approach with justification
5. Outline implementation steps

Always show your reasoning before giving a recommendation.
Output format: structured analysis with sections for Understanding, Options, Decision, and Next Steps."""
)

Reference Files

File	Content	When to Load
reference/chain-of-thought.md	CoT, ToT, Self-Consistency patterns with LangGraph + ADK code	Complex reasoning, multi-step tasks
reference/few-shot-learning.md	Example selection, dynamic retrieval, edge cases — LangGraph + ADK	Inconsistent output format, classification tasks
reference/prompt-optimization.md	A/B testing, token reduction, versioning, metrics	Reducing cost, improving consistency
reference/system-prompts.md	Role definition, constraints, output format — LangGraph + ADK	Designing new agent system prompts
reference/prompt-templates.md	Reusable templates, variable interpolation, multi-turn — LangGraph + ADK	Building template systems
reference/prompt-template-library.md	15+ battle-tested copy-paste templates for common tasks	Finding a starting template fast

Post-Code Review

After writing prompts or agent instructions, verify:

• agentic-ai-reviewer — graph correctness, system prompt quality in LangGraph agents
• security-reviewer — prompt injection defense, no sensitive data in prompts