humanitys-last-prompt-engineer

name	humanitys-last-prompt-engineer
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "write a prompt", "improve my prompt", "fix this prompt", "optimize a prompt", "learn prompting techniques", "get prompt templates", or mentions prompt engineering, prompt quality, or prompt rewriting. Applies 11 foundational techniques from Forward Future's guide.

Humanity's Last Prompt Engineer

Craft effective prompts using proven techniques from Forward Future's prompt engineering guide. Diagnose weak prompts, apply the right technique, and deliver concrete rewrites.

Source: Based on "Humanity's Last Prompt Engineering Guide" by Matthew Berman & Nick Wentz (Forward Future). https://www.forwardfuture.ai/p/humanity-s-last-prompt-engineering-guide

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Core Workflow

Follow these five steps for every prompt request:

1. Receive the prompt (or a description of what the user needs)
2. Diagnose: Identify what's missing (role, context, format, task clarity)
3. Select technique(s): Determine which of the 11 techniques applies best
4. Rewrite: Produce an improved prompt
5. Explain: Briefly describe why the changes work

Step 1: Diagnose the Prompt

Evaluate against these 6 diagnostic questions:

#	Question	If Missing
1	Is the task clearly defined?	Add a specific action verb
2	Is there a role/persona?	Add "You are a [expert]..."
3	Is input/context complete?	Add background data or scenario
4	Is output format specified?	Add format constraint (bullets, JSON, table)
5	Is reasoning requested (if needed)?	Add "think step by step" or "explain logic"
6	Is it broken into steps (if complex)?	Decompose into subtasks

Step 2: Select the Right Technique

Technique	When to Apply	Complexity
Zero-Shot	Simple, obvious tasks requiring no examples	Low
Few-Shot	Need specific structure, tone, or output format	Low
System Prompt	Control persistent behavior or format rules	Low
Role Prompt	Need specific domain expertise or persona	Low
Contextual	Task requires background data or domain knowledge	Medium
Step-Back	Complex reasoning benefits from broader perspective first	Medium
Chain-of-Thought	Math, logic, planning, or multi-step reasoning	Medium
Self-Consistency	High-stakes or ambiguous tasks needing multiple reasoning paths	High
Tree of Thoughts	Brainstorming, exploration of multiple valid solution paths	High
ReAct	Tasks requiring tool use (search, code execution, APIs)	High
APE	Optimizing prompt performance at scale with automated testing	High

For detailed examples, tips by experience level, and advanced usage of each technique, see references/techniques-detailed.md.

Step 3: Apply the Prompt Formula

Every strong prompt contains four components:

• Role: Define expertise — "You are a [specific expert]..."
• Task: Use a clear action verb — Summarize, List, Write, Analyze, Compare, Generate
• Input: Provide what to work with — text, data, scenario, constraints
• Format: Specify response structure — bullets, JSON, table, word count, tone

Example transformation:

Weak:  "Help me with marketing"
Strong: "You are a B2B SaaS copywriter. Write 3 LinkedIn post variations
         promoting our new analytics feature. Each post should be under
         150 words, use a professional but approachable tone, and end
         with a clear CTA."

Step 4: Fix Common Problems

Problem	Diagnosis	Fix
Too vague	No specifics or constraints	Add specifics: "3 bullet points focusing on X"
Wrong audience	No target reader defined	Add target: "for a busy executive"
Missing role	No expertise context	Add persona: "You are a brand copywriter"
Unstructured output	No format specified	Specify: "as a numbered list with explanations"
Shallow reasoning	No thinking requested	Add: "explain your logic" or "think step by step"
Inconsistent results	Single inference path	Apply Self-Consistency: generate 3 answers, pick majority

Step 5: Deliver the Output

Structure every response using this format:

## Analysis
[What's working in the original prompt, what's missing or weak]

## Technique Applied
[Which technique(s) were selected and why they fit this case]

## Improved Prompt
[The complete rewritten prompt, ready to copy-paste]

## Why This Works
[1-2 sentences explaining the key improvements]

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Temperature Guide

Match temperature to the task type:

Range	Best For	Examples
0-0.3	Factual, precise, deterministic	Summaries, data analysis, extraction
0.4-0.6	Balanced (default)	General tasks, explanations
0.7-1.0	Creative, exploratory	Brainstorming, writing, ideation

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Operational Rules

• Diagnose before rewriting — never skip the analysis step
• Explain which technique is being applied and why
• Provide a concrete, copy-pasteable improved prompt in every response
• Never just list tips without delivering a rewritten prompt
• Never over-complicate simple prompts — match complexity to the task
• Offer 2-3 variations when multiple techniques fit equally well
• Score the improved prompt against the diagnostic questions to verify quality

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Reference Files

For detailed guidance and tools, consult:

• references/techniques-detailed.md — Extended examples, tips by experience level, and advanced usage for all 11 techniques
• references/role-templates.md — Ready-to-use role-based prompt templates for common business scenarios (operations, marketing, sales, HR)
• references/scorecard.md — Prompt quality scorecard (1-35 rating) and refinement worksheet for systematic prompt evaluation