{
  "ok": true,
  "data": {
    "entry": {
      "id": "short-system-prompts",
      "kind": "tip",
      "kindLabel": "Tip",
      "title": "Keep the system prompt short enough to audit",
      "body": "A giant instruction stack feels powerful until nobody can tell which rule caused the behavior. Keep the non-negotiables small, move task detail into the user prompt, and test the system prompt like code.",
      "tag": "prompting",
      "date": "2026 · 05 · 03",
      "publishedAt": "2026-05-03",
      "note": "If you cannot diff it cleanly, you cannot debug it cleanly.",
      "insight": {
        "aha": "A system prompt is product code. If it is too long to review, it is too long to trust.",
        "tryThis": "Rewrite the system prompt into role, hard boundary, output contract, and escalation rule.",
        "watchFor": [
          "Repeated style instructions that fight each other",
          "Hidden policy changes bundled into wording edits",
          "Task detail that belongs in user input rather than permanent rules"
        ]
      },
      "extended": [
        "System prompts work best as durable operating constraints, not as a dumping ground for every possible preference. When the prompt grows without structure, the model starts resolving conflicts in ways you cannot predict.",
        "Split the prompt into policy, role, output contract, and refusal boundary. Then write a small regression set that exercises each section. You will catch more problems with five targeted tests than with another page of instructions."
      ],
      "url": "https://tips.platphormnews.com/entries/short-system-prompts"
    }
  }
}