The useful result
Run a short interview that produces a confirmed brief and a first draft built on facts you supplied.
- Run a short interview that produces a confirmed brief and a first draft built on facts you supplied.
You ask for a bio, a plan or a cover letter and the assistant guesses the missing details. The draft sounds plausible and is wrong about you. The guess is the problem, not the writing.
Reverse the order. Tell the assistant to ask what it needs before it writes. Anthropic’s prompting guidance stresses clear, direct instructions with the context the model needs, and an interview is a quick way to find that context. Cap the number of questions, let yourself skip, and confirm the assumptions before the draft.
The examples below are illustrative exercises, not recorded results from any tool. Sources were checked on 24 October 2026; menus, limits and prices change, so confirm details on the linked pages.
Before you start
- A writing task you find hard to start, such as a bio, plan or email
- Five minutes to answer questions
Review evidence
Documentation-based review · 2026-10-24
Primary documentation and official guidance checked on 24 October 2026. Examples, checks and exercises are original illustrations, not recorded tool tests. Cover artwork is a conceptual illustration.
Ask for questions first, with a limit
Tell the assistant what you want to create and ask it to ask up to six questions in one numbered list before writing anything. Say that you may answer “skip” or “your choice”, and that it must not guess missing facts.
I want to create [what]. Before you write anything, ask me up to six questions in one numbered list that you need to do this well. Do not guess missing facts and do not write a draft yet. I may answer “skip” or “your choice”.Example / expected result
Illustrative example; not a recorded model result.
“1. Who will read it? 2. What do you want them to do afterwards? 3. Two facts you want included?”
Check your result
The assistant returns a numbered list of no more than six questions and no draft.
Answer briefly and ask for the assumptions list
Answer in a line each. For skipped questions, say whether the assistant may choose. Then ask it to list every assumption it will make and to wait for your confirmation before drafting.
Thank you. Before drafting, list the assumptions you are making, including any for questions I skipped. Wait for me to confirm or correct them.Example / expected result
Illustrative example; not a recorded model result.
“The reader is a hiring manager with no technical background.”
Check your result
You have a list of assumptions, and you have corrected any that are wrong.
Draft, then check the draft against your answers
Ask for the draft once the assumptions are confirmed. Read it against your answers: every fact must come from you, and anything invented should be removed. Keep the interview text to reuse next time.
Check your result
Every fact in the draft traces back to one of your answers or a confirmed assumption.
When it goes wrong
Too many questions become a chore, so keep to six or fewer. Do not share private details unless you need them in the draft. If the assistant starts drafting early, stop it and repeat the rule.
Make it your own
Use the interview for a real bio or short email. Count how many of the assistant’s questions you had not thought of and how many facts it still got wrong.
Useful next resources
Sources and review
Last checked Oct 24, 2026. Features and account limits can change. Verify important results against your original material.
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