Few-Shot Example
Demonstration inputs and outputs included in prompts to show Claude the expected format, tone, and quality level rather than describing them abstractly.
Few-shot examples are the most reliable way to calibrate Claude's output. Instead of describing the desired tone ("write like an operator"), you show 2-3 examples of operator writing. The /produce-content skill includes before/after examples of anti-slop corrections. The /persuasive-copywriting skill includes examples of PVP (Provoke, Validate, Propose) messaging. Few-shots work because they ground abstract instructions in concrete output patterns. The practical limit is 3-5 examples per skill: more than that wastes context tokens, fewer than 2 leaves too much room for interpretation. Examples should cover the common case and one edge case.
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Related Terms
Methodology
Prompt Engineering
The systematic design of AI instructions for consistent, high-quality output, moving beyond ad-hoc p...
Skills Layer
Skill
A reusable instruction set that encodes a repeatable process. Skills load context, apply methodology...
Methodology
Anti-Slop
A 4-category quality framework that detects and eliminates AI-generated writing patterns: banned phr...
Architecture
Context Window
The token limit within which Claude operates per conversation, determining how much knowledge, histo...