This is a working shelf of prompts for offline models, grouped by job. Each one is meant to be copied, edited, and saved in your own notes. A line under the prompt says when it is realistic: any small local model, or a larger one. “7B+” means a typical 7 to 8 billion parameter instruct model. “13B+” means you will get fewer dropped rules on a larger local model, not that a smaller one is forbidden.
Write a work email.
To: [name]
Ask: [one ask]
Facts they need:
- [fact]
- [fact]
Rules:
- Under 110 words
- No “I hope you are well”
- End with the ask, not a vague offer to chat
Output only the email.
Decline without padding
Any small model.
Write a short decline.
What you are declining: [request]
Reason you may mention: [one reason]
Alternative you may offer: [one, or “none”]
Rules:
- Under 80 words
- Do not apologize more than once
- Do not invent a policy
Output only the message.
Follow-up after silence
Any small model.
Write a follow-up to an email sent on [date].
Original ask: [ask]
Rules:
- Under 70 words
- Refer to the earlier email in one sentence
- Repeat the ask once
- No guilt and no joke
Output only the email.
Code
Function with an edge case
7B+ for a single function. Paste less than a page.
You are a careful [language] developer.
Write one function that [does X].
Edge case to handle: [case]
Rules:
- Names should say what they hold
- A 2-line comment at the top, no other comments
- No example usage
Return only the function.
Commit message from a diff summary
Any small model. Do not paste a huge diff; paste your own one-paragraph summary of the change.
Write a commit message.
Change: [what changed]
Why: [why]
Rules:
- Subject under 50 characters, imperative mood
- Body: at most 2 sentences
- Do not mention “this commit”
Output only the message.
Review comments, not a rewrite
13B+ if the snippet is more than ~40 lines. Otherwise 7B is fine.
Review the code. Do not rewrite it.
Return exactly 3 bullets:
- Bug or “no bug found”
- Naming or clarity issue, or “none”
- Smallest next change
Code:
[paste]
Notes and meetings
Decisions and actions
Any small model.
From the notes, make two lists: Decisions and Actions.
Rules:
- Do not add items that are not in the notes
- Actions start with a verb
- Unknown owner: “Owner: not stated”
Notes:
[paste]
What changed since last time
Any small model. Paste both versions, labeled.
Compare OLD and NEW.
Return:
- Added
- Removed
- Unchanged but easy to miss
One line each. If a list is empty, write “none.”
OLD:
[paste]
NEW:
[paste]
Extraction
Flat JSON
7B+. Smaller models often add a sentence before the JSON.
Extract JSON with keys: vendor, invoice_date, total.
Rules:
- null if missing
- total is a number with no currency symbol
- No markdown fence and no explanation
Text:
[paste]
Names and dates only
Any small model.
List every person and every date in the text.
Format:
People:
- name
Dates:
- date — what it refers to, in 5 words, or “not stated”
Do not infer dates that are not written.
Text:
[paste]
Rewrite and translation
Shorter, same facts
Any small model.
Rewrite the text in about half the length.
Rules:
- Keep every number, name, and date
- Do not add a moral or a recommendation
- No heading
Text:
[paste]
Translation with frozen terms
7B+ for a page. Any small model for a paragraph.
Translate from [source] to [target].
Keep these strings unchanged: [term], [term], [URL]
Rules:
- Neutral tone
- No translator’s notes
- If a word is unclear, keep the original in brackets
Text:
[paste]
Support and customers
Reply that does not promise a refund
Any small model. Put the policy in the prompt so the model does not invent one.
Reply to the customer.
Policy you must follow: [one sentence, for example “We replace damaged items within 30 days. We do not refund shipping.”]
Customer message:
[paste]
Rules:
- Under 100 words
- Say what you can do
- Do not offer anything the policy does not allow
- No fake empathy paragraph
Output only the reply.
Turn a complaint into a ticket
Any small model.
Turn the complaint into a ticket with these labels:
Issue:
Product:
When:
Asked for:
Rules:
- One line per label
- Quote the customer’s request, do not upgrade it
Complaint:
[paste]
Study
Questions from your notes only
7B+.
Write 5 questions that can be answered from the notes.
After each question, write Answer: and one sentence.
Then quote a short supporting phrase.
If the notes do not support a question, do not ask it.
Notes:
[paste]
Glossary
Any small model.
From the text, build a glossary of terms a newcomer would not know.
Format: term — definition in 20 words or fewer, using only the text.
Skip everyday words.
Maximum 8 terms.
Text:
[paste]
Decisions
Two options, one constraint
7B+.
Compare A and B for [decision].
The priority is [one constraint, such as cost].
A: [facts]
B: [facts]
Return:
- Three lines, each starting with a criterion
- Then “Pick:” and A or B, plus one sentence
Do not add option C.
Pre-mortem in four lines
7B+. Do not ask for a long story.
Assume this plan failed after one month.
Plan: [one paragraph]
Return exactly 4 lines:
Likely failure:
Early sign:
What we did not check:
Smallest test this week:
Do not give a pep talk.
How to file a prompt that earned its place
After a prompt works twice at temperature 0.2, save it with three notes: the model name, the temperature, and the kind of input that broke it. A prompt that works on a paragraph may fail on a ten-page paste. That is a context problem, not a reason to throw the prompt away. Check size with the Token Counter and split the source.
If a saved prompt starts adding intros again, do not rewrite it from scratch. Add one last line: “Start with the first required label.” Then retest once.
