Architect's Field Kit 04
Prompt Patterns
Reusable briefs for directing AI without handing over the thinking
- Audience
- Builders ages 13-18 and parents
- Format
- 16 minute field read
- Use
- Keep open beside the builder's AI tool.
Field purpose
A visual reference for TCCA and six high-value prompt patterns, with extraction and direction shown side by side.
Field panel 01
compare
Extraction versus direction
The same AI can shrink thinking or strengthen it. The difference is the job the builder gives it.
- Extraction
Give me the finished answer
The goal is hidden, judgment is skipped, and the builder cannot defend the result.
Evidence: Looks finished, but the thinking trail is empty.
- Direction
Help me think and build
The builder supplies the goal, material, constraints, checks, and final decision.
Evidence: The trail shows questions, choices, tests, and revisions.
Field panel 02
framework
TCCA - the base brief
TCCA turns a wish into a usable direction. It works across AI tools.
- T
Task
State the exact job: compare, question, classify, debug, plan, transform, or critique.
- C
Context
Give the audience, situation, source material, prior attempts, and what success means here.
- C
Constraints
Set limits: format, length, tone, allowed sources, privacy line, and what the AI must not do.
- A
Action and format
Say what happens next and how the output should arrive so it fits the build.
Copy, adapt, direct
Task: help me compare two ways to solve [problem]. Context: the user is [person] and needs [outcome]. Constraints: ask before assuming; use only the material below; flag uncertainty. Action: give a tradeoff table, then ask me which route I choose.
Field panel 03
pattern
Pattern 01 - Clarify before acting
Use when the goal is real but the brief is still foggy.
- Use it for
Missing requirements
A real person asked for something, but important details are unclear.
- Direction
Questions one at a time
Ask the AI to identify what it needs to know, explain why each answer matters, and wait after each question.
- Check
End with a brief
The AI summarises the agreed goal. The builder corrects it before any making starts.
Copy, adapt, direct
You are helping me turn a rough idea into a build brief. Ask one clarifying question at a time. Do not design the solution yet. When the goal, user, constraints, and finish line are clear, summarise the brief for me to approve.
Field panel 04
pattern
Pattern 02 - Options with tradeoffs
Use when several routes could work and the builder needs to make a reasoned choice.
- Use it for
Choosing scope or tools
There are too many plausible directions and no perfect answer.
- Direction
Request distinct routes
Ask for three options that differ in speed, difficulty, risk, or usefulness.
- Check
Choose in your words
State the winning route and the tradeoff you accept. Do not let the AI choose for you.
Copy, adapt, direct
Give me three genuinely different routes to [goal]. For each, show the fastest useful version, main risk, skill stretch, and what evidence would tell me it worked. Do not recommend one until I state my priority.
Field panel 05
pattern
Pattern 03 - Stress test
Use before a public ship, important decision, or claim that needs to survive scrutiny.
- Use it for
Finding weak spots early
A draft feels good, but it has not met a hostile input or skeptical reader.
- Direction
Attack the work, not the person
Ask for likely failures, missing assumptions, counterexamples, and questions a skeptical user would ask.
- Check
Verify every criticism
AI criticism can also be wrong. Reproduce the issue before changing the build.
Copy, adapt, direct
Stress-test this against the goal and constraints below. Find five concrete failure cases. For each, give a way I can reproduce the problem. Do not rewrite the work. Wait for my test results before suggesting repairs.
Field panel 06
pattern
Pattern 04 - Debug one step
Use when something broke and random changes would make the trail harder to follow.
- Use it for
A reproducible failure
The builder can say what they expected, what happened, and how to trigger it again.
- Direction
One hypothesis at a time
Ask the AI to rank likely causes, then test the smallest distinguishing check first.
- Check
Record cause, not just fix
After the repair, rerun the original failure and a nearby case.
Copy, adapt, direct
Help me debug without guessing. Expected: [x]. Actual: [y]. Reproduce: [steps]. Give the top three hypotheses and the single smallest test that separates them. Stop after that test until I report the result.
Field panel 07
pattern
Pattern 05 - Check claims and evidence
Use for facts, numbers, quotations, links, or confident statements that affect the result.
- Use it for
Evidence-sensitive work
The build includes claims a real person may rely on.
- Direction
Separate known from uncertain
Ask for each claim, its source, source date, and what would disprove it. Prefer primary sources.
- Check
Open the source yourself
Confirm the source exists, says what the AI claims, and is current enough for the decision.
Copy, adapt, direct
List every checkable claim in this material. For each, give the best primary source, publication date, exact point it supports, and any uncertainty. If you cannot verify a claim, label it unverified instead of filling the gap.
Field panel 08
pattern
Pattern 06 - Bounded agent brief
Use when AI will take several steps toward a goal rather than answer once.
- Goal
A finish condition
Say what done means and what evidence the agent must return.
- Bounds
Allowed, forbidden, approval
Name tools it may use, actions it may not take, retry limits, and when a human must approve.
- Control
Visible log and stop
Require a step log, uncertainty flags, and a stop if inputs are missing or risk rises.
Copy, adapt, direct
Goal: [outcome]. Allowed tools: [list]. Never: [actions]. Ask approval before: [actions]. Stop when: [condition], after [limit] attempts, or when required data is missing. Return a step log, evidence, and unresolved risks.
Keep it in the field
Print it, mark it, return to the build.
The PDF carries the same source edition as this web guide and is designed with A4 and US Letter-safe print margins.