Title: Writing good requests · Help · Steerbay
URL: https://www.steerbay.com/en/docs/requests/
Language: English (Česky: https://www.steerbay.com/cs/docs/requests/)
Summary: Outcome, material, constraints and checks in one message, and where the agent should stop.

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# Writing good requests

Outcome, material, constraints and checks in one message, and where the agent should stop.

## What a request should include

- Outcome: what should exist at the end and who will use it.
- Material: files, links, date range and which information takes priority.
- Constraints: budget, language, length, deadline and actions that must not happen.
- Checks: sources, calculations, unknowns and what the agent should bring back for your approval.

Example request

> Prepare \[output\] for \[audience\] from \[material\]. Keep to \[constraints\]. Do not \[excluded actions\]. Mark any missing information that matters to the decision. Return \[format\] and include \[sources / checks\].

## Where the agent should stop

A request to do work authorizes ordinary steps within its scope. Do not assume the agent asks before every click. For important steps, set a stopping point: distinguish drafting an email from sending it, preparing an order from paying and saving a form from submitting it.

Example request

> Prepare the order, but do not confirm or pay. Show me the exact variant, quantity, seller, total including delivery and any recurring charges. Wait for my explicit decision on this order.

If the price or content changes, ask for a fresh review rather than reusing an earlier approval. You can always make the final confirmation yourself.

## When the agent asks

The agent is meant to carry out ordinary steps within the request by itself. If you only want a proposal, say so at the start. For work without questions along the way, add a rule for missing information, such as 'skip unclear entries and list them at the end'. Such a rule cannot replace a missing sign-in or permission.

## Refining a request

Be specific in follow-ups: 'Keep the substance, shorten to 200 words and replace technical terms.' When the goal changes, say which earlier instructions no longer apply. For a long task, ask for a summary of the decisions so far before the next step; a new conversation does not know every detail of the previous one.

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