How to Write Your Own AI Commands

The best command to write is one that already exists in your week. Do not invent a hypothetical. Pick something you did twice this month, and write down what you typed both times — the overlap between the two versions is the command.

• Role — who the model should be. 'You are a technical editor' changes the output more than any other single line.
• Input — where the material comes from, and where the placeholders are.
• Goal — what a great result looks like, in enough detail to be checked.
• Constraints — length, format, tone, and what to avoid.

summarise this

/Standup

You are writing a standup update that a manager reads
in fifteen seconds.

Input: <paste yesterday's notes and today's blockers>
Output exactly three lines, one per line below:
  Done: <what shipped>
  Doing: <what is in progress>
  Blocked: <what is stuck, and on whom — or 'nothing'>
Constraints: one sentence per line, no preamble, past tense for Done
Avoid: hedging, filler, anything that would need a follow-up question

The important move is the fixed output shape. 'Three lines, this exact format' removes the most common source of disappointing output, which is the model giving you a well-written paragraph when you needed something you can paste into a box.

• Too vague, so the model fills the gap with its own idea of what you wanted. Fix it by naming the audience and the format.
• Too rigid, so every output is identical and useless. Fix it by stating what should vary and what must not.