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Prompts & Context Engineering

Write, test, and improve prompts that give models the context, constraints, and evaluation signals they need.

For Knowledge workers, creators, and builders

24 original lessons on ToolDix, roughly 500 minutes end to end

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Course outline

  1. 1Write Prompt Structures That Can Be TestedUse task, context, constraints, examples, and evaluation criteria to make prompts easier to improve.Beginner20 min
  2. 2Evaluate and Version Prompts Like Working AssetsCompare prompt revisions against a fixed task set so improvement is evidence-based instead of anecdotal.Intermediate22 min
  3. 3Zero-Shot vs. Few-Shot PromptingUnderstand when to add examples to a prompt for better consistency and format compliance.Beginner18 min
  4. 4Designing Good Few-Shot ExamplesSelect and structure examples that teach the right pattern without introducing bias.Intermediate20 min
  5. 5Chain-of-Thought PromptingEncourage step-by-step reasoning to improve accuracy on multi-step tasks.Intermediate22 min
  6. 6System Prompts vs. User PromptsUse system-level instructions for persistent behavior; reserve user-level for task-specific requests.Intermediate18 min
  7. 7Role Prompting: Personas and Their LimitsLearn how role/persona prompting shifts model output style and framing, versus what it cannot do — and when to use it effectively.Beginner18 min
  8. 8Prompting for Structured Output (JSON and Beyond)Master techniques for reliably extracting structured data (JSON, XML, CSV) from language models, including schemas, examples, and validation.Intermediate20 min
  9. 9Building Reusable Prompt TemplatesDesign prompt templates with safe variable slots that remain robust across diverse inputs, with patterns for production use.Intermediate18 min
  10. 10Allocating Your Context BudgetPractical strategies for dividing limited context windows among system instructions, documents, conversation history, and the current question.Intermediate17 min
  11. 11Prompting Strategies for SummarizationMaster different summarization techniques: extractive vs. abstractive vs. structured, and prevent common failure modes like hallucinations and length creep.Intermediate19 min
  12. 12Chaining Prompts Across Multiple CallsLearn when to break complex tasks into multi-step prompt chains versus single mega-prompts, and patterns for each step's output feeding the next.Intermediate21 min
  13. 13Self-Consistency: Voting Across Multiple GenerationsRun the same prompt multiple times and vote on the final answer to reduce reasoning errors and improve reliability on complex tasks.Advanced24 min
  14. 14Layering Guardrails Into Your PromptsMove beyond single-layer prompt instructions to defense-in-depth with system rules, output validation, and human review gates.Intermediate22 min
  15. 15Resolving Ambiguity Before It Reaches the ModelEliminate ambiguity proactively (in the prompt) or reactively (by asking clarifying questions) to reduce wasted generation and improve output quality.Intermediate18 min
  16. 16Why Negative Prompting BackfiresNegative instructions (don't do X) are less reliable than positive ones (do Y instead). Understand why and how to reframe constraints.Intermediate17 min
  17. 17Understanding the Prompt Injection Attack SurfaceMap where untrusted content enters your prompts and becomes an injection risk. Understand the attack surface to defend it.Advanced23 min
  18. 18Defending Against Prompt InjectionLayer multiple defenses to protect your system: mark untrusted content, separate privileges, monitor outputs, and require human confirmation for high-stakes actions.Advanced26 min
  19. 19Prompting Multimodal ModelsTechniques for prompting models that accept images and other non-text inputs alongside text instructions. Master spatial references, failure modes, and real-world vision integration strategies.Intermediate22 min
  20. 20Temperature, Top-p, and Sampling ParametersUnderstand how sampling parameters shape model output diversity and how to choose settings for different tasks. Includes worked examples, probability distribution visualizations, and production guidelines.Intermediate20 min
  21. 21A/B Testing Prompts in ProductionRun live A/B tests between prompt variants to validate improvements before full rollout. Includes statistical design, guardrail metrics, and real case studies.Advanced24 min
  22. 22Adapting Prompts for LocalizationTechniques for adapting prompts across locales without naive machine translation. Includes format conventions, case studies, and native speaker validation workflows.Intermediate21 min
  23. 23Structuring a Team Prompt LibraryOrganize and maintain a shared, discoverable collection of prompts with metadata and governance. Includes folder structures, metadata templates, and deprecation workflows.Intermediate22 min
  24. 24Writing a Prompt Style Guide for Your TeamCodify all prompt engineering practices into a comprehensive style guide. Enforce discipline, safety, versioning, and quality at scale. This capstone synthesizes the entire course.Advanced28 min

Optional, after the lessons

Further reading from primary sources

Published by other organizations and kept here for reference. The lessons above are the ToolDix course; these are where to go once you want the vendor's own documentation.

6 resources

Prompt Engineering Guide by DAIR.AI
CourseBeginner

Prompt Engineering Guide

DAIR.AI

A browsable reference for prompt techniques, evaluation ideas, reliability patterns, and risks.

Time
Reference chapters
prompt patternsevaluationsafety
Read the ToolDix guide
Prompt engineering overview by Anthropic Documentation
Classic readingBeginner

Prompt engineering overview

Anthropic Documentation

A primary documentation hub for designing prompts, defining success criteria, and improving outputs with deliberate techniques.

Time
Reference guide
instructionsexamplesevaluation
Read the ToolDix guide
Prompt engineering guide by OpenAI Developer Documentation
Hands-on labIntermediate

Prompt engineering guide

OpenAI Developer Documentation

A developer-oriented guide for shaping model behavior through clear instructions, context, and evaluation-driven iteration.

Time
One evaluation loop
contextprompt testsiteration
Read the ToolDix guide
Learn Prompting by Learn Prompting
CourseBeginner

Learn Prompting

Learn Prompting

A structured public course covering prompt basics, reliability patterns, and prompt-injection awareness.

Time
Self-paced course
promptingprompt injectionevaluation
Read the ToolDix guide
Prompt Design Strategies by Google AI for Developers
Classic readingIntermediate

Prompt Design Strategies

Google AI for Developers

First-party guidance for structuring instructions, examples, and context when building model interactions.

Time
Reference guide
instructionsfew-shotcontext
Read the ToolDix guide
Prompt Library by Anthropic
Hands-on labIntermediate

Prompt Library

Anthropic

A collection of task patterns that can be treated as starting hypotheses and tested against a real workflow.

Time
Pattern-by-pattern
templatesexperimentsquality
Read the ToolDix guide