Internal experiment
Prompt System for Retrieval Assistant
A prompt architecture pattern for assistants that must cite retrieved context and avoid unsupported answers.
Problem
Business assistants need consistent behavior when context is missing, conflicting or incomplete.
Constraints
The system should prefer grounded refusal over unsupported completion and should be testable with edge cases.
Solution
Define system instructions, answer templates, refusal rules, retrieval checks and evaluation prompts.
Role
Prompt system design, response structure, guardrails and evaluation checklist.
Public result
Reusable prompt pattern for retrieval-first assistant behavior and QA review.
Architecture
- 01 / System prompt
- 02 / Context contract
- 03 / Answer schema
- 04 / Refusal pattern
- 05 / Citation rule
- 06 / Evaluation checklist
- 07 / Regression examples
Reusable lessons
- Prompt architecture is easier to review when outputs are structured.
- Refusal rules should be explicit.
- Evaluation examples catch regressions faster than prose guidelines.
OpenAIClaudeRAGstructured outputsevaluation prompts