Prompting

Assistant message

An assistant message is the model's response in a chat exchange.

Quick definition

An assistant message is the model's response in a chat exchange.

  • Category: Prompting
  • Focus: control and response quality
  • Used in: Standardizing responses with templates and clear instructions.

What it means

It can be used as context for later turns. In prompting workflows, assistant message often shapes control and response quality.

How it works

Prompting structures the instructions, context, and examples the model sees. Small changes in wording and format can shift output quality.

Why it matters

Prompting controls behavior, format, and response quality.

Common use cases

  • Standardizing responses with templates and clear instructions.
  • Improving quality with few-shot examples.
  • Constraining format for JSON, tables, or checklists.

Example

The assistant's prior answer about API usage.

Pitfalls and tips

Overly long prompts dilute key instructions and waste tokens. Keep prompts concise and explicit.

In BoltAI

In BoltAI, you will see this in prompts, system instructions, and templates.