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PROMPT-DEBUGGING5 MIN READ

Change one variable at a time

Run a prompt retest that changes one meaningful variable at a time.

The move: treat every prompt patch as a hypothesis. A controlled retest has four parts: The Failure State the observable failure: missing citations, wrong format, generic advice, unsupported claims, bad tone, or incomplete reasoning. The Hypothesis Name why you think it happened. Example: "The answer lacks citations because the prompt asks for synthesis before evidence extraction." The Single Patch Change one meaningful thing. Add a source boundary, add an example, add a schema, reorder the task, or add uncertainty behavior. Do not change the input, model, and rubric at the same time unless the situation demands it. The Retest Use…

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