Use JSON for prompting
Posted on April 16, 2024 • 413 words
JSON Driven Prompts
Using JSON to structure your prompts brings a ton of practical benefits—especially as you scale up or plug ChatGPT into other tools. Here’s why it’s a game‑changer:
- Machine‑Readable & Parseable
When you wrap your prompt components in JSON, any downstream script or app can grab exactly what it needs without messy string parsing. For example:
{
"outline": "10 big plot points",
"chapters": 12,
"words_per_chapter": 2500,
"query_letter": "300-word pitch"
}
A simple json.loads() in Python (or the equivalent in JavaScript, Ruby, etc.) gives you native objects you can loop over, validate, transform, and send straight into API calls.
- Clear Schema & Validation
Defining a consistent JSON schema means you know exactly which fields are required and what data type each should be. Before you even hit ChatGPT, you (or your code) can run a quick check:
- Is “chapters” an integer?
- Does “query_letter” exist and meet the length requirement? That validation step helps avoid “oops, I forgot to tell it to include a query letter” mid‑run—saving both time and token usage.
- Reusability & Modularity
Once you establish a JSON template, you can reuse it across multiple projects or team members. Swap out values under the same keys and you instantly have a new, well‑formed prompt. Want to generate a Twitter thread instead of a query letter? Just change one field:
{
"outline": "5 key tweet themes",
"tweets_per_theme": 3,
"format": "Twitter thread"
}
Your underlying code doesn’t need rewriting; it simply reads the “format” key and adjusts.
- Easy Integration
Modern no‑code/low‑code tools, CI/CD pipelines, and automation platforms all love JSON. You can store your prompt templates in a JSON file or database, trigger them with a webhook, and parse the AI’s JSON response back into your app—whether that’s a static site generator building a blog post, a Slack bot sending you progress updates, or a data pipeline logging results.
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Quick Tips for JSON‑Driven Prompts:
- Keep keys simple and consistent. (“chapters”, not “numChapters” in one place and “count” in another.)
- Document your schema. A short README or JSON Schema file helps everyone follow the same rules.
- Validate early. Use your language’s JSON schema validator to catch typos or missing fields before you call the API.
- Nest thoughtfully. If you need sub‑sections (e.g., “metadata”: { “author”: “…”, “genre”: “…” }), keep the hierarchy logical but not too deep.
By organizing your ChatGPT prompts as JSON, you turn free‑form text into structured data—making it far easier to automate, validate, and integrate into any production workflow.