Directness controls whether a prompt states its instruction explicitly or conveys it indirectly. It concerns instruction style, not an aggressive tone. Precision is a separate control: it determines how specifically the prompt states its requirements. section 3.2
Choose the instruction style to match the job:
- Use implicit framing to invite options and considerations in a conversational response. section 3.2
- Use explicit instructions when the response must reach a decision and identify ownership or next actions. section 3.2
Flaky CI test strategy
An execution-oriented prompt asks for a primary approach to reducing flaky CI tests this sprint. It directs the model to evaluate test isolation, retry-limit reduction, and parallelism tuning, then return a final decision, one key risk, and the first rollout step. Those requested fields make it possible to check whether the answer is actionable rather than merely advisory. section 3.2.2
Directness is a practical control, not a guarantee: implicit prompts can yield actions, and explicit prompts can express uncertainty. In reusable planning templates, pair clear commands with inputs and an output format so decisions remain concrete and reviewable. section 3.2.2 section 5.2.1
