tools-only Prompt Patterns
Pattern Selection Guide
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TASK CHARACTERISTICS │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┐
│ │ │
Simple, Common Requires Reasoning Requires Actions
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Zero-Shot │ │ CoT or │ │ ReAct │
│ │ │ Few-Shot │ │ │
└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
| Pattern | Best For | Token Cost | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero-shot | Simple, well-defined tasks | Low | Medium |
| Few-shot | Tasks needing format guidance | Medium | High |
| Chain-of-Thought | Reasoning, math, logic | Medium-High | High |
| ReAct | Multi-step tasks with tools | High | Very High |
| Tree-of-Thoughts | Complex problem solving | Very High | Very High |
Zero-Shot Prompting
When to use: Simple classification, extraction, formatting, or generation tasks where the model has strong prior knowledge.
When NOT to use: Complex reasoning, domain-specific formats, or tasks requiring specific output structure.
Basic Structure
<role>You are a [specific role with relevant expertise].</role>
<task>
[Clear, specific instruction]
</task>
<constraints>
- [Constraint 1]
- [Constraint 2]
</constraints>
<input>
{user_content}
</input>
<output_format>
[Expected format description]
</output_format>
Example: Sentiment Classification
You are a sentiment analysis expert.
Classify the following customer review as POSITIVE, NEGATIVE, or NEUTRAL.
Respond with only the classification label.
Review: "{review_text}"
Classification:
Example: Entity Extraction
Extract all company names mentioned in the following text.
Return them as a JSON array of strings.
If no companies are mentioned, return an empty array.
Text: "{input_text}"
Companies:
Zero-Shot Best Practices
- Be specific about the task - Avoid ambiguous instructions
- Specify output format - Tell the model exactly what to return
- Include constraints - What NOT to do is as important as what to do
- Use role priming - "You are an expert..." improves quality
Few-Shot Prompting
When to use: Tasks needing specific output format, domain-specific reasoning, or consistent style.
When NOT to use: Simple tasks where examples add unnecessary tokens, or when examples might constrain creativity.
Basic Structure
<task>
[Task description]
</task>
<examples>
Input: [example 1 input]
Output: [example 1 output]
Input: [example 2 input]
Output: [example 2 output]
Input: [example 3 input]
Output: [example 3 output]
</examples>
<input>
{actual_input}
</input>
Output:
Example: Code Review Comments
Generate a constructive code review comment for the given code issue.
Example 1:
Issue: Variable named 'x' in a function calculating total price
Comment: Consider renaming 'x' to 'totalPrice' or 'priceSum' to improve readability. Descriptive variable names help future maintainers understand the code's intent without needing to trace through the logic.
Example 2:
Issue: SQL query built with string concatenation using user input
Comment: This code is vulnerable to SQL injection attacks. Consider using parameterized queries or an ORM to safely handle user input. For example: `cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?", (user_id,))`
Example 3:
Issue: Catch block that silently swallows exceptions
Comment: Empty catch blocks can hide bugs and make debugging difficult. Consider logging the exception or, if the exception is truly expected, add a comment explaining why it's safe to ignore.
Issue: {code_issue}
Comment:
Few-Shot Selection Strategies
| Strategy | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Diverse | Cover different cases/categories | Classification, categorization |
| Similar | Match examples to input type | Consistent formatting |
| Increasing complexity | Start simple, build up | Complex reasoning tasks |
| Edge cases | Include boundary cases | Robust handling |
Example Selection Guidelines
- Match the distribution - Examples should represent real inputs
- 3-5 examples typically optimal - Balance between guidance and token cost
- Order matters - Recent examples have more influence
- Include edge cases - Show how to handle unusual inputs
- Keep format consistent - All examples should follow the same structure
Dynamic Few-Shot Selection
def select_examples(query: str, example_pool: list, k: int = 3) -> list:
"""Select most relevant examples using embedding similarity."""
query_embedding = embed(query)
scored = []
for example in example_pool:
score = cosine_similarity(query_embedding, example.embedding)
scored.append((score, example))
# Return top-k most similar examples
scored.sort(reverse=True)
return [ex for _, ex in scored[:k]]
Chain-of-Thought (CoT) Prompting
When to use: Math problems, logical reasoning, multi-step analysis, debugging, planning.
When NOT to use: Simple factual recall, creative generation, or tasks where reasoning steps aren't helpful.
Zero-Shot CoT
Simply add "Let's think step by step" or similar phrase:
Solve the following problem step by step:
{problem}
Let's work through this systematically:
Structured CoT
Analyze the following problem and solve it step by step.
Problem: {problem}
## Step 1: Understand the problem
[What are we trying to find?]
## Step 2: Identify relevant information
[What data do we have?]
## Step 3: Plan the approach
[What method will we use?]
## Step 4: Execute the solution
[Work through the calculations/logic]
## Step 5: Verify the answer
[Check if the answer makes sense]
Final Answer:
Example: Debugging with CoT
Debug the following code by analyzing it step by step.
Code:
```python
def calculate_average(numbers):
total = 0
for num in numbers:
total += num
return total / len(numbers)
Error: ZeroDivisionError when called with empty list
Analysis
Step 1: Trace the execution path
Let me trace what happens when numbers = []:
total = 0- total is initialized to 0for num in numbers:- loop doesn't execute (empty list)return total / len(numbers)- returns0 / 0
Step 2: Identify the root cause
The function doesn't handle the edge case of an empty list.
len([]) returns 0, causing division by zero.
Step 3: Propose fix
Add a check for empty input before division.
Fixed Code:
def calculate_average(numbers):
if not numbers:
return 0 # or raise ValueError("Cannot average empty list")
total = sum(numbers)
return total / len(numbers)
### CoT Variants
| Variant | Technique | Use Case |
|---------|-----------|----------|
| Zero-shot CoT | "Think step by step" | Quick reasoning tasks |
| Manual CoT | Explicit step examples | Complex domain problems |
| Self-consistency | Generate multiple paths, vote | High-stakes decisions |
| Least-to-most | Decompose into subproblems | Complex multi-part problems |
---
## ReAct Pattern (Reasoning + Acting)
**When to use:** Tasks requiring external tools, information retrieval, or iterative problem solving.
**When NOT to use:** Pure text generation, simple Q&A, or tasks with no action component.
### ReAct Structure
You are an assistant that solves problems by thinking and taking actions.
Available tools:
- search(query): Search the web for information
- calculate(expression): Evaluate a mathematical expression
- lookup(term): Look up a definition or fact
Respond in this format: Thought: [Your reasoning about what to do next] Action: [tool_name(parameters)] Observation: [Result from the tool - provided by system] ... (repeat Thought/Action/Observation as needed) Thought: I now have enough information to answer. Answer: [Final answer]
Question: {user_question}
### Example: ReAct for Research
Question: What is the current market cap of the company that created ChatGPT?
Thought: I need to find out which company created ChatGPT, then look up their market cap. Action: search("company that created ChatGPT") Observation: ChatGPT was created by OpenAI, an AI research company.
Thought: Now I need to find OpenAI's current market cap. Action: search("OpenAI market cap 2025") Observation: OpenAI's valuation reached $157 billion in 2024 after their latest funding round.
Thought: I now have the information needed to answer. Answer: ChatGPT was created by OpenAI, which has a valuation of approximately $157 billion (as of their 2024 funding round). Note: OpenAI is a private company, so this is a valuation rather than a public market cap.
### ReAct Implementation Pattern
```python
def react_loop(question: str, tools: dict, max_iterations: int = 10) -> str:
"""Execute a ReAct reasoning loop."""
context = f"Question: {question}\n\n"
for i in range(max_iterations):
# Get next thought and action from LLM
response = llm.complete(REACT_PROMPT + context)
# Parse thought and action
thought, action = parse_react_response(response)
context += f"Thought: {thought}\n"
if action.startswith("Answer:"):
return action.replace("Answer:", "").strip()
# Execute action and get observation
tool_name, params = parse_action(action)
observation = tools[tool_name](*params)
context += f"Action: {action}\n"
context += f"Observation: {observation}\n\n"
return "Max iterations reached without answer."
Tree-of-Thoughts (ToT)
When to use: Complex problems requiring exploration of multiple solution paths, creative problem solving, strategic planning.
When NOT to use: Simple tasks, time-sensitive operations, or when token budget is limited.
ToT Structure
Problem: {complex_problem}
## Generate Candidate Approaches
### Approach A: [First strategy]
- Pros: [advantages]
- Cons: [disadvantages]
- Estimated success: [low/medium/high]
### Approach B: [Second strategy]
- Pros: [advantages]
- Cons: [disadvantages]
- Estimated success: [low/medium/high]
### Approach C: [Third strategy]
- Pros: [advantages]
- Cons: [disadvantages]
- Estimated success: [low/medium/high]
## Evaluate and Select
Based on the analysis, Approach [X] is most promising because [reasoning].
## Execute Selected Approach
[Detailed execution of chosen approach]
## Verify Solution
[Check if solution meets requirements]
ToT for Code Architecture
Design a caching system for a high-traffic API endpoint.
## Candidate Architectures
### Option A: In-Memory Cache (Redis)
Thought: Use Redis for distributed caching
Evaluation:
- Latency: ~1ms (excellent)
- Scalability: Horizontal scaling supported
- Complexity: Low - well-established pattern
- Risk: Cache invalidation complexity
Score: 8/10
### Option B: CDN Edge Caching
Thought: Cache at CDN level for static/semi-static content
Evaluation:
- Latency: ~10-50ms (good)
- Scalability: Excellent - distributed globally
- Complexity: Medium - cache headers management
- Risk: Stale content for dynamic data
Score: 6/10
### Option C: Multi-Layer Cache
Thought: Combine L1 (local) + L2 (Redis) + L3 (CDN)
Evaluation:
- Latency: <1ms for hot data
- Scalability: Excellent
- Complexity: High - multiple invalidation points
- Risk: Consistency challenges
Score: 7/10
## Decision
Option A (Redis) selected for initial implementation:
- Lowest complexity for team's current expertise
- Sufficient performance for projected load
- Clear upgrade path to Option C if needed
## Implementation Plan
[Detailed implementation steps...]
Pattern Comparison Quick Reference
┌────────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐
│ Pattern │ Tokens │ Complexity │ Reliability │ Best For │
├────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│ Zero-shot │ Low │ Low │ Medium │ Simple tasks │
├────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│ Few-shot │ Medium │ Medium │ High │Format/style │
├────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│ CoT │ Medium │ Medium │ High │ Reasoning │
├────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│ ReAct │ High │ High │ Very High │ Tool usage │
├────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│ ToT │ Very High │ Very High │ Very High │Complex solve │
└────────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
Combining Patterns
Patterns can be combined for more powerful prompts:
Few-Shot + CoT
Solve math word problems by showing your work.
Example 1:
Problem: If a train travels 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Solution:
- Distance = Speed × Time
- Distance = 60 mph × 2.5 hours
- Distance = 150 miles
Answer: 150 miles
Example 2:
Problem: A store has a 20% off sale. If an item costs $45, what's the sale price?
Solution:
- Discount = Original × Discount Rate
- Discount = $45 × 0.20 = $9
- Sale Price = Original - Discount
- Sale Price = $45 - $9 = $36
Answer: $36
Problem: {new_problem}
Solution:
ReAct + CoT
Thought: Let me break this down step by step.
First, I need to understand what information I'm looking for...
[reasoning]
Based on this analysis, I should search for...
Action: search("specific query based on reasoning")
Related Skills
- RAG Architect - Retrieval patterns for grounding prompts
- Fine-Tuning Expert - When prompting isn't enough
- LLM Architect - System-level prompt orchestration