Tell the AI to ask you questions before it starts
Add one line asking it to check what it needs to know first. You answer a few quick questions and skip a round of rewrites.
Write a welcome message for our new hires.
I need a welcome message for new hires joining our team next month. Before you write anything, ask me up to five questions about what you'd need to know to get this right. Ask them all at once, then wait for my answers.
Why it works
When a request is vague, the AI fills the gaps with guesses, and you only find out what it guessed after reading the draft. Asking it to question you first brings those gaps to the surface while they're cheap to fix. Capping the number keeps it from turning into an interview.
Try it now
Click a highlighted part and type your own details. Press Enter to jump to the next one, then copy.
I need [what you want] for [who it's for]. Before you start, ask me up to [number] questions about what you'd need to know to do this well. Ask them all at once, then wait for my answers.
Variations
One at a time
Ask me your questions one at a time, and adjust each next question based on my last answer. Stop when you have enough to write a strong first draft.
When you're in a hurry
If anything important is unclear, ask me at most two questions. If not, go ahead and list the assumptions you made at the top of your answer.
Make it a habit
For the rest of this chat, whenever my request is missing something that would change your answer, ask me before you start instead of guessing.
Based on: OpenAI, "GPT-5.2 Prompting Guide: handling ambiguity and hallucination risk". Last checked October 3, 2026.
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