Paste the source and tell the AI to stick to it
Give it the actual document and say "work only from this." Add "if it isn't in the text, say so" and it stops filling gaps with guesses.
What's our policy on working from home?
Below is our remote work policy. Using only this document, answer these questions: 1. How many days a week can someone work from home? 2. Who has to approve it? 3. Is equipment paid for? If the answer isn't in the text, say "Not in the document" instead of guessing. For each answer, quote the sentence you used. [paste the policy]
Why it works
If you ask from memory, the AI answers from what it knows in general, which may not match your document at all. Pasting the source and limiting it to that text keeps the answer tied to what's actually written. Giving it permission to say "not in the document" matters too: without it, the AI tends to fill the gap with something that sounds right.
Try it now
Click a highlighted part and type your own details. Press Enter to jump to the next one, then copy.
Below is [the document]. Using only this text, [what you want: answer these questions / summarize / pull out the key points]. If something isn't in the text, say "Not in the document" instead of guessing. Quote the sentence you used for each point. [paste the document]
Variations
For long documents
First pull out the quotes from the document that relate to my question. Then answer using only those quotes.
Spot the gaps
Using only the text below, list the questions a new employee would likely ask that this document doesn't answer.
Based on: Anthropic, "Reduce hallucinations: advanced techniques". Last checked October 3, 2026.
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