Hey everyone! I'm currently struggling with Sonnet 3.7, and it's been pretty unpredictable when I'm working with it. I keep running into a few issues that are really frustrating: 1) It seems to forget the instructions I give, especially when there are several steps involved. 2) Instead of properly addressing mistakes in code (like tests or errors), it often just applies surface-level fixes that don't really solve the problems. 3) After I've refactored something, it refers to 'the author' when discussing the code, which feels kinda strange. 4) It frequently forgets previous context and acts like we're starting from scratch every time. I've tried various system prompts, but nothing seems to help. If you have a prompt that works well, I'd love to hear it! Thanks!
3 Answers
Sonnet 3.7 can be a bit overconfident, acting like it knows best. Here's a system prompt that I found useful: instruct it to rewrite the system prompt and emphasize where to focus attention by marking it boldly. This helps in optimizing the prompt. It's all about controlling where its focus goes and conveying what’s crucial!
I totally relate! Sonnet 3.7 often seems to do the opposite of what I prompt it to. It's frustrating because it can perform well but doesn't always respond to the system prompts the way we expect. I refined a prompt for reviewing code, but that’s about as effective as I've gotten. Good luck with yours!
One tip is to give it clear and concise instructions—like prioritizing efficient solutions without filler. Stick to proven techniques and ask it to cover core principles like DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) and KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Make sure to emphasize that each function should have a single responsibility and highlight the importance of modular code for better reusability. Incorporating these principles into your prompt could lead to better responses!
+1! I also avoid asking for unnecessary files like SH and README.MD unless I really need them. This keeps things streamlined!
Exactly! It would be great if it could just follow basic instructions better; it definitely has potential.