Codex Prompt Anti-Patterns
Avoid these when prompting Codex or GPT-5.4.
Vague task framing
Bad:
Take a look at this and let me know what you think.Better:
<task>
Review this change for material correctness and regression risks.
</task>Missing output contract
Bad:
Investigate and report back.Better:
<structured_output_contract>
Return:
1. root cause
2. evidence
3. smallest safe next step
</structured_output_contract>No follow-through default
Bad:
Debug this failure.Better:
<default_follow_through_policy>
Keep going until you have enough evidence to identify the root cause confidently.
</default_follow_through_policy>Asking for more reasoning instead of a better contract
Bad:
Think harder and be very smart.Better:
<verification_loop>
Before finalizing, verify that the answer matches the observed evidence and task requirements.
</verification_loop>Mixing unrelated jobs into one run
Bad:
Review this diff, fix the bug you find, update the docs, and suggest a roadmap.Better:
- Run review first.
- Run a separate fix prompt if needed.
- Use a third run for docs or roadmap work.
Unsupported certainty
Bad:
Tell me exactly why production failed.Better:
<grounding_rules>
Ground every claim in the provided context or tool outputs.
If a point is an inference, label it clearly.
</grounding_rules>