Keep Project Guidance Short and Grounded
Write concise project guidance that points to real, maintained sources instead of duplicating or inventing facts.
Look around. Try a small click.
This lesson works as a written guide with interactive examples. You can explore here before opening the real application or provider dashboard. A recorded video has not been added yet.
What will make more sense
- Write concise project guidance that points to real, maintained sources instead of duplicating or inventing facts.
- One named source reduces ambiguity and makes updates easier to maintain.
- Instruction files should describe real sources and capabilities.
One idea to keep
Write concise project guidance that points to real, maintained sources instead of duplicating or inventing facts.
The short lesson
Read the explanation at your pace
A project instruction file should help an assistant make better decisions in that project. It does not need to repeat an entire manual or predict every possible mistake. Morningtide Flowers' example has a simple need: use the approved facts, keep fictional practice separate from live operations and put drafts where reviewers can find them. A short file can communicate those points clearly.
The prepared guidance-comparison.md shows an overgrown version beside a focused version. The long version repeats general advice and mixes current facts with old examples. The focused version identifies the source file and the practical conventions that affect the work. Compare how easy it is to discover what the assistant should actually do when preparing the next reply.
Keep business facts in the place that owns them. If business-facts.md contains the current contact details, the instruction file can point there rather than copying the same details into several places. Duplicate copies can drift apart. The agent needs to know which source is current, not read three slightly different versions and guess which one wins.
Use instructions that match actual files and workflows. If a file does not exist, do not tell the assistant it is the approved source. If a sending connection has not been established, do not promise that the project can deliver customer messages. A generated instruction file should be reviewed against the real folder before it becomes part of a working routine.
You can ask an assistant to draft project guidance from a brief and the files it can inspect. Review the result like any other change. Remove invented tools, irrelevant requirements and statements that no longer match how you work. The user or business owner remains the source of intent; a file is a useful way to preserve that intent, not a reason to ignore a later clear instruction.
The activity asks which guidance is most useful for finding confirmed facts. Choose the version that points to a maintained source. Optional practice compares prepared wording and makes no changes. You are learning an editing skill: keep the durable decisions that affect the work, give them a clear home and leave out detail that only makes the important instructions harder to find.
Try it here
Choose the next small step
Follow the prepared example, then select a response to see why it fits. Nothing is connected or changed.
This is a local learning example with prepared responses. It does not run VS Code or contact an AI service.
− Removed wording · before
Use whatever information seems current and follow every old note in this folder.
+ Added wording · after
Use business-facts.md for confirmed details. Treat draft examples as drafts and identify missing information explicitly.
Which instruction best preserves current business facts?
A prompt you can keep
These are example words to copy into your own AI chat when you want to try them. Copying does not send a request.
Read the prepared example for this lesson. Explain the proposed action, its target and the expected result. Keep this as an explanation; do not change files or connect accounts.A tiny next step, if you want one
Optional: try 2 small actions at your own pace
You can finish this lesson by exploring the example above. These real-app actions are optional, and there is nothing to submit.
- Optional: open guidance-comparison.md.
- Optional: compare example-project/AGENTS.md with the actual example folder names.
A quick confidence check
These checkmarks are a personal reminder. Choose what feels familiar, and come back whenever you want.
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Try a short question
Choose an answer to see why it fits. You can try again or explore every explanation.
Which instruction best preserves current business facts?
An AI-generated instruction names a tool the project does not have. What should happen?
If something looks different
My assistant or VS Code uses a different label.
Use the official help for your selected assistant and version. The course teaches the decision; the exact menu or capability can differ.
I do not have the account or feature used in the example.
Use the prepared browser example and downloaded notes. No account connection or paid service is required to complete this course.
Sources and further help
Read the official product guidance and related learning resources when you need them. You do not need to read every reference now.