Chain-of-Thought prompts: what it is and when to use it

Chain-of-thought prompting. A chain-of-thought prompt asks the model to work through a problem step by step before giving its answer, which tends to help on reasoning, planning and multi-part questions.

When to use it

Use it for decisions, maths, trade-offs and diagnosis, where the route to the answer matters as much as the answer.

The parts

Problem: The question or decision to work through.
Steps: The stages to reason through in order.
Answer: A clear conclusion that follows from the steps.

Browse all 37 Chain-of-Thought prompts

Example Chain-of-Thought prompts

Design an AI agent or automated AI workflowDefines an agent's goal, tools, steps, guardrails, and human checkpoints before you build it.
Solve a pet behavior problemTraining plans for common dog and cat behavior problems, step by step.
Choose and interpret the right statistical testPicks the right method for your question and data and explains results in plain language.
Fix a Git problemStep-by-step help for merge conflicts, undoing mistakes, branching, and recovering lost work.
Write a script to automate a repetitive taskBash, Python, or PowerShell scripts that automate a task safely, with instructions to run them.
Build a working app, tool, or game from a descriptionTurns a plain-English idea into a complete, runnable app — web tool, dashboard, or browser game.
Turn a rough request into a powerful promptRewrites your idea into a clear, complete prompt — and asks what's missing first.
Speed up my websiteDiagnoses slow pages and prioritizes fixes for speed and Core Web Vitals.
Think out loud with a sharp thinking partnerAsks the questions that help you clarify a messy idea, situation, or plan.
Write a clear returns and refunds policyA customer-friendly returns/refunds policy and the matching help-center article.
Set up and read website analyticsTracking setup (GA4, events, conversions) and plain-language interpretation of your data.
Find out why my website isn't convertingA conversion audit of a page or funnel with prioritized, testable fixes.
Fix or maintain something at homeDiagnoses household problems and guides safe DIY fixes — or tells you when to call a pro.
Debate a moral dilemma or thought experimentThought-provoking dilemmas that challenge your reasoning, with a sparring partner.
Settle a rules argument in a board or card gameA neutral ruling on a game dispute, based on the official rules, with fair options when the rules are unclear.
Decide whether to keep renting or buy a homeA side-by-side comparison of renting and buying based on your numbers, timeline, and priorities, with questions to settle first.
Write a babysitter info sheet with emergency detailsA one-page guide for sitters with routines, house rules, allergies, and step-by-step emergency instructions.
Calculate my freelance rate from my income goalWorks back from your target income, real billable hours, and costs to a day rate, project price, and minimum.
End a difficult client relationship professionallyA plan and message to part ways with a client cleanly, covering timing, contract terms, handover, and final payment.
Find and remove friction in a signup or checkout flowAudits a conversion flow step by step for friction and doubt, then ranks fixes by expected impact and effort, with test ideas.
Explore several design directions for one UX problemGenerates distinct concept directions for a design problem, each with its core idea, layout sketch description, trade-offs, and what to test.
Decide how to respond to an offer to acquire my companyA clear-headed framework for evaluating inbound acquisition interest, your alternatives, and how to reply without losing leverage.
Document a financial model so someone else can run itA model user guide covering structure, inputs, update steps, checks, and known limits for a clean handover.
Diagnose an IT problem I have not been able to fixTurns symptoms you have already tried to fix into ranked likely causes and the exact next tests to run.
Write a welcome pack and joining instructions for a cohortClear pre-program communications covering logistics, pre-work, tech setup, and expectations so learners arrive ready.
Build three-year strategic scenarios with signposts and no-regret movesBuilds three distinct three-year scenarios from your biggest uncertainties, with what must be true for each, early signposts, and moves that work in any case.
Write an insurance claim denial or reservation of rights letterA clear coverage-position letter for an insurance claim that quotes the policy, explains the decision, and preserves rights.
Design a subscription cancellation flow that saves customers fairlyA cancel flow with exit survey, targeted save offers, and copy that stays within click-to-cancel and auto-renewal rules.
Give me riddles and logic puzzles to solve, with hintsA set of riddles, lateral-thinking, or logic puzzles at your level, served one at a time with graded hints.
Get feedback on my lab report before I submit itSection-by-section feedback on your lab report's structure, data presentation, and reasoning so you can fix it yourself.
Troubleshoot a network connectivity or performance problemA structured, layer-by-layer diagnosis plan with the commands to run, what each result means, and the likely fix.
Turn a repeat project into a productized service offerA fixed-scope, fixed-price service package built from work I've done before, with a delivery process and sales page outline.
Design a first-run onboarding flow for my appPlans an onboarding flow that gets new users to their first moment of value fast, with steps to cut, defer, or personalize.
Find which change caused a regressionCreates a systematic plan to pinpoint the commit, deploy, or config change that broke something that used to work.
Map the inputs, decisions, actions, and outputs of a workflowBreaks a messy workflow into a clear step map of inputs, decisions, actions, and outputs, ready to improve or automate.
Set up booking, deposits, and no-show rules for my service businessA smooth booking-to-payment process with reminders, deposits, and fair cancellation rules that cut no-shows.

Chain-of-Thought prompts: what it is and when to use it

When to use it

The parts

Example Chain-of-Thought prompts

Chain-of-Thought prompts by topic

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