@ckelsoe/prompt-architect 3.0.0 → 3.1.1

package/skills/prompt-architect/references/frameworks/ape.md

@@ -1,200 +1,200 @@
-# APE Framework
-
-## Overview
-
-APE (Action, Purpose, Expectation) is the most minimal structured prompt framework — even simpler than RTF or CTF. It is designed for ultra-quick, single-sentence or two-sentence prompts where adding more structure would be overkill. APE answers three essential questions in the fewest possible words: what to do, why it matters, and what success looks like.
-
-## Components
-
-### A - Action
-**Purpose:** State the core action to take. One clear verb-driven instruction.
-
-**Questions to Ask:**
-- What exactly should happen?
-- What is the deliverable?
-- What's the one thing needed?
-
-**Examples:**
-- "Write a function that..."
-- "Summarize this document..."
-- "Translate the following..."
-- "List three alternatives to..."
-
-### P - Purpose
-**Purpose:** State why this action is needed. Provides just enough context to calibrate the output without a full background brief.
-
-**Questions to Ask:**
-- Why is this needed?
-- What will this be used for?
-- Who needs it and why?
-
-**Examples:**
-- "...so a new engineer can understand the codebase quickly"
-- "...for inclusion in a weekly stakeholder email"
-- "...because our target market is in Brazil"
-- "...to help decide which approach to take"
-
-### E - Expectation
-**Purpose:** Define what a good result looks like. The standard for success.
-
-**Questions to Ask:**
-- What does a good result look like?
-- Any quality bar to meet?
-- Length, format, or tone requirements?
-
-**Examples:**
-- "Should be under 100 words and jargon-free"
-- "Should be actionable, not just descriptive"
-- "Should fit in a single Slack message"
-- "Should have a clear recommendation at the end"
-
-## Template Structure
-
-```
-ACTION: [What to do]
-PURPOSE: [Why it's needed]
-EXPECTATION: [What a good result looks like]
-```
-
-Or as a single sentence:
-```
-[ACTION] so that [PURPOSE], and it should [EXPECTATION].
-```
-
-## Complete Examples
-
-### Example 1: Code Comment
-
-**Before APE:**
-"Add a comment to this function."
-
-**After APE:**
-```
-ACTION: Write a JSDoc comment for this function.
-PURPOSE: So a new team member can understand what it does without reading the implementation.
-EXPECTATION: Should cover parameters, return value, and one usage example. Under 8 lines.
-```
-
-### Example 2: Meeting Summary
-
-**Before APE:**
-"Summarize this meeting."
-
-**After APE:**
-```
-ACTION: Summarize the key decisions and action items from this meeting transcript.
-PURPOSE: For team members who missed the meeting and need to catch up quickly.
-EXPECTATION: Bullet points only, max 10 bullets, each under 15 words.
-```
-
-### Example 3: Alternative Ideas
-
-**Before APE:**
-"Give me options."
-
-**After APE:**
-```
-ACTION: List 3 alternative approaches to the database indexing problem described below.
-PURPOSE: To help the team decide which direction to pursue in tomorrow's planning session.
-EXPECTATION: Each option needs a one-sentence tradeoff (pro and con). No implementation details yet.
-```
-
-### Example 4: Translation
-
-**Before APE:**
-"Translate this."
-
-**After APE:**
-```
-ACTION: Translate the following error message into Portuguese (Brazilian).
-PURPOSE: Our app is launching in Brazil and this error will be seen by end users.
-EXPECTATION: Natural-sounding Brazilian Portuguese, not a literal translation. Keep technical terms in English.
-```
-
-## Best Use Cases
-
-1. **Quick Tasks**
-   - Short code generation
-   - Simple translations
-   - Brief summaries
-   - List generation
-
-2. **When Speed Matters**
-   - Rapid iteration
-   - One-off requests
-   - Low-stakes outputs
-
-3. **When Role Is Obvious**
-   - The AI's role is implied by the action
-   - No persona setup needed
-
-4. **Single-Sentence Prompts Made Better**
-   - Takes any vague one-liner and adds just enough structure
-   - Minimal overhead
-
-## Selection Criteria
-
-**Choose APE when:**
-- ✅ Task is very simple and self-contained
-- ✅ Role/persona is obvious or irrelevant
-- ✅ You want minimum overhead
-- ✅ Quick iteration is needed
-- ✅ Expectation is the missing piece in your current prompt
-
-**Avoid APE when:**
-- ❌ Background/situation matters → use CTF
-- ❌ Expertise framing affects quality → use RTF
-- ❌ Complex multi-step → use RISEN
-- ❌ Audience and tone are critical → use CO-STAR
-- ❌ Transforming existing content → use BAB
-
-## APE vs. RTF vs. CTF
-
-| | APE | CTF | RTF |
-|---|---|---|---|
-| Complexity | Minimal | Simple | Simple |
-| Focus | Action + why + bar | Situation + task + format | Persona + task + format |
-| Role needed? | No | No | Yes |
-| Context needed? | Minimal (Purpose) | Yes | No |
-| Best for | Ultra-quick, one-off | Context-heavy | Expertise-driven |
-
-## Inline APE Pattern
-
-APE works especially well as a single sentence:
-
-```
-[ACTION] for [PURPOSE], and it should [EXPECTATION].
-```
-
-**Examples:**
-```
-Summarize this PR description for a non-technical stakeholder, and it should fit in two sentences.
-```
-```
-List three naming alternatives for this function for a code review discussion, and each should be self-explanatory without comments.
-```
-```
-Write a commit message for these changes for git history, and it should follow conventional commits format.
-```
-
-## Common Mistakes
-
-1. **Skipping Expectation**
-   - Most one-liner prompts have Action but no Expectation
-   - Expectation is what APE adds most value on
-
-2. **Over-engineering Purpose**
-   - Purpose should be one sentence, not a paragraph
-   - If it needs more context, upgrade to CTF
-
-3. **Using APE for Complex Tasks**
-   - If Action has multiple sub-steps, upgrade to RISEN
-   - If Expectation requires detailed format spec, upgrade to RTF
-
-## Quick Reference
-
-| Component | Focus | Key Question |
-|-----------|-------|--------------|
-| Action | What to do | "What should happen?" |
-| Purpose | Why it matters | "Why is this needed?" |
-| Expectation | Success bar | "What does good look like?" |
+# APE Framework
+
+## Overview
+
+APE (Action, Purpose, Expectation) is the most minimal structured prompt framework — even simpler than RTF or CTF. It is designed for ultra-quick, single-sentence or two-sentence prompts where adding more structure would be overkill. APE answers three essential questions in the fewest possible words: what to do, why it matters, and what success looks like.
+
+## Components
+
+### A - Action
+**Purpose:** State the core action to take. One clear verb-driven instruction.
+
+**Questions to Ask:**
+- What exactly should happen?
+- What is the deliverable?
+- What's the one thing needed?
+
+**Examples:**
+- "Write a function that..."
+- "Summarize this document..."
+- "Translate the following..."
+- "List three alternatives to..."
+
+### P - Purpose
+**Purpose:** State why this action is needed. Provides just enough context to calibrate the output without a full background brief.
+
+**Questions to Ask:**
+- Why is this needed?
+- What will this be used for?
+- Who needs it and why?
+
+**Examples:**
+- "...so a new engineer can understand the codebase quickly"
+- "...for inclusion in a weekly stakeholder email"
+- "...because our target market is in Brazil"
+- "...to help decide which approach to take"
+
+### E - Expectation
+**Purpose:** Define what a good result looks like. The standard for success.
+
+**Questions to Ask:**
+- What does a good result look like?
+- Any quality bar to meet?
+- Length, format, or tone requirements?
+
+**Examples:**
+- "Should be under 100 words and jargon-free"
+- "Should be actionable, not just descriptive"
+- "Should fit in a single Slack message"
+- "Should have a clear recommendation at the end"
+
+## Template Structure
+
+```
+ACTION: [What to do]
+PURPOSE: [Why it's needed]
+EXPECTATION: [What a good result looks like]
+```
+
+Or as a single sentence:
+```
+[ACTION] so that [PURPOSE], and it should [EXPECTATION].
+```
+
+## Complete Examples
+
+### Example 1: Code Comment
+
+**Before APE:**
+"Add a comment to this function."
+
+**After APE:**
+```
+ACTION: Write a JSDoc comment for this function.
+PURPOSE: So a new team member can understand what it does without reading the implementation.
+EXPECTATION: Should cover parameters, return value, and one usage example. Under 8 lines.
+```
+
+### Example 2: Meeting Summary
+
+**Before APE:**
+"Summarize this meeting."
+
+**After APE:**
+```
+ACTION: Summarize the key decisions and action items from this meeting transcript.
+PURPOSE: For team members who missed the meeting and need to catch up quickly.
+EXPECTATION: Bullet points only, max 10 bullets, each under 15 words.
+```
+
+### Example 3: Alternative Ideas
+
+**Before APE:**
+"Give me options."
+
+**After APE:**
+```
+ACTION: List 3 alternative approaches to the database indexing problem described below.
+PURPOSE: To help the team decide which direction to pursue in tomorrow's planning session.
+EXPECTATION: Each option needs a one-sentence tradeoff (pro and con). No implementation details yet.
+```
+
+### Example 4: Translation
+
+**Before APE:**
+"Translate this."
+
+**After APE:**
+```
+ACTION: Translate the following error message into Portuguese (Brazilian).
+PURPOSE: Our app is launching in Brazil and this error will be seen by end users.
+EXPECTATION: Natural-sounding Brazilian Portuguese, not a literal translation. Keep technical terms in English.
+```
+
+## Best Use Cases
+
+1. **Quick Tasks**
+   - Short code generation
+   - Simple translations
+   - Brief summaries
+   - List generation
+
+2. **When Speed Matters**
+   - Rapid iteration
+   - One-off requests
+   - Low-stakes outputs
+
+3. **When Role Is Obvious**
+   - The AI's role is implied by the action
+   - No persona setup needed
+
+4. **Single-Sentence Prompts Made Better**
+   - Takes any vague one-liner and adds just enough structure
+   - Minimal overhead
+
+## Selection Criteria
+
+**Choose APE when:**
+- ✅ Task is very simple and self-contained
+- ✅ Role/persona is obvious or irrelevant
+- ✅ You want minimum overhead
+- ✅ Quick iteration is needed
+- ✅ Expectation is the missing piece in your current prompt
+
+**Avoid APE when:**
+- ❌ Background/situation matters → use CTF
+- ❌ Expertise framing affects quality → use RTF
+- ❌ Complex multi-step → use RISEN
+- ❌ Audience and tone are critical → use CO-STAR
+- ❌ Transforming existing content → use BAB
+
+## APE vs. RTF vs. CTF
+
+| | APE | CTF | RTF |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| Complexity | Minimal | Simple | Simple |
+| Focus | Action + why + bar | Situation + task + format | Persona + task + format |
+| Role needed? | No | No | Yes |
+| Context needed? | Minimal (Purpose) | Yes | No |
+| Best for | Ultra-quick, one-off | Context-heavy | Expertise-driven |
+
+## Inline APE Pattern
+
+APE works especially well as a single sentence:
+
+```
+[ACTION] for [PURPOSE], and it should [EXPECTATION].
+```
+
+**Examples:**
+```
+Summarize this PR description for a non-technical stakeholder, and it should fit in two sentences.
+```
+```
+List three naming alternatives for this function for a code review discussion, and each should be self-explanatory without comments.
+```
+```
+Write a commit message for these changes for git history, and it should follow conventional commits format.
+```
+
+## Common Mistakes
+
+1. **Skipping Expectation**
+   - Most one-liner prompts have Action but no Expectation
+   - Expectation is what APE adds most value on
+
+2. **Over-engineering Purpose**
+   - Purpose should be one sentence, not a paragraph
+   - If it needs more context, upgrade to CTF
+
+3. **Using APE for Complex Tasks**
+   - If Action has multiple sub-steps, upgrade to RISEN
+   - If Expectation requires detailed format spec, upgrade to RTF
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+| Component | Focus | Key Question |
+|-----------|-------|--------------|
+| Action | What to do | "What should happen?" |
+| Purpose | Why it matters | "Why is this needed?" |
+| Expectation | Success bar | "What does good look like?" |