Prompt Library

30 Best Llama Prompts

30 copy-paste prompts

Battle-tested prompts to get the most out of Meta's open Llama models โ€” whether you run them in Meta AI, Ollama, Groq, or self-hosted. Free, private, and built for coding, writing, reasoning, and your own local AI workflows.

In short: This page contains 30 copy-paste ready prompts, organized into 6 categories with a description and pro tip for each. The first 5 prompts are free instantly, no signup needed. Hand-curated and tested by the AI Academy team.

Louis Corneloup
By Louis Corneloup ยท Founder, Techpresso
Last updated ยทHand-curated & tested by the AI Academy team

General Assistant Tasks

5 prompts

Crisp Daily Briefing

1/30

โœจ What it does

Turns a messy list of priorities and a calendar into a ranked, time-blocked plan for the day.

<context> Role: You are my pragmatic personal assistant running locally. Inputs: - Today's priorities: [PASTE 3-5 PRIORITIES] - Calendar / deadlines: [PASTE] - Constraints: [TIME / ENERGY LEVEL] </context> <task> Produce a focused daily plan: 1. Rank the priorities by impact vs. effort and flag the single most important task. 2. Block my day into time slots, batching similar tasks together. 3. Note any deadline or dependency risks I might be missing. 4. End with one sentence on what to deliberately NOT do today. Keep it under 200 words. No filler, no motivational fluff. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: On Llama, explicitly capping length ('under 200 words') keeps open models from rambling and padding the answer.

Explain Like I Choose the Level

2/30

โœจ What it does

Delivers a layered explanation of any topic calibrated to your stated knowledge level.

<context> Topic to explain: [TOPIC] My current understanding: [BEGINNER / INTERMEDIATE / EXPERT] Why I need it: [GOAL โ€” e.g. decision, study, conversation] </context> <task> Explain this in three layers: 1. A one-sentence plain-language summary. 2. A clear explanation matched to my stated level, using one concrete analogy. 3. The two most common misconceptions about this topic and why they're wrong. Define any jargon the first time you use it. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: State your level explicitly โ€” Llama tends to default to a generic intermediate tone unless you anchor it.

Decision Tradeoff Analyzer

3/30

โœจ What it does

Compares your options against your own criteria and gives a reasoned recommendation.

<context> Decision I'm facing: [DECISION] Options on the table: [OPTION A], [OPTION B], [OPTION C] What matters most to me: [CRITERIA โ€” e.g. cost, speed, reversibility] </context> <task> Help me decide: 1. Build a compact comparison table scoring each option against my criteria (1-5). 2. Name the strongest argument FOR each option and the biggest hidden risk. 3. State which option you'd pick and why, in two sentences. 4. List one piece of information that, if I had it, would change the recommendation. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Asking for the 'one piece of info that would change the answer' surfaces the key uncertainty driving the choice.

Summarize and Extract Actions

4/30

โœจ What it does

Condenses long text into a summary plus a clean list of decisions, actions, and open questions.

<context> Source text (notes, transcript, email thread): [PASTE TEXT] Audience for the summary: [WHO WILL READ IT] </context> <task> Process the text: 1. Write a 3-sentence executive summary. 2. Pull out every decision that was made. 3. List action items as '[Owner] - [Action] - [Due date if mentioned]'. 4. Flag any open question that was raised but not resolved. If an owner or date isn't stated, write 'unspecified' โ€” do not invent one. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: The 'do not invent' instruction is important on open models, which otherwise hallucinate owners and dates to fill the template.

Devil's Advocate Pressure Test

5/30

โœจ What it does

Stress-tests a plan or belief with steelmanned counterarguments and a blunt verdict.

<context> My plan or belief: [STATE IT] Context: [SITUATION] How confident I feel right now: [1-10] </context> <task> Argue against me honestly: 1. Give the three strongest counterarguments, steelmanned. 2. Identify the weakest assumption my plan depends on. 3. Describe the most likely way this goes wrong. 4. End by saying whether, after all that, the plan still holds up. Be direct. Do not soften the critique to be polite. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Adding 'do not soften to be polite' counters Llama's instruction-tuned tendency toward agreeable, hedged answers.

Coding & Debugging

5 prompts

Bug Hunt with Reasoning

6/30

โœจ What it does

Finds the root cause of a bug, shows a fix, and suggests a regression test.

<context> Language / framework: [e.g. Python 3.12 / FastAPI] What the code should do: [EXPECTED BEHAVIOR] What it actually does: [ACTUAL BEHAVIOR / ERROR] Code: [PASTE CODE] </context> <task> Debug this step by step: 1. Restate what the code is trying to do in one sentence. 2. Trace the execution and identify the root cause of the bug. 3. Show the corrected code with the changed lines clearly marked. 4. Explain why the original failed and how the fix resolves it. 5. Suggest one test case that would have caught this. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Pasting the exact error text and expected-vs-actual behavior dramatically improves Llama's diagnosis accuracy.

Function from Spec

7/30

โœจ What it does

Generates a single well-documented function that handles the edge cases you specify.

<context> Language: [LANGUAGE] Function purpose: [WHAT IT DOES] Inputs: [PARAMS AND TYPES] Output: [RETURN TYPE / SHAPE] Edge cases to handle: [LIST] </context> <task> Write the function: 1. Implement it cleanly with type hints and a docstring. 2. Handle every edge case I listed explicitly. 3. Add inline comments only where the logic is non-obvious. 4. Below the code, list any assumptions you made. Return only the function plus the assumptions list โ€” no surrounding prose. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: List edge cases up front; open models often skip null/empty handling unless you name those cases explicitly.

Code Review for One File

8/30

โœจ What it does

Produces a severity-ranked code review with specific, actionable fixes.

<context> Language / framework: [LANGUAGE] What this file does: [PURPOSE] Code: [PASTE FILE] </context> <task> Review it like a senior engineer: 1. List issues grouped as Bugs, Security, Performance, Readability. 2. For each issue give the line area, the problem, and a concrete fix. 3. Rank the issues by severity (critical / major / minor). 4. Note one thing the code does well. Do not rewrite the whole file โ€” point to specific changes. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Constraining it to 'do not rewrite the whole file' keeps the review focused and saves tokens on smaller local models.

Explain Unfamiliar Code

9/30

โœจ What it does

Explains unfamiliar code section by section and flags risky or clever patterns.

<context> Language: [LANGUAGE] My level with this language: [LEVEL] Code to explain: [PASTE CODE] </context> <task> Walk me through this code: 1. Give a one-line summary of what it accomplishes overall. 2. Break it into logical sections and explain each in plain language. 3. Call out any clever, risky, or non-idiomatic patterns. 4. Rewrite the single most confusing part with clearer naming as an example. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Llama-family models are strong at code explanation even at smaller sizes โ€” great for an offline Ollama setup on a laptop.

Refactor for Readability

10/30

โœจ What it does

Refactors code toward a stated goal while preserving behavior and respecting constraints.

<context> Language: [LANGUAGE] Goal of the refactor: [e.g. reduce nesting, extract functions, improve naming] Constraints: [e.g. keep public API unchanged, no new dependencies] Code: [PASTE CODE] </context> <task> Refactor this code: 1. Apply the refactor goal without changing observable behavior. 2. Show the before/after for each meaningful change, with a one-line reason. 3. Respect every constraint I listed. 4. End with a short note on what is now easier to maintain. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Stating 'without changing observable behavior' prevents the model from silently altering logic during a refactor.

Writing & Content

5 prompts

Draft in My Voice

11/30

โœจ What it does

Produces a first draft in your own writing voice that covers your key points.

<context> What I'm writing: [TYPE โ€” email, post, article section] Goal: [WHAT IT SHOULD ACHIEVE] Audience: [WHO] My voice sample: [PASTE 2-3 SENTENCES I WROTE] Key points to hit: [LIST] </context> <task> Write the draft: 1. Match the tone, rhythm, and vocabulary of my voice sample. 2. Cover every key point I listed, in a logical order. 3. Keep it concise โ€” cut any sentence that doesn't earn its place. 4. End with a clear next step or call to action for the reader. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Pasting a real 2-3 sentence sample of your writing teaches Llama your voice far better than describing it.

Headline and Hook Machine

12/30

โœจ What it does

Generates ten labeled headline angles plus opening hooks for your top picks.

<context> Content it's for: [TOPIC / SUMMARY] Platform: [WHERE IT WILL LIVE] Audience: [WHO] Desired feeling: [e.g. curiosity, urgency, trust] </context> <task> Generate options: 1. Write 10 headline variations spanning different angles (curiosity, benefit, contrarian, specific-number, how-to). 2. For my top 3 favorites, write a matching one-line opening hook. 3. Label each headline with its angle. 4. Avoid clickbait that the content can't deliver on. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Asking for varied angles (contrarian, number-based, how-to) gives more usable range than a generic 'write headlines' request.

Tighten and Edit

13/30

โœจ What it does

Tightens and edits a draft toward a stated goal and explains every change.

<context> Draft to edit: [PASTE DRAFT] Goal: [e.g. cut 30%, more punchy, more formal] Keep intact: [ANY LINES OR IDEAS THAT MUST STAY] </context> <task> Edit the draft: 1. Tighten toward the goal while preserving meaning and the lines I marked. 2. Cut redundancy, weak qualifiers, and filler phrases. 3. Return the edited version, then a short bullet list of what you changed and why. 4. Flag any sentence where you were unsure about my intent. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Tell it explicitly which lines to keep โ€” otherwise open models tend to rewrite favorite sentences you wanted to preserve.

Repurpose Across Formats

14/30

โœจ What it does

Turns one piece of source content into platform-specific versions for several channels.

<context> Source content: [PASTE OR SUMMARIZE] Repurpose into: [TARGET FORMATS โ€” e.g. tweet thread, LinkedIn post, newsletter blurb] Audience and tone per format: [NOTES] </context> <task> Repurpose the content: 1. For each target format, produce a version sized and styled for that platform. 2. Lead each with the single most compelling idea from the source. 3. Keep the core message consistent across all formats. 4. Label each output with its format. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Specify length and tone per platform so a thread reads punchy while a newsletter blurb stays warm.

Outline a Long Piece

15/30

โœจ What it does

Creates a section-by-section outline with talking points for a long-form piece.

<context> Working title: [TITLE] Thesis / main argument: [ONE SENTENCE] Audience: [WHO] Target length: [WORD COUNT] </context> <task> Build a detailed outline: 1. Propose a structure of sections with a one-line purpose for each. 2. Under each section, list 2-3 bullet points of what to cover. 3. Suggest where to place examples, data, or stories. 4. Note the strongest possible opening and closing line. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Locking the thesis to one sentence first keeps the whole outline coherent instead of meandering.

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Reasoning & Analysis

5 prompts

Step-by-Step Reasoning

16/30

โœจ What it does

Works a problem step by step and self-checks the answer against the constraints.

<context> Problem to solve: [STATE THE PROBLEM] Known facts / constraints: [LIST] What a good answer looks like: [SUCCESS CRITERIA] </context> <task> Reason it through carefully: 1. Restate the problem and what's being asked. 2. Think step by step, showing each inference and the fact it rests on. 3. State the answer clearly. 4. Double-check the answer against the constraints and note your confidence level. If the problem is underspecified, say what's missing instead of guessing. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Explicit 'think step by step' plus a self-check step measurably improves accuracy on Llama for multi-step problems.

Compare and Contrast Framework

17/30

โœจ What it does

Compares options across your chosen dimensions and recommends the best fit for your use case.

<context> Things to compare: [ITEM A] vs [ITEM B] (vs [ITEM C]) Dimensions I care about: [LIST] My use case: [HOW I'LL USE THE CONCLUSION] </context> <task> Compare them rigorously: 1. Build a table scoring each item across my dimensions. 2. Below the table, explain the most important difference in depth. 3. Recommend which fits my specific use case and why. 4. Note any scenario where the recommendation would flip. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Anchoring on your use case prevents a generic 'it depends' answer and forces a real recommendation.

Root Cause Five Whys

18/30

โœจ What it does

Drives a Five Whys analysis to separate the true root cause from surface symptoms.

<context> Problem / symptom: [WHAT WENT WRONG] Context: [SYSTEM / SITUATION] What I've already ruled out: [LIST] </context> <task> Find the root cause: 1. Run a Five Whys analysis, asking 'why' until you reach a root cause, not a symptom. 2. At each level, note what evidence would confirm or refute it. 3. Distinguish the root cause from contributing factors. 4. Propose one fix that addresses the root cause, not just the symptom. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Listing what you've already ruled out stops the model from cycling back to causes you've eliminated.

Assumption Audit

19/30

โœจ What it does

Surfaces and ranks the hidden assumptions behind a plan or forecast.

<context> Plan, argument, or forecast: [STATE IT] Domain: [CONTEXT] Stakes: [WHAT'S RIDING ON IT] </context> <task> Audit the hidden assumptions: 1. List every assumption this depends on, including the implicit ones. 2. Rate each assumption: how confident are we, and how damaging if wrong? 3. Highlight the one or two load-bearing assumptions that deserve real scrutiny. 4. Suggest a cheap way to test each load-bearing assumption. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: The confidence-vs-impact rating quickly isolates which assumptions are actually worth investigating.

Estimate the Unknowable

20/30

โœจ What it does

Builds a transparent Fermi estimate with a range and the dominant uncertainty.

<context> Quantity to estimate: [WHAT] What I roughly know: [ANY ANCHORS OR DATA] Why I need it: [PURPOSE] </context> <task> Produce a Fermi estimate: 1. Break the quantity into estimable sub-factors. 2. State a reasonable value and source of reasoning for each factor. 3. Multiply through to a final estimate, showing the arithmetic. 4. Give a low/expected/high range and name the biggest source of uncertainty. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Showing the arithmetic lets you swap in your own numbers for any sub-factor you know better than the model.

System Prompts & Model Control

5 prompts

Design a System Prompt

21/30

โœจ What it does

Generates a complete, paste-ready system prompt for a Llama assistant with a defined role and rules.

<context> Assistant's job: [WHAT THE ASSISTANT SHOULD DO] Target Llama model: [e.g. Llama 3.1 8B via Ollama] Audience / users: [WHO TALKS TO IT] Hard rules and boundaries: [WHAT IT MUST AND MUST NOT DO] </context> <task> Write a production-ready system prompt: 1. Open with a clear role and primary objective. 2. Specify tone, output format, and length expectations. 3. Encode the hard rules as explicit do/don't instructions. 4. Add fallback behavior for when the user asks something out of scope. 5. Return only the finished system prompt, ready to paste. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: On smaller Llama models keep the system prompt tight โ€” long rule lists dilute and get partially ignored.

Constrain Output Format

22/30

โœจ What it does

Produces a formatting-control instruction block that forces clean, structured output.

<context> Task the model performs: [TASK] Exact output format required: [e.g. JSON schema, fixed sections, table] What must never appear: [e.g. no preamble, no apologies, no markdown] </context> <task> Write an instruction block that locks the output format: 1. Describe the required structure precisely, with a filled-in example. 2. State explicitly what the model must omit (preamble, explanations, etc.). 3. Add a rule for how to handle missing data within the format. 4. Keep it directive and unambiguous โ€” no soft language. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Open models obey format rules far better when you include one fully filled-in example of the exact output you want.

Few-Shot Example Builder

23/30

โœจ What it does

Creates a few-shot prompt with diverse example pairs that teach the model your task.

<context> Task: [WHAT THE MODEL SHOULD LEARN TO DO] Good output looks like: [DESCRIBE OR PASTE ONE EXAMPLE] Common mistakes to avoid: [LIST] </context> <task> Build a few-shot prompt: 1. Write 3 diverse input -> output example pairs that demonstrate the task. 2. Make the examples cover edge cases and the mistakes I listed. 3. Keep the format of every example identical so the pattern is obvious. 4. End with the template for the real input the model should complete. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Few-shot examples are the single most reliable way to steer open Llama models toward a consistent output style.

Persona and Tone Tuner

24/30

โœจ What it does

Defines a consistent assistant persona with sample exchanges and guardrails.

<context> Desired persona: [e.g. blunt mentor, friendly tutor, terse senior engineer] Use case: [WHERE IT'S USED] Things the persona should never do: [LIST] </context> <task> Write persona instructions: 1. Describe the voice with concrete traits (word choice, sentence length, attitude). 2. Give two short sample exchanges showing the persona in action. 3. Specify what the persona does when it doesn't know something. 4. List the forbidden behaviors as explicit rules. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Concrete traits plus sample dialogue hold a persona far more reliably than abstract adjectives like 'helpful' or 'professional'.

Reduce Refusals and Hedging

25/30

โœจ What it does

Rewrites a prompt to stop unnecessary refusals and hedging on legitimate tasks.

<context> My legitimate task: [TASK] Why the model keeps over-refusing or over-hedging: [WHAT IT SAYS] Context that makes this clearly appropriate: [DETAILS] </context> <task> Rewrite my prompt to get a direct, useful answer: 1. Add the context that establishes the request is legitimate and appropriate. 2. State the role and expertise frame that fits the task. 3. Ask explicitly for a direct answer without disclaimers or hedging. 4. Return the improved prompt, then explain in one line why it works better. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Providing concrete context about who you are and why you need it is the most effective, honest way to reduce over-cautious responses.

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Local & Private AI Workflows

5 prompts

Offline Document Q&A

26/30

โœจ What it does

Answers questions grounded only in your supplied document, ideal for private offline use.

<context> Document(s) to query: [PASTE TEXT OR DESCRIBE FILE] My question: [WHAT I WANT TO KNOW] Running on: [e.g. Ollama, local, no internet] </context> <task> Answer strictly from the provided text: 1. Answer my question using only what's in the document. 2. Quote the exact passage that supports each claim. 3. If the document doesn't contain the answer, say so plainly โ€” do not use outside knowledge. 4. Note any part of my question the document only partially addresses. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: The 'only from the provided text' rule turns a local Llama into a safe, private RAG-style assistant with no data leaving your machine.

Sensitive Data Redaction

27/30

โœจ What it does

Redacts sensitive fields into typed placeholders entirely on your local machine.

<context> Text that may contain sensitive info: [PASTE TEXT] What counts as sensitive here: [e.g. names, emails, IDs, financials] Running locally so nothing leaves my machine: yes </context> <task> Redact and report: 1. Return the text with every sensitive item replaced by a typed placeholder like [NAME_1], [EMAIL_1]. 2. List each redaction with its placeholder and category. 3. Flag anything borderline that I should review manually. 4. Do not alter any non-sensitive content. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Running this on a self-hosted Llama means the raw sensitive text never touches a third-party API.

Local Coding Pair Setup

28/30

โœจ What it does

Sets up a fast, code-forward local pair-programming session with a Llama model.

<context> Project: [WHAT YOU'RE BUILDING] Stack: [LANGUAGES / FRAMEWORKS] Model: [e.g. Code Llama / Llama 3.1 via Ollama] My skill level: [LEVEL] </context> <task> Act as my local pair programmer for this session: 1. Confirm the stack and ask only the essential clarifying questions. 2. When I share code, default to: explain, spot issues, then suggest the smallest good change. 3. Keep responses short and code-forward โ€” I'm iterating fast. 4. At any time if I type 'recap', summarize what we've built and what's next. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Telling a local model to keep responses short and code-forward keeps latency low on consumer hardware.

Build a Quantization Plan

29/30

โœจ What it does

Recommends a Llama model size, quantization, and tuning plan for your specific hardware.

<context> Goal: run a Llama model locally on my hardware. My hardware: [GPU/CPU, VRAM, RAM] Use case: [e.g. chat, coding, summarization] Quality vs speed priority: [WHICH MATTERS MORE] </context> <task> Recommend a local setup: 1. Suggest which Llama model size fits my hardware and use case. 2. Recommend a quantization level (e.g. Q4, Q5, Q8) and explain the tradeoff. 3. Estimate whether it will run comfortably given my VRAM/RAM. 4. Note one setting to adjust if it's too slow and one if quality is too low. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Quantization tradeoffs shift fast โ€” sanity-check the model's suggestion against current Ollama model tags before downloading.

Private Brainstorm Partner

30/30

โœจ What it does

Acts as a private, judgment-free brainstorming partner for sensitive or early-stage ideas.

<context> Topic or problem: [WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT] Why it's private: [e.g. unannounced idea, personal matter] Where I am in my thinking: [EARLY / STUCK / DECIDING] </context> <task> Brainstorm with me, no judgment: 1. Ask one sharp question to understand where I'm actually stuck. 2. Offer 5-7 distinct angles or ideas, including at least one unconventional one. 3. For each, note the upside and the catch in a few words. 4. End by suggesting which idea is worth exploring next and why. </task>

๐Ÿ’ก

Pro tip: Because Llama can run fully offline, it's a genuinely private sounding board for ideas you're not ready to share with any cloud service.

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Frequently Asked Questions

They work across the Llama family, including the larger instruction-tuned chat models and the smaller ones you can run locally. Bigger models follow multi-step instructions more reliably, while smaller quantized models on Ollama trade some reasoning depth for speed and privacy. If a prompt underperforms on a small local model, tighten the instructions and add a few-shot example.
Yes. The prompts are plain text using a simple context/task structure, so they paste cleanly into Meta AI, a local Ollama session, Groq's fast hosted Llama endpoints, or your own self-hosted deployment. The only difference is speed and the maximum model size you can run. For the system-prompt and format-control prompts, paste them into the system field if your interface exposes one.
Llama is open-weight, so it is free to run, fully private when self-hosted, and customizable down to the system prompt and even fine-tuning. That makes it ideal for sensitive data, offline workflows, and high-volume use where API costs add up. Closed models may still edge it out on the hardest reasoning, but for most assistant, coding, and writing tasks Llama is more than capable.
Cap the length explicitly, ask for a direct answer with no disclaimers, and give it a clear role and format. Open models pad and hedge by default, so constraints like 'under 200 words' and 'no preamble' make a big difference. The system-prompt and format-control prompts in this collection are built specifically to lock down output.
Yes, if you self-host Llama via Ollama or a similar runtime, everything stays on your machine with no internet required. The Local and Private AI Workflows category is designed for exactly this, including document Q&A and sensitive-data redaction that never send your data to a third party. You just need hardware that fits your chosen model size and quantization.

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