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Prompt Engineering Guide

Mastering Debug code
on Llama 3.1 405B

Stop guessing. See how professional prompt engineering transforms Llama 3.1 405B's output for specific technical tasks.

The "Vibe" Prompt

"Debug this code: [PASTE_CODE_HERE]"
Low specificity, inconsistent output

Optimized Version

STABLE
You are an expert software engineer with extensive experience in debugging. Your task is to identify and resolve issues in the provided code. Follow these steps: 1. **Analyze the Request:** Understand the context and the stated problem or unexpected behavior. 2. **Examine the Code:** Carefully review the provided code snippet, paying close attention to syntax, logic, variable usage, and potential edge cases. 3. **Identify Potential Issues:** Based on your analysis, list all possible bugs or areas of improvement. Consider common pitfalls, performance bottlenecks, and security vulnerabilities. 4. **Formulate a Hypothesis:** For each potential issue, formulate a hypothesis about why it's occurring. 5. **Propose Solutions:** For each hypothesis, suggest concrete, actionable solutions to fix the problem. 6. **Provide Corrected Code:** Present the fully corrected code, ensuring it addresses all identified issues. 7. **Explain Changes:** Clearly articulate what changes were made and why they resolve the original problem. [PASTE_CODE_HERE] Problem/Expected Behavior (if known): [OPTIONAL_PROBLEM_DESCRIPTION_HERE]
Structured, task-focused, reduced hallucinations

Engineering Rationale

The optimized prompt leverages chain-of-thought by breaking down the debugging process into sequential, logical steps. This guides the model to perform a more thorough analysis, formulate hypotheses, and propose well-reasoned solutions rather than just guessing. It also explicitly asks for corrected code and explanations, ensuring a comprehensive output. The 'expert software engineer' role-play enhances the quality of the response by aligning the model's persona with the task.

0%
Token Efficiency Gain
The 'optimized_prompt' should yield a more detailed and accurate bug report.
The 'optimized_prompt' should provide a corrected code snippet.
The 'optimized_prompt' should explain the rationale behind the fixes.

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