> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.momentum.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Reference

> A prompt-building cheat sheet — structured vs. natural language, silence patterns by feature, word precision, and the five most common prompting mistakes.

A prompt-building cheat sheet. Keep this open while writing your first prompts.

## When to use structured vs. natural language

| Use structured format when…                         | Use natural language when…                   |
| --------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| The task has multiple conditions or edge cases      | The task is simple and unambiguous           |
| Output format must be exact (picklist, date, score) | Detection or extraction is self-evident      |
| You need precise silence and attribution rules      | You're iterating quickly and testing scope   |
| You're configuring a Summary or Coaching competency | You're writing a Signal trigger or Smart Tag |

## Silence patterns — by feature

| Feature                   | When nothing is found…                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Autopilot (CRM field)** | Return nothing. Silence = no write. Never fill with placeholders. If Momentum is the only writer to that field, output an explicit value (e.g. *N/A*) so you can validate the prompt ran. |
| **Signal trigger**        | Output `FALSE`. Zero explanation.                                                                                                                                                         |
| **Signal follow-up**      | Output an explicit "No \[X] found." — confirms the prompt ran and prevents a blank Slack block.                                                                                           |
| **Summary section**       | Output a defined fallback (e.g. *None identified*). Never skip or leave a section blank.                                                                                                  |
| **Coaching competency**   | Note that the call was too short or lacked sufficient context to evaluate.                                                                                                                |

## Word precision cheat sheet

| Weak phrasing                 | Stronger alternative                                                                                                | Why it matters                                                                                                             |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| *"You should…"*               | *"You MUST…"*                                                                                                       | Suggestions can be overridden by the AI when uncertain. Hard constraints cannot.                                           |
| *"Summarize"*                 | *"Extract"*                                                                                                         | *Summarize* invites paraphrase and interpretation. *Extract* pulls what's explicitly stated.                               |
| *"Look for"*                  | *"Identify only"*                                                                                                   | *Look for* is a broad search that surfaces tangential mentions. *Identify only* narrows scope and reduces false positives. |
| *"If not found, say nothing"* | *"Complete silence is the correct output. Outputting any text when no qualifying data exists is a critical error."* | Weak silence rules are routinely ignored. Raising the stakes forces compliance.                                            |

## The five most common prompting mistakes

| Mistake                                                   | Fix                                                                                                                            |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Trigger prompt extracts content instead of `TRUE`/`FALSE` | Rewrite as binary detection. Output `TRUE` or `FALSE` only.                                                                    |
| No silence rule defined                                   | Add: *"If \[condition] not present, output nothing."* Or define an explicit value if intentional (see Silence Patterns above). |
| Picklist allows freeform output                           | List exact allowed values. State: return one value only, character-for-character.                                              |
| Summary sections do too much                              | One extraction goal per section. Split complex ones in two. Keep to 4–7 sections total.                                        |
| Coaching rubric uses vague language                       | Define observable behaviors — specific actions the rep took or didn't take, not subjective impressions.                        |