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THE MAGIC WORDS: "NO PREAMBLE"

10 phrases that fix Claude's output instantly. "No preamble." "Just the answer." "Be brutal." Copy-paste cheat sheet inside. Each one cuts response time + improves quality. The phrases pro users have learned the hard way.

THE PROBLEM

You ask a yes-or-no question. Claude writes 4 paragraphs of context before saying yes.

You ask for an honest review. Claude hedges everything.

You ask for the answer. Claude explains its reasoning at length.

The fix isn't a better prompt structure. It's specific phrases that override Claude's default verbosity.

THE 10 MAGIC PHRASES

1. "No preamble."

Cuts the "Sure! I'd be happy to help. Here's what I'd suggest..." opener. Use when: you want to skip warmups.

2. "Just the answer."

For yes/no, true/false, pick-one questions. Use when: you want the verdict, not the reasoning.

3. "Plain text. No formatting."

Stops markdown bullets/tables when you didn't ask. Use when: copying into a tool that doesn't render markdown.

4. "Be brutal."

Removes hedging. Forces honest assessment. Use when: you're reviewing your own work and want real feedback, not encouragement.

5. "Steelman this."

Asks Claude to argue the OPPOSITE position as strongly as possible. Use when: you want to stress-test your idea.

6. "Ultrathink."

Tells Claude to spend more reasoning effort before answering. Use when: the decision matters and a quick reply isn't enough.

7. "No yapping."

Cuts unnecessary expansion. Use when: Claude is over-explaining.

8. "Answer first, reasoning second."

Forces verdict before explanation. Use when: you want to know what Claude thinks, then check why.

9. "What would you push back on?"

Asks Claude to challenge what you said. Use when: you want a thinking partner, not a yes-machine.

10. "If you had to pick one, which?"

Forces a decision when Claude defaults to "it depends." Use when: you actually want a recommendation.

HOW TO USE THEM

Drop into any prompt where the default output isn't sharp enough.

Before:

Should I take this job?

After:

Should I take this job? Be brutal. Answer first, reasoning second.
Context: [details]

THE ULTIMATE COMBO

For a hard decision:

[Your question + context]

Be brutal. Steelman the opposite first. Then give your honest answer first, reasoning second. No preamble. No hedging.

This single combo gets you to the heart of any decision in one prompt.

3 THINGS YOU CAN'T SKIP

1. Use them naturally. You don't have to memorize all 10. Even 2-3 in regular use beats none.

2. Don't pile them on for simple tasks. "Write me a tweet" doesn't need "no preamble + brutal + ultrathink." Match the magic words to the stakes.

3. Add them to your custom instructions. (Day 8 covers this.) "Always answer first, reasoning second" set globally = every chat sharper.

WHAT'S NEXT

Day 12 of 100. Tomorrow: Day 13 — Re-Prompting When the Answer Is Bad.

SAFETY CHECK

Same as Day 1.

THE MAGIC WORDS: 'NO PREAMBLE