Lessons from OpenAI's Model Spec

Jared Zoneraich

Feb 12, 2025 — 2 min read

OpenAI's Model Spec tells us a lot about how the company thinks about prompt engineering. Let's explore it and see how to use it in your daily prompting.

The Three-Layer Approach

The Model Spec uses three layers: objectives, rules, and defaults. This structure makes prompts more reliable and easier to maintain.

For your next prompt, try this approach:

Start with broad objectives like "help the user"
Add specific rules that can't be broken
Set clear defaults for common scenarios

This layered structure makes debugging easier when prompts misbehave in production.

Chain of Command Matters

The spec follows a strict order: Platform > Developer > User > Tool. This hierarchy prevents conflicts and ensures consistent behavior.

When building AI applications, this hierarchy helps you maintain control while still giving users flexibility. Just be explicit about which instructions can be overridden and which can't.

Interactive vs. Programmatic: Know Your Context

The same prompt needs different behavior in chat versus code. The Model Spec makes this distinction clear with a simple interactive flag.

Before writing any prompt, ask yourself:

Will a human read this output?
Does it need formatting?

This simple check will save you from rewriting prompts when moving between chat and API contexts.

Build in Safety From the Start

Safety isn't an add-on. The spec builds it into the core design. This prevents problems before they happen.

Next time you write a prompt, include safety rules in your base template. You'll spend less time handling edge cases later.

Smart Content Transformation

When transforming content (like translation or code conversion), the model will aim to follow these rules:

Only change what's requested
Keep the original structure
Flag necessary changes

This approach is particularly valuable when building code generation tools or document processors. It reduces errors and makes output more predictable.

The Future of Prompting

Prompt engineering is moving toward structured systems rather than clever hacks. The key is building reliable, maintainable prompts that scale with your needs.

Start small. Pick one project and apply these principles. Test it thoroughly.

Modern prompt engineering is about building reliable systems, not writing perfect instructions.

This matters because better prompts mean better results. They're easier to maintain. They break less often. And they scale better as your needs grow.

That's what we aim to help with at www.promptlayer.com

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