Overview
Persistent instruction files make preferences and rules available across sessions. Self-modifying instructions convert user feedback into durable operating knowledge. Global and local layers prevent unrelated rules from being mixed. Skills capture repeatable workflows and load detailed procedures only when needed.
Reverse prompting lets the agent identify missing requirements. Prompt contracts turn those requirements into explicit goals, constraints, formats, and failure conditions. Used together, these techniques increase consistency, reduce repeated errors, and improve the probability of a satisfactory first implementation.
The central principle is that prompting should become infrastructure. Good instructions should not disappear after one conversation. They should be stored, organized, invoked, tested, and improved over time.