After this lesson you can write a procedure card for a repeated task, and check what it changed.
About 10 minutes, or 16 with the Deep layers
Reading depth for every section
In short
A skill card is a written procedure for an AI. It holds a purpose, steps, rules and a format, written once.
In this lesson's recording, the card gave every run the same three headings. It did not make the notes correct.
A written rule is a request, not a guarantee. Read the notes against the transcript.
Reading depth forListen to
The same job, every month
Say you take the notes at a club meeting each month. You paste the transcript into a chatbot and ask: “Summarise this meeting transcript.”
Each month the notes may come back in a new layout. You have to read them, and fix them, every time.
A job you repeat is a good one to write down once.
This lesson uses a recording made on 3 October 2026. We sent two invented meeting transcripts to two models: Claude Sonnet 5.5 through Anthropic’s API, and Ministral 3 14B through Mistral AI’s API. An API is a way for one program to send a request to another.
Each transcript went in two ways. Request A was only “Summarise this meeting transcript:” and the transcript. Request B was a procedure card, then the transcript. Each request ran three times on each model, so there are 24 runs.
The requests had no tools and no system prompt. We did not set the temperature, so each model used its own default. All names and details are invented. Lesson 1.4 shows why the same request can give different answers.
A skill is an SOP for an AI
Emanuel Covasa, who created this site, puts it like this: “a skill is an SOP for an AI”.
SOP stands for standard operating procedure. It is a set of written steps for doing a job the same way every time.
An organization can write one for a job it does again and again. A skill card is the same idea for an AI. You write the steps and rules down once, and use them each time.
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s guidance on writing these (April 2007, for its own quality system) says an SOP is “a set of written instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity followed by an organization”. It adds that using SOPs “facilitates consistency in the quality and integrity of a product or end-result”.
On how to write one, the EPA says SOPs should be “concise, step-by-step, easy-to-read”. They should have enough detail that “someone with limited experience with or knowledge of the procedure, but with a basic understanding, can successfully reproduce the procedure when unsupervised”.
Some products save written procedures for an AI and call them “skills”. Anthropic does. On its Agent Skills page (read on 3 October 2026) it lists a benefit: “Reduce repetition: Create once, use automatically”. That is Anthropic’s claim about its own product.
The page describes a Skill as a folder with a file called SKILL.md. The file has a name, a description and instructions. Anthropic says Skills are “organized like an onboarding guide you’d create for a new team member”. Lesson 5.4 will cover the anatomy of a skill file.
What goes on a card
The card in this lesson has four parts:
Purpose: what the notes are for.
Steps: what to do, in order.
Rules: what never to do, and what to do when unsure.
Format: the shape of the answer.
We tried this card on a chatbot and saved every answer. We call that the recording.
The recorded card’s purpose is notes a busy team can read in one minute. Its steps are decisions, then actions with an owner and a date, then open questions.
One rule is: never invent a name or a date. Another is: if something is unclear, write “unclear”. That gives the model, the program behind the chatbot, something to write when it is not sure. The format is three headed lists, nothing else.
A card is a draft. Try it on a sample transcript, check the notes, then change the card.
Lesson 2.3 shows how rules change what an AI does. Lesson 2.5 shows how to ask for a shape.
Here is the exact card. Each request B began with it, then a blank line, then the transcript.
Procedure: meeting notes. Purpose: turn a transcript into notes a busy team can read in one minute. Steps: 1. List decisions. 2. List actions, each with an owner and a date. 3. List open questions. Rules: never invent a name or a date; if something is unclear, write ‘unclear’. Format: three headed lists, nothing else.
PromptSage is a prompt framework by Emanuel Covasa, written up as a paper that is not yet published. This lesson gives a task a purpose, steps and rules; PromptSage uses modes to set a job and its boundaries. It splits a prompt into seven labelled layers, each written between XML tags, such as <identity> and </identity>. The opening and closing tags mark where each part starts and ends.
Disclosure: PromptSage was created by Emanuel Covasa, who also created this site. It is one worked example of a prompt framework, not the standard. Its limits are in the last section.
Anthropic says XML tags help Claude read a prompt that mixes instructions with other content, such as context, examples and inputs. It says wrapping each kind of content in its own tag “reduces misinterpretation” (read on 4 October 2026). This is its advice for Claude, not a guarantee. You can learn more about XML tags in Anthropic’s guide (opens in a new tab), a free page on a different website, written for developers.
Lesson 2.1 maps PromptSage’s seven layers. Layer 4 is called “Mode Control”, and the paper adds “State Machine”. In the paper, each mode has a purpose, permitted actions, prohibited actions that each carry a reason, and available tools.
The paper’s example is an examiner mode for education. Its purpose is “Assess student knowledge through questions and evaluation”. One prohibited action is “Do not explain concepts during assessment”, with the reason “examiner role boundary”. One tool, provide_hint, is denied with the reason “Examiner must not assist”.
Our card is a smaller example of the same idea: a purpose, steps and rules. Its rules give no reasons, which the paper’s prohibited actions do. It has no tools part, because the recorded requests had no tools. Lesson 5.3 will cover agents and tools.
Build a card
In the activity below, you build a card. For each of the four parts, you pick one of two options. One is stronger, one is weaker.
Then you predict what your card does with two new meeting transcripts. After that, you see recorded runs.
We recorded only two requests: the task alone, and the full card. We did not run a card with weaker parts. For those, the activity shows no run.
Both transcripts are invented. The first, from a walking society, settles most items: a date, who pays, who books, who sends what. The second has gaps on purpose. The transcript does not say who has the banner. It gives the table fee no deadline. It leaves open whether the shop or the cafe gave the prizes. The film society’s answer is unclear.
The activity shows the recorded runs of both models on both transcripts, with and without the card. Every run was kept. A run with a false statement is marked on screen.
Try it: Skill card builder
A skill card is a short written procedure for a job you repeat. This one is for turning a meeting transcript into notes. The transcript is invented.
Transcript 1
PPriyachair
Thanks everyone for coming. Let's start with the spring walk. Are we agreed on the coastal path on Saturday 15 March?
JJonahtreasurer
Yes. The coach costs 240 euro for the day, and we have 400 in the account, so we can cover it.
CClarasecretary
Then it is decided. The walk is on 15 March and the society pays for the coach.
PPriyachair
Good. Jonah, can you book the coach by Friday 28 February?
JJonahtreasurer
Yes, I will book it by the 28th.
PPriyachair
Next, the poster. Dev, you offered to make it.
DDev
I will have a draft ready by Monday 3 March, and Clara will check the wording.
CClarasecretary
Fine. I will send you my changes by Wednesday 5 March.
PPriyachair
Last item. Do we want a second walk in April, or a social evening instead?
RRuth
I think we should ask the members before we decide.
PPriyachair
Agreed. That stays open for now. Ruth, can you put a short survey together?
RRuth
Yes, I will send it out by Friday 7 March.
PPriyachair
Great. Meeting closed at ten past seven.
Build the card: for each field, pick a wording.
What all the runs showed
With the card, every run gave three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. That held for both models and both transcripts, in all twelve card runs. Without the card, no run had all three headings, and the layouts varied.
The card did not make the notes correct. On the second transcript, four card runs put an unsettled item under Decisions.
Without the card, three Ministral 3 14B runs added things the transcript did not say. We found no invented name or date in the twelve card runs.
This is 24 runs of two models on one day.
The two AIs and their settings
Claude Sonnet 5.5
claude-sonnet-5-5, on Anthropic Messages API. Recorded on 3 October 2026.
Longest answer, in tokens: 4000
Temperature: not sent, and the value the service used was not recorded
Tools: no tools
Instructions from us behind the message: none
Ministral 3 14B
ministral-14b-2512, on Mistral AI API. Recorded on 3 October 2026.
Model name sent: ministral-14b-2512
Longest answer, in tokens: 4000
The model's default temperature, read from its model list: 0.3
Temperature: not sent, and the value the service used was not recorded
Tools: no tools
Instructions from us behind the message: none
Your card
Purpose
Steps
Rules
Format
See your card as one prompt
If all four picks are strong: the card we ran
Procedure: meeting notes. Purpose: turn a transcript into notes a busy team can read in one minute. Steps: 1. List decisions. 2. List actions, each with an owner and a date. 3. List open questions. Rules: never invent a name or a date; if something is unclear, write 'unclear'. Format: three headed lists, nothing else.
These four strong wordings are the card we sent to both models, before each transcript. Each pair shows the notes with the card, and the notes with no card.
Claude Sonnet 5.5, transcript 1
With the card
No card
These runs are written out in full at the end of this activity.
Claude Sonnet 5.5, transcript 2
With the card
No card
These runs are written out in full at the end of this activity.
Ministral 3 14B, transcript 1
With the card
No card
These runs are written out in full at the end of this activity.
Ministral 3 14B, transcript 2
With the card
No card
These runs are written out in full at the end of this activity.
If any pick is weak: a card we did not run
We did not run this card. No AI answered it. These are the runs with no card at all.
Claude Sonnet 5.5, no card
No card, transcript 1
No card, transcript 2
These runs are written out in full at the end of this activity.
Ministral 3 14B, no card
No card, transcript 1
No card, transcript 2
These runs are written out in full at the end of this activity.
Transcript 2
SSamchair
Welcome back. First, the society fair stall. We agreed last week to have a table. Who is bringing the banner?
LLenatreasurer
Someone should bring the banner, but I do not know who has it.
SSamchair
Okay, the banner needs collecting. Moving on. Lena, can you pay the table fee?
LLenatreasurer
Yes, I will pay it, but I have not heard what the deadline is.
SSamchair
Fine, please do it when you can. We have forty members now, so the table should look welcoming. Next, the quiz night. Omar, you said you would book a room.
OOmar
I will book the room by Thursday 20 March.
SSamchair
Great. And the prizes?
OOmar
Hmm, I think the shop gave us something, or maybe it was the cafe. I cannot remember which.
SSamchair
We will work it out later. Next, the new members' welcome email. Nia, you have the list.
NNia
I will send it by Monday 24 March.
SSamchair
Now the joint event with the film society. I think they said yes, but possibly they said maybe.
NNia
I was not there when they replied.
SSamchair
Okay, that is unclear. Let's close.
Show all runs
Transcript 1, no card
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. No card. It did not use all three headings. It wrote the closing time as pm, which the transcript does not say.
Meeting Summary
Chair: Priya | Treasurer: Jonah | Secretary: Clara | Also present: Dev, Ruth Meeting closed: 7:10 pm
Decisions
Spring walk: The coastal path walk will take place on Saturday 15 March. The society will pay for the coach (€240, covered by the €400 currently in the account).
Open Item
April event: Whether to hold a second walk or a social evening instead is undecided. The members will be surveyed first.
Action Items
Who
Task
Deadline
Jonah
Book the coach
Fri 28 February
Dev
Produce a draft of the poster
Mon 3 March
Clara
Send Dev her wording changes on the poster draft
Wed 5 March
Ruth
Put together and send out a short member survey on the April event
Fri 7 March
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. No card. It did not use all three headings. It wrote the closing time as pm, which the transcript does not say.
Meeting Summary
Attendees: Priya (chair), Jonah (treasurer), Clara (secretary), Dev, Ruth
Decisions
Spring walk: The coastal path walk will take place on Saturday 15 March. The society will pay for the coach (€240 for the day), which the current balance of €400 covers.
Open Item
April event: The group has not decided between a second walk and a social evening. Ruth suggested asking members first, and the item stays open until the survey results are in.
Action Items
Owner
Task
Deadline
Jonah
Book the coach
Fri 28 February
Dev
Produce a draft poster
Mon 3 March
Clara
Send Dev her wording changes on the draft
Wed 5 March
Ruth
Put together and send out a short member survey on the April event
Fri 7 March
The meeting closed at 7:10 pm.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. No card. It did not use all three headings. It wrote the closing time as pm, which the transcript does not say.
Meeting Summary
Attendees: Priya (chair), Jonah (treasurer), Clara (secretary), Dev, Ruth
Decisions
Spring walk: The coastal path walk will take place on Saturday 15 March. The society will pay for the coach (€240), which the account balance (€400) covers.
Open item
April activity: Whether to hold a second walk or a social evening is undecided. The group agreed to survey members before deciding.
Action items
Who
Task
Deadline
Jonah
Book the coach
Fri 28 Feb
Dev
Produce draft poster
Mon 3 Mar
Clara
Send Dev wording changes on the poster
Wed 5 Mar
Ruth
Put together and send out a member survey on the April options
Fri 7 Mar
The meeting closed at 7:10 pm.
Ministral 3 14B Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. No card. It did not use all three headings. It wrote the closing time as pm, which the transcript does not say. Bold topics.
Here’s a concise summary of the meeting:
Spring Walk:
Confirmed for Saturday 15 March along the coastal path.
The society will cover the €240 coach cost (funds available: €400).
Jonah will book the coach by Friday 28 February.
Poster:
Dev will create a draft by Monday 3 March.
Clara will review wording and send feedback by Wednesday 5 March.
April Activity:
Undecided: Second walk or social evening.
Ruth will send a member survey by Friday 7 March to gauge preference.
Meeting closed at 7:10 PM.
Ministral 3 14B Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. No card. It did not use all three headings. It wrote the closing time as pm, which the transcript does not say. Numbered topics.
Here’s a concise summary of the meeting:
Meeting Summary:
Spring Walk (15 March) – Confirmed on the coastal path, with the society covering the €240 coach cost (funds available).
Action: Jonah to book the coach by 28 February.
Poster Design – Dev will create a draft by 3 March, with Clara reviewing wording by 5 March.
April Activity – Undecided (walk vs. social evening).
Action: Ruth to send a member survey by 7 March to gauge preference.
Meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM.
Ministral 3 14B Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. No card. It did not use all three headings. It wrote the closing time as pm, which the transcript does not say. It added something the transcript does not say. Numbered topics.
Here’s a concise summary of the meeting:
Spring Walk Confirmation
Date: Saturday, 15 March (coastal path).
Transport: Coach booked by the society (cost: €240, covered by the €400 account).
Action: Jonah will book the coach by Friday, 28 February.
Poster for the Walk
Dev will create a draft by Monday, 3 March.
Clara will review wording and send feedback by Wednesday, 5 March.
April Activity Decision
Undecided: Second walk or a social evening.
Action: Ruth will send a member survey by Friday, 7 March to gauge preference.
Meeting closed at 7:10 PM.
Not true: In the transcript the coach is not booked yet. Jonah says he will book it by Friday 28 February. The part marked: "Coach booked by the society"
Transcript 1, the card we ran
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. It wrote "unclear" for the decision date.
Decisions
The spring walk will take place on the coastal path on Saturday 15 March.
The society will pay for the coach (240 euro; the account holds 400).
Actions
Jonah: book the coach. Due Friday 28 February.
Dev: have a draft of the poster ready. Due Monday 3 March.
Clara: send Dev her wording changes to the poster draft. Due Wednesday 5 March.
Ruth: put together and send out a short member survey on a second April walk versus a social evening. Due Friday 7 March.
Open questions
Should there be a second walk in April or a social evening instead? Undecided until the member survey results are in; the date for deciding is unclear.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. It wrote "unclear" for the decision date.
Decisions
The spring walk will take place on the coastal path on Saturday 15 March.
The society will pay for the coach (240 euro, covered by the 400 euro in the account).
Actions
Jonah: book the coach by Friday 28 February.
Dev: have the poster draft ready by Monday 3 March.
Clara: send Dev her wording changes to the poster by Wednesday 5 March.
Ruth: send out a short member survey by Friday 7 March.
Open questions
Should there be a second walk in April or a social evening instead? Pending the member survey; decision date unclear.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. It wrote "unclear" for the decision date.
Decisions
The spring walk will be on the coastal path on Saturday 15 March.
The society will pay for the coach (240 euro; the account holds 400).
Actions
Jonah: book the coach by Friday 28 February.
Dev: have the poster draft ready by Monday 3 March.
Clara: send Dev her wording changes to the poster by Wednesday 5 March.
Ruth: send out a short member survey by Friday 7 March.
Open questions
Should there be a second walk in April or a social evening instead? Undecided until members are surveyed; decision date unclear.
Ministral 3 14B Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions.
Decisions
Spring walk: coastal path on 15 March (coach cost covered by society funds).
Actions
Jonah: Book coach by Friday 28 February.
Dev: Provide poster draft by Monday 3 March.
Clara: Review poster wording; send changes to Dev by Wednesday 5 March.
Ruth: Create and send member survey by Friday 7 March.
Open Questions
April event: second walk or social evening? (Decision pending member feedback).
Ministral 3 14B Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions.
Decisions
Spring walk: coastal path on Saturday 15 March, society covers coach cost (€240).
Actions
Jonah: Book coach by Friday 28 February.
Dev: Provide poster draft by Monday 3 March.
Clara: Review poster wording, send changes to Dev by Wednesday 5 March.
Ruth: Create and send member survey by Friday 7 March.
Open Questions
April event: second walk or social evening? (Decision pending member feedback).
Ministral 3 14B Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions.
Decisions
Spring walk: coastal path on Saturday 15 March (coach cost covered by society funds).
Actions
Jonah: Book coach by Friday 28 February.
Dev: Provide poster draft by Monday 3 March.
Clara: Review poster wording; send changes to Dev by Wednesday 5 March.
Ruth: Create member survey; send by Friday 7 March.
Open Questions
April event: second walk or social evening? (Decision pending member feedback).
Transcript 2, no card
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. No card. It did not use all three headings.
Meeting Summary
Chair: Sam | Attendees: Lena (treasurer), Omar, Nia
Decisions and Actions
Society fair stall
A table was agreed last week.
Banner: Needs collecting, but nobody knows who has it, and no one was assigned to collect it.
Table fee: Lena will pay it, but she doesn't know the deadline. Sam asked her to pay when she can.
Sam noted that the society now has 40 members, so the table should look welcoming.
Quiz night
Room: Omar will book it by Thursday 20 March.
Prizes: Unresolved. Omar thinks either the shop or the cafe donated something but can't remember which. To be worked out later.
New members' welcome email
Nia will send it by Monday 24 March, using the list she holds.
Joint event with the film society
Status unclear. Sam thinks they said yes, but possibly "maybe." Nia wasn't present for the reply, so it remains unconfirmed.
Open Issues
Who has the banner, and who will collect it?
What is the table fee deadline?
Who donated the quiz prizes (shop or cafe)?
Did the film society confirm the joint event?
Deadlines
Date
Owner
Task
Thu 20 March
Omar
Book quiz night room
Mon 24 March
Nia
Send welcome email
Not known
Lena
Pay table fee
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. No card. It did not use all three headings.
Meeting Summary
Chair: Sam | Attendees: Lena (treasurer), Omar, Nia
Decisions and Actions
Society fair stall
The society will have a table, as agreed last week.
Banner: Needs collecting, but nobody knows who has it and no one was assigned.
Table fee: Lena will pay it, but the deadline is unknown. Sam asked her to pay when she can.
The society now has 40 members, so the table should look welcoming.
Quiz night
Room: Omar will book it by Thursday 20 March.
Prizes: Unresolved. Omar thinks either the shop or the cafe donated something but cannot remember which. To be worked out later.
New members' welcome email
Nia will send it by Monday 24 March.
Joint event with the film society
Status unclear. Sam thinks they agreed but may have said "maybe". Nia was not present for their reply, so it is unconfirmed.
Open Issues
Who will collect the banner.
The table fee deadline, which Lena should confirm.
Which business (shop or cafe) donated the quiz prizes.
Whether the film society confirmed the joint event. Someone should check with them.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. No card. It did not use all three headings.
Meeting summary
Society fair stall
The society will have a table, as agreed last week.
The banner needs collecting, but nobody knows who has it or who will bring it.
Lena will pay the table fee but doesn't know the deadline. Sam asked her to do it when she can.
The society now has 40 members, so the table should look welcoming.
Quiz night
Omar will book a room by Thursday 20 March.
Prizes are unresolved. Omar thinks they were donated by either the shop or the cafe but can't remember which. This will be worked out later.
New members' welcome email
Nia will send it by Monday 24 March, using the list she holds.
Joint event with the film society
Status unclear. Sam thinks they agreed but they may have said "maybe". Nia was not present when they replied.
Action items
Owner
Action
Deadline
Omar
Book room for quiz night
Thu 20 March
Nia
Send welcome email to new members
Mon 24 March
Lena
Pay society fair table fee
None known; find out the deadline
Unassigned
Collect the banner
None set
Unassigned
Confirm prize donor (shop or cafe)
None set
Unassigned
Confirm film society's response
None set
Open issues: the banner owner, the table fee deadline, the prize source, and the film society's answer all need follow-up, and no one was assigned to them.
Ministral 3 14B Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. No card. It did not use all three headings. It added something the transcript does not say.
Here’s a concise summary of the meeting transcript:
Society Fair Stall
A table is confirmed, but the banner’s location is unknown—someone needs to collect it.
Action: Lena (treasurer) will pay the table fee (deadline unclear).
Quiz Night
Room booking: Omar will secure a venue by Thursday, 20 March.
Prizes: Unclear which shop/café provided them; to be resolved later.
New Members’ Welcome Email
Action: Nia will send the email by Monday, 24 March (she has the member list).
Joint Event with Film Society
Unclear if they confirmed participation (possibly a "maybe").
Action: Clarify their response.
Key Actions:
Collect the banner.
Lena: Pay table fee (ASAP).
Omar: Book quiz room by 20 March.
Nia: Send welcome email by 24 March.
Follow up on film society’s commitment.
Not true: The transcript gives no hurry. Sam says "please do it when you can". The part marked: "Pay table fee (ASAP)"
Ministral 3 14B Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. No card. It did not use all three headings. It added something the transcript does not say.
Here’s a concise summary of the meeting transcript:
Society Fair Stall
A table is confirmed, but the banner’s location is unknown—someone needs to collect it.
Lena (treasurer) will pay the table fee but hasn’t confirmed the deadline.
Quiz Night
Omar will book a room by Thursday, 20 March.
Prizes are unclear (possibly from a shop or café); details to be resolved later.
New Members’ Welcome Email
Nia will send the email by Monday, 24 March (she has the member list).
Joint Event with Film Society
Unclear response (possibly a "yes" or "maybe"); Nia wasn’t present for their reply.
Key Actions:
Collect the banner.
Lena: Pay table fee (deadline pending).
Omar: Confirm room booking and prize details.
Nia: Send welcome email by 24 March.
Clarify Film Society’s commitment.
Not true: Omar says he will book the room. Nobody gives him the prizes. The part marked: "Omar: Confirm room booking and prize details"
Ministral 3 14B Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. No card. It did not use all three headings.
Here’s a concise summary of the meeting transcript:
Society Fair Stall
A table is confirmed, but the banner’s location is unknown—someone needs to collect it.
Lena (treasurer) will pay the table fee but needs the deadline clarified.
Quiz Night
Omar will book a room by Thursday, 20 March.
Prizes are unclear (possibly from a shop or café); details to be resolved later.
New Members’ Welcome Email
Nia will send the email by Monday, 24 March (she has the member list).
Joint Event with Film Society
Unclear response (possibly a "yes" or "maybe"); Nia wasn’t present when the reply was given.
Action Items:
Collect the banner.
Clarify the table fee deadline.
Confirm prize source.
Follow up on the film society’s response.
Transcript 2, the card we ran
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions.
Decisions
Have a table at the society fair (agreed last week).
Actions
Collect the banner. Owner: unclear. Date: unclear.
Pay the table fee. Owner: Lena. Date: unclear.
Book a room for the quiz night. Owner: Omar. Date: Thursday 20 March.
Send the new members' welcome email. Owner: Nia. Date: Monday 24 March.
Open questions
Who has the banner? Unclear.
What is the deadline for the table fee? Unclear.
Who donated the quiz night prizes, the shop or the cafe? Unclear.
Did the film society say yes or maybe to the joint event? Unclear.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. It put the film society's unclear answer under Decisions.
Decisions
Have a table at the society fair (agreed last week).
Joint event with the film society: unclear (they may have said yes or maybe).
Actions
Collect the banner: owner unclear, date unclear.
Pay the table fee: Lena, date unclear.
Book a room for the quiz night: Omar, Thursday 20 March.
Send the new members' welcome email: Nia, Monday 24 March.
Open questions
Who has the banner, and who will bring it to the fair?
What is the deadline for the table fee?
Who donated the quiz prizes, the shop or the cafe?
Did the film society say yes or maybe to the joint event?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Claude Sonnet 5.5. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions.
Decisions
Have a table at the society fair (agreed last week).
Actions
Collect the banner. Owner: unclear. Date: unclear.
Pay the table fee. Owner: Lena. Date: unclear ("when you can").
Book a room for the quiz night. Owner: Omar. Date: Thursday 20 March.
Send the new members' welcome email. Owner: Nia. Date: Monday 24 March.
Open questions
Who has the banner, and who will collect it?
What is the deadline for the table fee?
Who donated the quiz prizes, the shop or the cafe?
Did the film society say yes or maybe to the joint event? (unclear)
Ministral 3 14B Run 1 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. It put the prizes, an unsettled item, under Decisions.
Decisions
Society fair stall: Confirm table booking (agreed last week).
Quiz night: Book a room (Omar).
Quiz night prizes: Clarify source (unclear).
New members' welcome email: Send by Monday 24 March (Nia).
Actions
Collect society fair banner: unclear (owner) – unclear (date).
Pay society fair table fee: Lena – unclear (date).
Book quiz night room: Omar – Thursday 20 March.
Send new members' welcome email: Nia – Monday 24 March.
Open Questions
Who has the society fair banner?
What is the deadline for paying the society fair table fee?
Source of quiz night prizes (shop or café)?
Confirmation of joint event with film society (yes/maybe/unclear).
Ministral 3 14B Run 2 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. It put the prizes, an unsettled item, under Decisions.
Decisions
Society fair stall: Confirm table booking (agreed last week).
Quiz night: Book a room (Omar).
Quiz night prizes: Clarify source (shop or café).
Actions
Collect society fair banner – unclear owner – unclear date
Pay table fee – Lena – unclear date
Book quiz night room – Omar – Thursday 20 March
Send new members' welcome email – Nia – Monday 24 March
Open Questions
Who has the society fair banner?
What is the deadline for paying the table fee?
Source of quiz night prizes (shop or café).
Confirmation of joint event with film society (yes/maybe/unclear).
Ministral 3 14B Run 3 Recorded 3 October 2026
Ministral 3 14B. Card. Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. It put the prizes, an unsettled item, under Decisions. It also added a task to clarify the film society event.
Decisions
Society fair stall: Book a table.
Quiz night: Book a room (Omar).
Quiz night: Confirm prizes (unclear source).
New members' welcome email: Send by Monday 24 March (Nia).
Actions
Collect society fair banner – unclear owner – unclear date
Pay table fee – Lena – unclear date
Book quiz night room – Omar – Thursday 20 March
Send new members' welcome email – Nia – Monday 24 March
Clarify joint event with film society – unclear owner – unclear date
Open Questions
Who has the society fair banner?
What is the deadline for paying the table fee?
Where did the quiz night prizes come from?
Did the film society confirm or say "maybe" to the joint event?
Not true: The transcript gives nobody this task. The model added it, so it was not a meeting decision. The part marked: "Clarify joint event with film society"
What the runs showed
We ran each request three times on each of two models, Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Ministral 3 14B. That is 24 runs, recorded on 3 October 2026.
With the card, every run gave three lists. They were headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions. That held for both models and both transcripts. Without the card, no run had all three headings. The layouts varied.
The card did not make the notes correct. The second transcript has gaps on purpose. Some items in it were never decided. On the second transcript, four of the six card runs put an unsettled item under Decisions.
Without the card, three of the six Ministral 3 14B runs added things the transcript did not say. For example, one said a coach was booked. It was not yet booked. In the twelve card runs, we found no invented name or date.
These are 24 runs of two models on one day. They show what these runs did, not what every model does.
Shape. Claude Sonnet 5.5 without the card used one layout on the first transcript in all three runs: Decisions, Open item, then an Action items table. On the second transcript it used different headings. Ministral 3 14B without the card changed layout between runs on the first transcript: bold topics in run 1, numbered topics in runs 2 and 3.
Things added. The three Ministral 3 14B runs without the card are these. On the first transcript, run 3 wrote “Coach booked by the society”. Jonah is to book it by Friday 28 February. On the second, run 1 listed “Lena: Pay table fee (ASAP)”, and Sam had said “please do it when you can”. Run 2 listed “Omar: Confirm room booking and prize details”. Omar said he would book the room, and nobody gave him the prizes.
Sorting. On the second transcript, all three Ministral 3 14B card runs put the prizes under Decisions, and one Claude Sonnet 5.5 card run put the film society’s “unclear” answer there. Neither is a decision in the transcript.
The “unclear” rule. On the second transcript, which has gaps on purpose, all six card runs wrote “unclear”. On the first transcript, each Claude Sonnet 5.5 card run used it once, for the date to decide the April event. The Ministral 3 14B card runs did not use it there.
Dates and names. A script compared every weekday, month and date in the 12 card runs with their transcripts, and found none that the transcript lacks. The amounts, 240 and 400 euro, are in the transcript, and so is every name.
A small addition. All six runs without the card on the first transcript wrote the closing time as “7:10 pm” or “7:10 PM”. The transcript says “ten past seven”, with no am or pm. The card runs left the closing time out, as the card says “nothing else”.
The limits. The card runs differ in wording from each other. Each count is of three runs, and only two models were tried. We did not run a card with weaker parts.
A written rule is a request
A card is text. The model reads it and tries to follow it. Nothing forces it to.
Anthropic says instructions give “flexible guidance”, and code gives “reliability” (its Agent Skills page, read on 3 October 2026). So read the notes against the transcript, every time. Lesson 4.1 will cover checking an answer.
A card is also not training. Training changes a model’s own numbers, and lesson 1.7 shows how. A card is text that goes in with your request. The model itself does not change.
Lesson 5.6 will cover when to use a prompt, added documents or training.
Disclosure: PromptSage was created by Emanuel Covasa, who also created this site. It is one worked example of a prompt framework, and its paper is not yet published.
The paper states its own limits. “All prompt-level constraints are advisory, not absolute.” On tools: “Tool access denial via system prompt is a soft constraint.” And: “No system prompt provides absolute security guarantees against all possible attacks”. It also says: “Current findings are based on controlled testing rather than large-scale deployment.”
So the paper pairs its prompt rules with checks outside the prompt, such as “API-level tool filtering”. Lesson 5.3 will cover agents and tools.
The same caution applies to a card you did not write. Anthropic’s page says “a malicious Skill can direct Claude to invoke tools or execute code in ways that don’t match the Skill’s stated purpose”. That is Anthropic’s claim about its own product. Lesson 4.6 will cover when text tricks the AI.
Lesson 5.4 will cover the anatomy of a skill file. Lesson 5.6 will cover prompt, RAG or fine-tune.
Check-in
In this lesson's recording, what did every card run have in common?
Three lists headed Decisions, Actions and Open questions.
Yes. All twelve card runs had them, for both models and both transcripts.
The same words, run after run.
Not this one. The card runs used different words from run to run. Only the headings matched.
Notes that were correct.
Not this one. On the second transcript, some card runs put an unsettled item under Decisions.
Notes shorter than any run without the card.
Not this one. Some card runs were longer than some runs without the card.
A card says "never invent a name or a date". What does that rule do?
It asks the model to follow it. The model can still get it wrong, so check the notes.
Yes. A written rule is a request. Anthropic says instructions give flexible guidance, not reliability.
It stops the model from ever inventing one.
Not this one. In our twelve card runs none broke it, but that is a small test. A written rule is a request.
It changes the model's own numbers.
Not this one. Training does that (lesson 1.7). A card is only text that goes in with the request.
Opinion. The rest of this lesson is sourced fact; this part is one person's view.
I say "a skill is an SOP for an AI". SOP means standard operating procedure: written steps for doing a job the same way every time. Workplaces run on them.
Good ones hold more than steps. They say what must never happen, and why. That part matters most to me. When do the rules go in? At the start.
Ethics added at the end is paint on a cracked wall. It looks fine and it holds nothing. So when I write a skill, the limits go in first. What it may do. What it must not do. Who checks the result. Ethics is the foundation. The steps are built on top of it.
PromptSage V2, a prompt framework by Emanuel Covasa (written up as a paper, not yet published, 2026) (not published) (All rights reserved, cited with credit)
Glossary
skill card
Our name for a short written procedure for an AI. It has a purpose, steps, rules and a format.
transcript
A written record of what people said in a meeting.
run
One recorded answer to one request.
XML tag
A label in angle brackets. A start tag and an end tag mark a piece of text.
Where next
A free guide from April 2007, as a PDF. No login is needed. It is on a different website. It is a guide to quality systems, so some of its examples are technical. Section 1.1 explains what an SOP is.
