🏴‍☠️ Stop Prompting Like It’s GPT-4

Less Prompting, More Restraint

Author

Captain YAR
December 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

You are likely prompting the newest AI models completely wrong because you are stuck in 2023 habits.

We spent years learning how to coax intelligence out of chatbots, but the game has shifted with the latest iterations. In a LinkedIn post, an AI professional has been stress-testing what he calls “GPT-5.2,” and his take flips standard prompt engineering on its head. The lesson: our job is less about pushing models harder and more about holding them back.

That is a massive mindset shift for anyone working with Generative AI.

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The Shift from Activation to Restraint
Newer, high-reasoning models can be too helpful. In the GPT-3.5 and early GPT-4 days, you had to be prescriptive—break tasks down and ask for step-by-step thinking—to avoid shallow or hallucinated output. Now the dynamic can invert: like over-eager, genius interns, they add explanations, alternatives, and stylistic flourishes you didn’t ask for.

The author argues the new “prompt engineering” is constraint, not activation. If you don’t set hard boundaries, capability becomes friction instead of leverage. You’re steering a Ferrari already at speed, not trying to start an engine.

Managing the “Over-Helpful” AI
His approach centers on precision, role clarity, and deliberately managing “thinking” features. The goal is to get exactly what you need, not a helpful essay.

Explicitly Define What NOT To Do
Negative constraints matter more than ever. Smarter models assume intent and fill gaps with extra fluff that can ruin user experience or utility. Use blunt commands like “No extras,” “No embellishments,” or “Code only,” and trade “thoroughness” for “exactness.”

Outcome Over Process
Long play-by-play instructions can be counterproductive for high-reasoning models. They already infer the logical steps, and forcing a rigid process can block better reasoning paths. Define the success state instead: audience, deliverable, and what “done” means.

For example, rather than dictating an email line by line, specify: “Success is convincing [Audience] to sign up for [Webinar].” Let the model choose the best route to that target.

Precision in Length and Logic
Vague adjectives like “short” or “detailed” are risky. Replace them with hard caps such as “Max 3 sentences” or “5 bullet points exactly” to force information density. Also, toggle “Thinking Mode” or “Extended Thinking” only when the task warrants it, and add a default like: “If unclear, choose the simpler option.”

The Nuance of Adaptation
The hardest part is muscle memory from 2023-style prompting: long preambles and heavy micromanagement. You need to trust the model’s reasoning while aggressively gatekeeping format and verbosity. That balance is the new skill.

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Credits Ruben Hassid

Captain YAR’s Curated Toolkit
Based on the creator’s rules, here is a prompt structure for next-gen models.

The “New Era” System Prompt

Role: You are [Expert Role]. If instructions are mixed or unclear, default to the simpler choice.



Constraint: Do exactly what I ask. No extras. No embellishments. Do not add conversational filler.



Output: Adhere to strict length limits. If I say “short,” I mean 3–5 sentences.



Goal: Focus on goal completion. I will consider this successful when you [Target Outcome] for [Audience].

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Quick Tips from the Expert

  • Toggle thinking: For logic puzzles or code, explicitly request “Extended Thinking” mode.

  • Hard caps: Never use relative size words; always use integers (e.g., “Max 2 bullets”).

  • Stop the chat: If the model starts explaining itself, interrupt and reiterate: “No explanation. Output only.”

I highly recommend reading the full breakdown to see the specific examples the author tested. It is a brilliant look at where prompt engineering is heading next.