PromptHow you ask
The words you use. Ask clearly, say what kind of answer you want, and show an example to copy. Same AI, far better answer.
Like briefing a sharp new hire. The clearer the ask, the better the work you get back.
Skip itVague asks get vague answers, shaped nothing like what you pictured.
ContextWhat it can reach
What the AI can see and get to. The facts and files you put in front of it, plus which tools and data you let it use. It can only work with what it can actually reach.
Like the difference between asking someone cold and handing them the file and the keys first.
Skip itIt fills the gaps by guessing. The question was fine, the facts were missing.
HarnessEverything around it
The system built around the AI that makes it actually work. It runs the tools, checks the results, keeps things safe and on track, and hands off work to helpers. Not the AI, and not the tools, but the machinery that drives them.
Like the office around a new hire: the power, the printer that really prints, the safety rules, and the manager checking the work.
Skip itGood ideas that never safely turn into real actions.
LoopKeeps it going on its own
The outer cycle that lets the AI keep working on its own, turn after turn, on a schedule or until the job is done. It picks the next step, checks its own work, and stops when the goal is met.
Like the difference between someone who nails one task and a teammate who owns the whole job, week after week.
Skip itGreat demos that never turn into something you can rely on.
How they stack
Each layer only works if the one inside it does. A loop is useless if the machinery is broken. The machinery is useless if the AI can’t reach the right facts. And none of it matters if you asked the wrong thing. So start in the middle and build your way out.