Agents

Specificity Guide

04/20/2026

Good vs. bad prompts

The difference between a prompt that works and one that doesn’t is specificity. If ten traders could interpret your prompt ten different ways, it’s too vague.

[X] Weak

Buy some tech stocks when they dip

[/] Strong

If QQQ drops 3% in a single week, buy $5,000 at the next market open. Set a 5% stop-loss.

WHY: Specific ticker, specific threshold, dollar amount, timing, and risk management.

[X] Weak

Sell my stocks if the market crashes

[/] Strong

If SPY drops more than 7% from its 52-week high, sell 50% of all equity positions over 2 trading days.

WHY: Defined crash (7% drawdown), partial exit (50%), execution timeline (2 days).

[X] Weak

Buy the dip on Apple

[/] Strong

If AAPL drops 5% or more in a single day on volume 2x its 20-day average, buy $4,000 at the close.

WHY: Specific dip size, volume confirmation, dollar amount, and timing.

[X] Weak

Hedge my portfolio

[/] Strong

If VIX exceeds 25, buy SPY puts at 0.30 delta expiring in 45 days, spending up to 1% of portfolio value.

WHY: Defined trigger, specific instrument, delta, expiration, and budget constraint.

[X] Weak

Do some covered calls

[/] Strong

Sell monthly covered calls on my AAPL shares at 0.25 delta, targeting $2,500/month. Roll 7 days before expiration if ITM.

WHY: Specific underlying, delta target, income goal, roll timing, and roll condition.

[X] Weak

Rebalance my portfolio

[/] Strong

Rebalance to 60% VOO, 25% BND, 15% GLD on the first trading day of each month. Only rebalance if any allocation drifts more than 5% from target.

WHY: Specific targets, specific assets, schedule, and drift threshold.

Real-world prompt templates

15 battle-tested templates across 7 categories. Replace the bracketed values with your own tickers, amounts, and thresholds.

Copy and customize

Income generation

Covered call machine

Sell monthly covered calls on my [TICKER] at 0.25 delta targeting $[X]/month in premium. Roll 7 days before expiration if ITM.

Cash-secured puts

Sell weekly cash-secured puts on [TICKER] at 0.20 delta. If assigned, hold shares and switch to covered calls.

Wheel strategy

Sell cash-secured puts on [TICKER] at 0.20 delta. If assigned, sell covered calls at 0.30 delta. Repeat.

Cash management

Cash sweep

Sweep any cash over $[X] into my bond account. Check daily at market close.

Deposit + buy

Deposit $[X] from my bank account. Once settled, buy $[X] of [TICKER] at limit $[PRICE].

Divident reinvest

Whenever a dividend is received exceeding $100, reinvest into the same stock. If under $100, sweep to bonds.

Risk management

Volatility Hedge

"If VIX exceeds 25, buy SPY puts at 0.30 delta, 45 DTE, up to 1% of portfolio. Remove when VIX drops below 18."

Concentration Guard

"If any single position exceeds 10% of my portfolio, trim to 8% over 3 trading days."

Order-based strategies

OCO (One-Cancels-Other)

"Buy [TICKER] at limit $[PRICE]. When filled, place a limit sell [X]% above and a stop-loss [X]% below."

Pick One of Two:

"Place a limit buy on [TICKER] at $[PRICE] and [TICKER2] at $[PRICE]. If one fills, cancel the other."

Dip buying

Index Dip Buy:

"If QQQ drops 3%+ in a single week, buy $5,000 at Monday open. Set 5% stop-loss."

Technical Dip Buy:

"If [TICKER] RSI drops below 30 and price is above its 200-day SMA, buy $[X]. Stop-loss at 2x ATR."

Macro/Event-driven

Rate Cut Rotation:

"When the Fed cuts rates, rotate $10K from TLT into QQQ over 3 days in equal tranches."

CPI Trade:

"If CPI comes in above 4%, sell $5K of consumer discretionary. If below 2.5%, buy $5K of growth."

Sector rotation

Defensive Shift:

"If SPY drops below its 200-day SMA, rotate 30% of equity into XLU and XLP over 5 days.