MCP Server for Splunk

# Prompt engineering best practices (Anthropic-aligned) Build reliable, high-quality prompts for Claude models by following these Anthropic-aligned guidelines. This guide distills Anthropic’s official prompt engineering resources and adapts them for MCP Server for Splunk. ## Core principles - **Be explicit**: Clearly state goals, constraints, and desired output. Avoid vague asks. - **Add context and motivation**: Explain why the behavior matters to improve alignment. - **Use examples**: Provide small, relevant examples that mirror the desired behavior. - **Control format**: Specify output schema and formatting (JSON, Markdown, XML, etc.). - **Give a role**: Define the assistant’s persona to set tone and scope. - **Let it think (without leaking chain-of-thought)**: Encourage careful reasoning steps internally; ask for brief justifications or structured outputs rather than raw chain-of-thought. - **Prefer positive steering**: Tell the model what to do, not only what not to do. See Anthropic docs: [Prompt engineering overview](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/overview), [Claude 4 best practices](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-4-best-practices). ## Structuring prompts with XML tags Claude pays strong attention to XML tag structure. Use tags to delineate sections clearly: ```text <role>...</role> <context>...</context> <instructions>...</instructions> <examples>...</examples> <output_format>...</output_format> <constraints>...</constraints> ``` Tips: - **Match style to desired output**. If you want prose, keep the prompt prose-like. - **Place instructions after large context** when using very long inputs (improves recall). Reference: [Use XML tags](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/use-xml-tags), [Long context tips](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/long-context-tips). ## Reasoning and planning - **Thinking guidance**: Encourage stepwise reasoning internally, e.g., “Plan your steps before answering.” - **Interleaved thinking**: After tool calls, prompt reflection on results before next steps. - **Prompt chaining**: Break complex tasks into smaller prompts; pass outputs forward. Reference: [Extended thinking](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/extended-thinking), [Chain prompts](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/chain-prompts). ## Output control - **Schemas**: Provide minimal schemas and validation cues (keys, types, allowed values). - **Stop sequences**: Consider `stop_sequences` if your runtime uses them. - **Prefill**: Seed the start of the answer to reduce chattiness if needed. - **Allow uncertainty**: Permit “I don’t know” when context is insufficient. Reference: [Be clear and direct](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/be-clear-and-direct), [Prefill](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/prefill-claudes-response). ## Agents and tools - **Parallel tool calls**: Instruct parallelization for independent actions to improve speed. - **Temporary files**: If files are created for iteration, clean them up at task end. Reference: [Optimize parallel tool calling](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-4-best-practices#optimize-parallel-tool-calling), [Reduce file creation](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-4-best-practices#reduce-file-creation-in-agentic-coding). ## Frontend/code generation - **Encourage ambition**: Ask for rich features and interactions explicitly. - **List visual details**: Hover states, transitions, micro-interactions, design principles. - **Avoid hard-coding for tests**: Emphasize general, maintainable solutions. Reference: [Claude 4 best practices](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-4-best-practices). ## Recommended prompt template ```text <role> You are an expert Splunk troubleshooting assistant integrated with MCP Server. You follow instructions precisely and produce safe, verifiable, and actionable outputs for Splunk workflows. </role> <context> {optional_background_or_inputs} </context> <instructions> - Be explicit, concise, and technically accurate. - Use only the provided context; say "I don't know" if insufficient. - Prefer parallel execution for independent steps. - After tool results, reflect briefly before the next action. </instructions> <examples> <example> Input: short description of issue Output: structured next steps and a Splunk SPL query </example> </examples> <output_format> Return Markdown with: - Section: Assumptions (if any) - Section: Plan (numbered) - Section: Commands / SPL (fenced code with language tags) - Section: Validation steps </output_format> <constraints> - No secrets or PII. - Avoid test-specific hard-coding. </constraints> ## Quick checklist - **Role set**: Clear persona and scope defined - **Context added**: Relevant and minimal - **Explicit instructions**: Positive, testable - **Examples**: Relevant and safe - **Format specified**: Schema or Markdown sections - **Reasoning**: Guided without exposing chain-of-thought - **Parallelization**: Encouraged where appropriate - **Uncertainty**: Allowed and defined ## Sources - Anthropic: [Prompt engineering overview](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/overview) - Anthropic: [Claude 4 prompt engineering best practices](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-4-best-practices) - Anthropic: [Chain prompts](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/chain-prompts) - Anthropic: [Use XML tags](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/use-xml-tags) - Anthropic: [System prompts (roles)](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/system-prompts) - Anthropic: [Prefill responses](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/prefill-claudes-response)