Long threads often break because the model forgets earlier turns or you paste the same wall of text again. These habits help in most products.
1. Set boundaries before materials
First line: role (“you are a copy editor”), output shape (bullets/table), hard no’s (“no medical diagnoses”). Paste the long doc after. Clear constraints up front reduce drift.
2. Use short recap blocks instead of full repastes
Every 5–8 turns, three sentences on facts you already agree on, then the new question. Cheaper than copying turn one every time and reduces noisy old instructions.
3. Stable names for entities
Keep one spelling for teams, products, and version numbers. Mixed aliases can split “attention” and create inconsistency.
4. New session per new mission
Outline in one thread, paragraph expansion in another—carry only outline + current paragraph spec. Cleaner than one mega-thread for everything.
5. For code: minimal repro
Include environment, dependency versions, smallest runnable snippet, expected vs actual. One complete package beats ten rounds of guessing.
No perfect template—clear structure + less blind repaste usually beats stacking adjectives.