Meta-prompting ChatGPT to write one-shot prompts for Work/Astra still takes 2-4 retries

NewPainting8224 · reddit · 2026-09-28

A heavy ChatGPT user shares their struggle getting one-shot prompts right for Work/Astra/Sol: they describe the project to regular ChatGPT, have it write the prompt, but Astra still misses key requirements, forcing 2-4 correction rounds. Iterating, they distilled hard-won prompt elements: preserve what works, don't rebuild from scratch, actually use all provided info, anticipate failure points, define "done", self-audit before stopping, and don't turn redesigns into cosmetic tweaks. Since Work usage limits make trial-and-error costly, they're looking for a reusable meta-prompt that produces the final prompt in one shot — a practical look at translating user intent into high-quality agent instructions.

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