Turn Confusing Instructions Into a Numbered Checklist

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This is an original reusable prompt for turning a confusing instruction, paragraph, or procedure into a numbered checklist a person can follow top to bottom. Nothing is installed and no technical setup is needed.

What to paste, and where: open an ordinary AI chat that accepts text. Paste the complete prompt (appended below) into the chat box, then add your own inputs after it:

• SOURCE TEXT: the confusing instruction or message.
• AUDIENCE: who will use the checklist.
• PURPOSE: the single outcome the reader should reach.
• KNOWN CONSTRAINTS (optional): e.g. "must fit on one page".

How to check the output: the reply should contain exactly the sections TITLE, WHO THIS IS FOR, BEFORE YOU START, CHECKLIST, DONE WHEN, GAPS I COULD NOT FILL, QUESTIONS TO CONFIRM BEFORE USE, in that order. Each numbered step should trace back to a sentence in your source, conditions should sit next to the step they affect, and anything missing should appear as [not stated in source] rather than an invented name, number, or deadline.

What it does well

• Keeps your original wording of obligations: "should" is not upgraded to "must".
• Flags contradictions instead of guessing an order.
• Produces an explicit gaps list plus up to five confirmation questions.

Limitations and permissions

• If SOURCE TEXT is missing, the prompt asks for it and stops.
• If AUDIENCE or PURPOSE is missing, it still drafts and records the assumption in the gaps list.
• It only prepares a draft for human review; it does not send, publish, file, or schedule anything, and it does not add legal, medical, or safety advice.
• For policies, contracts, or safety-critical procedures, the output carries a review notice and should be verified against the authoritative source.
• The worked example inside the prompt is fictional and exists only to show the output shape; it is not a test result.
• Privacy: paste only text you are allowed to share with the AI service you use.
• source reviewed; runtime not tested.

FAQ

Can I use it for a household rule or a classroom direction? Yes. State the audience plainly; the checklist vocabulary follows whoever you name.

What if my source has no owner or deadline for a step? The prompt writes [not stated in source] and lists it under gaps, so you can fill it in yourself.

Complete reusable prompt

You are helping me convert a confusing instruction into a numbered checklist that a person can follow top to bottom. Work only from the text I paste. Do not add steps, conditions, deadlines, or contacts that are not present or clearly implied.

INPUT I WILL PROVIDE

1. SOURCE TEXT: the original instruction, paragraph, or message that reads as confusing.
2. AUDIENCE: who will use the checklist (for example, a new employee, a volunteer, a family member, a student).
3. PURPOSE: the single outcome the reader should reach by the end.
4. KNOWN CONSTRAINTS (optional): anything the checklist must respect, such as "must fit on one page" or "reader has no prior training."

WHAT TO DO

• Read the SOURCE TEXT closely and identify: the end goal, the ordered actions, any conditions (if/when/unless), any responsible person for each action, any warnings or things to avoid, and any required inputs (forms, tools, approvals, materials).
• Rewrite it as a numbered checklist in the order the reader should actually perform the steps. If the original order is unclear or contradictory, keep the original sequence and flag the ambiguity instead of guessing.
• Each checklist item must start with a clear verb and name the actor when the source does (for example, "Submit", "Ask the supervisor to", "Check").
• Put conditions and warnings directly with the step they affect, not in a separate pile at the end.
• Keep the reader's vocabulary level appropriate to the stated AUDIENCE. Do not add motivational language.

OUTPUT FORMAT Return exactly these sections, in this order:

TITLE: one short line stating the outcome. WHO THIS IS FOR: one sentence using the AUDIENCE I gave. BEFORE YOU START: bullet list of inputs, access, or prerequisites found in the source. If none are stated, write "None stated in the source." CHECKLIST: numbered items. Use sub-bullets only for conditions ("If X, then…") or warnings tied to that step. DONE WHEN: one or two sentences describing the finished state, drawn only from the source. GAPS I COULD NOT FILL: list every place the source was silent, contradictory, or ambiguous (missing owner, missing deadline, two steps that conflict, an undefined term). If there are none, write "None found." QUESTIONS TO CONFIRM BEFORE USE: up to five short questions whose answers would remove the gaps above.

HANDLING MISSING OR UNCLEAR INPUT

• If SOURCE TEXT is missing, ask me for it and stop.
• If AUDIENCE or PURPOSE is missing, produce a best-effort checklist and list the assumption in GAPS I COULD NOT FILL.
• Never invent a name, phone number, form title, system, deadline, or approval path. Write "[not stated in source]" in its place and add it to the gaps list.

REVIEW CHECKS BEFORE YOU FINISH

1. Every numbered step traces back to a sentence in the source. Remove or flag anything that does not.
2. No step combines two unrelated actions; split them.
3. Every condition appears next to the step it modifies.
4. The order matches the source unless the source itself is contradictory, in which case the contradiction is flagged.
5. No advice, safety claim, or legal or medical statement has been added beyond what the source says.
6. The gaps list and confirm questions are honest and specific, not generic.

BOUNDARIES

• You are preparing a draft checklist for a human to review. You are not sending, publishing, filing, or scheduling anything.
• Do not soften or strengthen the original obligation ("should" must not become "must", and the reverse).
• If the source is a policy, contract, or safety-critical procedure, say plainly at the top of the output: "Draft for human review; verify against the authoritative source."

WORKED EXAMPLE (fictional, for shape only) Labeled example input: SOURCE TEXT: "Staff needing to book the community room should email the office at least three days ahead. If the room is already booked, the office will suggest another date. Setup is the requester's job. Cleanup must be finished before 9pm." AUDIENCE: volunteer group leaders PURPOSE: book and use the community room correctly

Illustrative output shape: TITLE: Community Room Booking Checklist WHO THIS IS FOR: Volunteer group leaders booking the community room. BEFORE YOU START: confirmed date; access to email; [not stated in source] for setup supplies. CHECKLIST:

1. Choose your preferred date.
2. Email the office at least three days before that date to request the room. (If the room is already booked, the office will suggest another date.)
3. [not stated in source] Confirm which date was agreed.
4. Set up the room yourself; setup is the requester's job.
5. Finish cleanup before 9pm. DONE WHEN: the room has been used and cleanup is finished before 9pm. GAPS I COULD NOT FILL: office email address not stated; no confirmation deadline; responsibility for confirming the final date unclear. QUESTIONS TO CONFIRM BEFORE USE: What is the office email? How and when will the booking be confirmed? Who confirms the final date?

Pass/fail checks tied to this example: PASS only if step 2 keeps "at least three days" exactly as written and the booking condition sits with that step; PASS only if the missing office email appears as [not stated in source] rather than an invented address; FAIL if a new step such as "post a sign" is added; FAIL if the 9pm cleanup rule is moved away from the cleanup step.

Now wait for my SOURCE TEXT, AUDIENCE, PURPOSE, and any KNOWN CONSTRAINTS.

References and reuse

• ChatGPT release notes · Reviewed 2026-10-04

Original TokRepo prompt · CC BY 4.0. Reference documents retain their own rights.