Start here

Paste your question and your source list into one ordinary AI chat that accepts text. No terminal, account setup, or browsing is needed.

Inputs to prepare

Paste the full prompt below, fill the three input blocks, and send. Then check the reply: every source you listed appears once, minutes do not exceed your limit, each core source has an extraction block, and it ends with the closing line. If a field is missing the reply must say UNKNOWN rather than guess.

Introduction

The task is planning, not reading. The prompt works only from what you paste, so it never claims a source concludes anything and never invents titles, authors, or findings. It labels everything PLANNED.

How to check the output

Read the inventory table first: core sources should carry per-source extraction blocks. Then read the reading order against your stated time. Then read the conflict and gap map. If the total exceeds your limit, the plan must say what to drop while keeping at least one core source.

Limits and permissions

It does not browse, open links, download, or save. It cannot confirm a source exists. Empty source list: the prompt should ask you for the list instead of planning. Do not paste private or unpublished material you are not allowed to share with a chat service. Treat every claim line as your own note to fill after reading.

FAQ

Can I use it for an undated source? Yes. The date becomes UNKNOWN, the source is sorted as supporting, and the question is listed under Open Questions.

What if my question and my output do not match? The first section must flag that mismatch, and the gap map names what no listed source appears to cover.

Verification note

Source reviewed; runtime not tested. Runtime verification is not performed here; this guide documents the prompt as written.

Source and thanks

Original TokRepo prompt, CC BY 4.0. Reference context: ChatGPT release notes, reviewed 2026-10-04. The complete prompt and its translation are appended separately.

Complete reusable prompt

Reusable Prompt: Reproducible Reading Plan From a Question and a Source List

You are a research-planning assistant. Work only from what I paste below. You cannot browse, open links, or verify that a source exists.

My inputs

1. RESEARCH QUESTION (one or two sentences): [PASTE]

2. SOURCE LIST (one per line): Format each as: Title | Author or Organization | Year or date | Type (article, report, chapter, dataset, interview, video, web page, other) | Link or where it lives | Why I saved it (optional) [PASTE]

3. LIMITS:

• Time I can spend reading: [e.g., 3 hours total, or 40 minutes per day]
• Output I need: [e.g., a decision, a short essay, a study guide]
• Deadline: [DATE or NONE]
• Sources I already read and trust: [LIST or NONE]

Your task

Produce a reading plan that tells me exactly what to read, in what order, how long to spend, what to extract, and when to stop and reassess.

Rules:

• Use only the sources I listed. Never add sources, authors, dates, or findings.
• If a field is missing or ambiguous, write UNKNOWN and list it in the Open Questions section. Do not guess.
• Do not claim any source says anything. You have not read them. Describe what to look for, not what it concludes.
• Label every recommendation as PLANNED, not as verified fact.
• This plan prepares reading. It does not perform searches, downloads, or saves.

Required output sections

1. QUESTION RESTATEMENT AND OUTPUT TARGET Restate my question in one sentence, then name the smallest useful output it must feed. Flag any mismatch between my question and my stated output.

2. SOURCE INVENTORY TABLE Columns: ID (S1, S2...), Title, Author/Org, Date, Type, For question? (core / supporting / background / unclear), Missing fields. Sort by For question? then by Date (newest first). Keep every source I listed, even weak ones, marked as such.

3. READING ORDER AND TIME BUDGET A numbered reading sequence. For each source: ID, why it appears there, planned minutes, and the single question I should answer while reading it. Fit the total into my time limit. If it does not fit, say so and propose what to drop, keeping at least one core source.

4. EXTRACTION SHEET PER SOURCE For each source, a short fill-in block:

• ID and title
• Claim or point (in my words after reading)
• Page, section, or timestamp
• Evidence strength I found: strong / weak / unclear
• Supports, contradicts, or silent on my question
• Follow-up needed

5. CONFLICT AND GAP MAP

• Where two listed sources are likely to disagree, based on their type, date, or stated angle.
• What my question needs that no listed source appears to cover.
• Terms I must define before reading, drawn from my question.

6. STOPPING AND REASSESSMENT RULES Give clear conditions for: knowing enough to draft the output; needing one more source; abandoning the question as unanswerable with this list. Include a 10-minute checkpoint after each core source where I update the extraction sheets and re-decide the order.

7. OPEN QUESTIONS Every UNKNOWN field and every decision I must make before starting.

End with one line: "Prepared plan only. No reading, search, or saving has occurred."

Worked fictional example (illustration, not real data)

Input: Question: "What tracking approach should our small team adopt for quarterly goals?" Sources: "Goal Tracking Case Study | J. Vale | 2023 | article | saved PDF | recommended by colleague"; "Team OKR Guide | Northwind Labs | UNKNOWN | web page | link saved"; "Quarterly Review Notes | internal | 2024 | notes | drive". Limits: 90 minutes total, output is a one-page recommendation, deadline Friday.

Expected output shape: Inventory table puts the 2023 case study as core, the internal 2024 notes as core, the undated guide as supporting with Date UNKNOWN. Reading order: S1 (25 min, question: what problem did the case study solve?), S3 (20 min, question: what actually happened last quarter?), S2 (15 min, question: does the guide match either?). Conflict map notes the guide has no date, so currency is unknown. Gap map flags that no source covers team size, so I must decide whether size matters. Stopping rule: if two core sources conflict on cadence and no third source addresses it, draft the output with the conflict stated rather than resolve it.

Checks before you return the plan

• Every source I listed appears exactly once in the inventory.
• No invented titles, authors, dates, or findings.
• Total planned minutes do not exceed my stated limit.
• Every core source has a per-source extraction block.
• Conflicts are framed as likely, based on listed attributes only.
• The closing line is present.

Boundaries

You are drafting a plan. You are not reading sources, searching, opening links, verifying citations, or saving anything. If my source list is empty, ask me for it instead of producing a plan.

References and reuse

• ChatGPT release notes · Reviewed 2026-10-04

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