# Agent Recovery Checklist Prompt

> A reusable prompt that turns a failed or half-finished agent task into a step-by-step recovery checklist, separating verified from unverified results.

## Install

Copy the content below into your project:

# Agent Recovery Checklist Prompt

A reusable prompt that turns a failed or half-finished agent task into a step-by-step recovery checklist, separating verified from unverified results.

## Start here

Paste this prompt into any ordinary AI chat that accepts text. Below the prompt, paste the five input blocks it asks for: the original task and success condition, the step-by-step tool log, whatever partial output exists, your constraints, and the blast radius (anything already sent, saved, or scheduled).

You do not need a terminal, an API key, or any account connection. The assistant only organizes what you paste; it cannot access your tools or retry anything.

After it replies, check two things before acting: every item under its verified list is something you personally opened or saw, and every retry step has a pass/fail check you can actually run.

## What this prompt does

Agent tasks often fail halfway: a tool times out, a file comes back empty, or output looks complete but was never checked. This prompt forces a structured recovery plan instead of a vague suggestion to try again. It sorts the failure into one of a few types, splits results into verified and unverified, flags possible side effects, and gives each retry a precondition and a simple check. It also states when to stop rather than loop.

## Before you paste

- Gather the real failure text where you have it, not a paraphrase, since vague input produces vague classification.
- Decide what must not be re-sent or re-run, because duplicate actions are the biggest risk here.
- Note any deadline, since it changes whether recovery or a manual redo is worth it.

## Permissions and limitations

- The prompt claims no tool, account, or file access and performs no retries, sends, or scheduling.
- It is a planning aid for general tasks; it does not give legal, medical, or financial advice.
- Anything you have not checked yourself is labeled unverified by design. Do not treat that as a guarantee it is wrong, only as unchecked.
- If the task is small enough to redo safely, the prompt says so rather than building an elaborate plan.
- Source reviewed; runtime not tested.

## Privacy

Your tool log and partial output may contain names, customer data, or file contents. Paste only what the assistant needs to plan, and consider removing secrets, credentials, and personal details first.

## FAQ

**What if I do not have a full step log?**
Say so in the inputs. The prompt should mark unclear failures and ask for the one or two facts that would settle the classification instead of inventing logs.

**A retry step looks safe but might duplicate a sent message. What then?**
Treat it as risky and confirm manually first. Duplicate sends are the main reason the prompt insists on a side-effect check before the checklist is executed.

## Attribution

Original TokRepo prompt, licensed CC BY 4.0. Reference context: [ChatGPT release notes](<https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes>), reviewed 2026-10-04; these templates do not depend on a specific announced feature.

## Complete reusable prompt

You are helping me recover an Agent task that has partially failed. I will paste the details; you will produce a recovery checklist. You do not have access to my tools, accounts, or files, and you cannot retry anything yourself. You only organize what I give you into a plan I can execute manually.

INPUTS I WILL PASTE
1. Original task: what I asked the agent to do, and the success condition.
2. Tool/step log: each step, the tool used, and its result (success, error, timeout, or partial output).
3. Partial results: any output produced so far, even if incomplete or unverified.
4. Constraints: deadline, permission limits, anything that must not be redone or re-sent.
5. Blast radius: whether anything was already written, sent, scheduled, or changed outside my review.

WHAT TO DO
- Classify the failure: tool error, timeout, bad or empty input, permission denial, output that is partial but plausible, or unclear.
- Separate verified from unverified partial results. Mark anything I have not personally checked as unverified.
- Build a step-by-step recovery checklist: what to inspect, what to retry, what to redo from scratch, and what to discard.
- For each retry step, state the preconditions and a simple pass/fail check I can run before moving on.
- Flag side effects that may already exist (sent message, saved file, scheduled item) and what to verify or undo manually.
- State clear stopping conditions: when to abandon, escalate, or ask a human instead of retrying.

OUTPUT FORMAT
Return Markdown with these sections:
1. Failure Classification - one line, plus confidence (high/medium/low) and why.
2. Verified vs Unverified Results - two short lists.
3. Side-Effect Check - items I must confirm or undo before anything else.
4. Recovery Checklist - numbered steps, each with precondition and pass/fail check.
5. Stop and Escalate Rules - when not to retry.
6. Open Questions - facts I must supply before the checklist is complete.

UNCERTAINTY AND MISSING INPUT
- If the failure type is unclear, say so and list the one or two facts that would settle it.
- If partial results cannot be verified from what I gave you, label them unverified. Never assume an unseen output is correct.
- If a retry could duplicate an action, mark it as risky and require my confirmation first.
- Do not fill gaps with invented tool behavior or invented logs. Ask instead.

REVIEW CHECKS BEFORE ACTING
- Confirm every verified item was actually seen by me, not just reported as success.
- Confirm no step re-sends, re-posts, or re-schedules something that may already exist.
- Confirm each retry has a pass/fail check, not just an instruction.
- Confirm stopping conditions are stated for every retry loop.

BOUNDARIES
- You prepare a checklist only. You do not perform retries, send messages, schedule work, or access accounts.
- Do not give legal, medical, or financial advice; if the task touches those areas, tell me to consult a qualified person.
- If the task is trivial enough to redo from scratch safely, say so briefly instead of over-engineering recovery.

WORKED EXAMPLE (fictional, for shape only)
Original task: download 12 invoice PDFs and compile a totals table. Tool log: 9 succeeded, 3 returned timeouts, 1 returned a file with 0 bytes. Partial result: a table with 9 rows and one blank. Blast radius: nothing sent or saved externally.
Expected output shape: classification = tool timeout plus one empty file, confidence medium; verified = 9 PDFs I opened; unverified = the totals table; side-effect check = none; checklist = re-open the 0-byte file, re-run the 3 timeouts one at a time with a size check over 1 KB, rebuild the table after all 12 exist; stop rule = abandon if a second timeout yields the same empty file; open question = did the source list change.


## References and reuse

- [ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes) · Reviewed 2026-10-04

Original TokRepo prompt · [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Reference documents retain their own rights.

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# Agent 任务恢复清单提示词

一段可复用的提示词，把一个失败或只完成一半的 Agent 任务整理成分步恢复清单，并区分已核实结果与未核实结果。

## 开始使用

把这段提示词粘贴到任何可以接收文本的普通 AI 聊天窗口里。在提示词下方，粘贴它要求的五块输入：原始任务与成功标准、逐步工具日志、已有的部分结果、你的限制条件，以及影响范围（已经发送、保存或排期的内容）。

你不需要终端、API 密钥，也不需要连接任何账号。助手只负责整理你粘贴的内容，无法访问你的工具，也不能替你重试。

收到回复后，先检查两件事再行动：它列出的“已核实”项目必须是你本人打开或亲眼看到过的；每个重试步骤都要有一个你真正能执行的通过／失败检查。

## 这段提示词做什么

Agent 任务经常半途失败：工具超时、文件返回为空，或者输出看起来完整但从未被检查。这段提示词要求给出结构化的恢复方案，而不是笼统地说“再试一次”。它把失败归类，把结果分为已核实与未核实，标出可能的副作用，并给每个重试步骤配上前置条件和简单检查，同时说明何时应该停止而不是反复重试。

## 粘贴前的准备

- 尽量附上真实的报错原文，而不是复述，因为模糊输入会得到模糊分类。
- 想清楚哪些内容不能再发一次、不能再跑一次，重复操作是这里最大的风险。
- 记下截止时间，它决定恢复是否值得，还是手工重做更划算。

## 权限与局限

- 这段提示词不声称能访问任何工具、账号或文件，也不执行重试、发送或排期。
- 它是通用任务规划辅助，不提供法律、医疗或财务建议。
- 你没亲自确认过的内容会被标为未核实，这只是表示未经检查，并不等于它一定错误。
- 如果任务小到可以安全重做，提示词会直接这样说，而不是过度设计恢复流程。
- 已审阅来源；未做运行测试。

## 隐私

你的工具日志和部分结果可能包含姓名、客户数据或文件内容。只粘贴助手规划所必需的信息，并考虑先删除密钥、凭据和个人信息。

## 常见问题

**我没有完整的分步日志怎么办？**
在输入里说明即可。提示词应把失败标记为不明确，并询问能确定分类的一两个关键事实，而不是编造日志。

**某个重试步骤看起来安全，但可能重复发送一条消息，怎么办？**
把它视为有风险，先手动确认。重复发送正是提示词坚持在执行清单前做副作用检查的原因。

## 来源说明

TokRepo 原创提示词，采用 CC BY 4.0 许可。参考背景：[ChatGPT release notes](<https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes>)，审阅于 2026-10-04；这些模板不依赖某个特定新发布的功能。

## 完整可复制提示词

你正在帮助我恢复一个部分失败的 Agent 任务。我会粘贴详细信息；你将生成一份恢复检查清单。你无法访问我的工具、账号或文件，也不能自己重试任何内容。你只能把我给你的内容整理成一份我可以手动执行的计划。

我将粘贴的输入
1. 原始任务：我让 agent 做什么，以及成功标准。
2. 工具／步骤日志：每一步、使用的工具及其结果（成功、错误、超时或部分输出）。
3. 部分结果：目前已产生的任何输出，即使不完整或未核实。
4. 限制条件：截止时间、权限限制、任何不能重做或重发的内容。
5. 影响范围：是否有任何内容已经在我审阅之外被写入、发送、排期或更改。

要做什么
- 对失败分类：工具错误、超时、输入错误或为空、权限被拒、输出部分但看似合理，或不明确。
- 把部分结果分为已核实与未核实。凡是我没有亲自确认过的内容，都标为未核实。
- 建立一份逐步恢复检查清单：要检查什么、要重试什么、要从头重做什么、要丢弃什么。
- 对每个重试步骤，说明前置条件，以及一个我可以在继续前执行的简单通过／失败检查。
- 标出可能已经存在的副作用（已发送的消息、已保存的文件、已排期的项目），以及需要手动核实或撤销的内容。
- 说明明确的停止条件：何时应放弃、升级或询问真人，而不是继续重试。

输出格式
返回 Markdown，包含以下章节：
1. 失败分类——一行，加上置信度（高／中／低）及原因。
2. 已核实与未核实结果——两个简短列表。
3. 副作用检查——在做任何其他事情之前，我必须确认或撤销的项目。
4. 恢复检查清单——编号步骤，每步都带前置条件和通过／失败检查。
5. 停止与升级规则——何时不应重试。
6. 未决问题——在检查清单完成前我必须补充的事实。

不确定性与缺失输入
- 如果失败类型不明确，就说明这一点，并列出能确定它的一两个关键事实。
- 如果根据我给的内容无法核实部分结果，就将其标为未核实。绝不要假设一个未见过的输出是正确的。
- 如果某个重试可能导致重复操作，就标为有风险，并要求我先确认。
- 不要用编造的工具行为或编造的日志来填补空白。应当提问。

行动前的审阅检查
- 确认每个已核实项目都是我本人实际看到的，而不只是被报告为成功。
- 确认没有任何步骤会重新发送、重新发布或重新排期可能已经存在的内容。
- 确认每个重试都有一个通过／失败检查，而不只是一条指令。
- 确认每个重试循环都说明了停止条件。

边界
- 你只准备检查清单。你不执行重试、不发送消息、不排期工作，也不访问账号。
- 不要提供法律、医疗或财务建议；如果任务涉及这些领域，请告诉我咨询合格人员。
- 如果任务小到可以从头安全重做，就简短说明这一点，不要过度设计恢复方案。

示例（虚构，仅示意形式）
原始任务：下载 12 份发票 PDF 并汇总一张总计表。工具日志：9 个成功，3 个返回超时，1 个返回 0 字节的文件。部分结果：一张有 9 行和一处空白的表。影响范围：没有对外发送或保存任何内容。
预期输出形态：分类 = 工具超时加一个空文件，置信度中；已核实 = 我打开的 9 份 PDF；未核实 = 总计表；副作用检查 = 无；检查清单 = 重新打开 0 字节文件，逐个重跑 3 个超时并检查大小超过 1 KB，等 12 份都存在后重建表；停止规则 = 如果第二次超时仍产生同一个空文件就放弃；未决问题 = 源列表是否发生了变化。

## 参考资料与复用

- [ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes) · Reviewed 2026-10-04

TokRepo 原创提示词 · [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)。参考资料保留各自原有权利。

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/agent-recovery-checklist-prompt-8b0cb9a5
Author: Prompt Lab