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Brief an agent to flag unused software without cancelling it

  • For Finance and accounting
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

You want an AI agent to audit the company's software subscriptions. Write its brief: flag for cancellation any tool with no logins in 60 or more days (today is Nov 6), send a tool still under contract to ASK_HUMAN instead, and never cancel or change seats itself. Output exactly 4 numbered plain-text lines, in table order, ending with a DONE line that shows the monthly savings of the flagged tools as math.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Not showing the log format. Left alone, the AI writes a friendly report with headings instead of a checkable action log. Try: Show it literally: "Format every line like 1. ACTION: tool(args), then ASK_HUMAN: and DONE: lines. Plain text."
  • No cut-off. The AI flags anything with low use, including the tool finance needs for the close. Try: Add: "Flag only tools with no logins in 60+ days. Today is Nov 6."
  • Letting it cancel. Given cancel and seat actions, the AI cleans up on its own, even mid-contract. Try: Add: "Never cancel or change seats. Tools under contract go to ASK_HUMAN."
  • Hiding the math. The AI states a savings number you can't check. Try: Say: "DONE shows the savings as math, like $A + $B = $C a month."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Sets the cut-off
  • Handles contracts
  • Forbids cancelling
  • Asks for the math
  • Shows the action-log format

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