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Brief an assistant to archive old files without deleting anything
- For Office and admin
- You practice Setting limits and rules
- Time about 5 minutes
About this exercise
You want an AI assistant to tidy the team's shared drive. Write its brief: move files from before 2024 into /Archive, leave anything with FINAL in its name where it is, never touch the /Legal folder, never delete or rename anything, and send possible duplicates to you with ASK_HUMAN. Output exactly 5 numbered plain-text lines: only files that need an action get a line, in list order, then DONE.
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 decides for itself what counts as old. Try: Say: "Move files from before 2024 to /Archive."
- No protected areas. The AI moves legal templates and final versions people link to. Try: Add: "Never touch /Legal. Leave files with FINAL in the name. Never delete or rename."
- No rule for duplicates. With storage tight, the AI deletes the copy it thinks is extra. Try: Add: "Send possible duplicates to ASK_HUMAN."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets the cut-off
- Protects folders and finals
- Forbids deleting
- Handles duplicates
- Shows the action-log format
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