Library › Cybersecurity AI › IT and security teams
Pick which certificates to renew this month
- For IT and security teams
- You practice Setting limits and rules
- Time about 5 minutes
About this exercise
From this certificate report, list only certificates with 30 or fewer days left, numbered, as 'name - days left - Owner: name', in the report's order. Skip ones already marked as auto-renewing and ones being retired. Plain text, under 60 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Missing the boundary. The AI treats 30 days as 'not yet' and drops sso. Try: Say: "30 or fewer days left counts."
- Listing what renews itself. The AI includes www because it's close to expiry, and legacy because it's urgent. Try: Add: "Skip auto-renewing and retired certs."
- No owner. The AI lists certs but not who renews them. Try: Ask: "End each line with Owner: name."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 60 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Ask for less than the limit and cap each line: "each line under 15 words, under 45 words total."
- Letting markdown in. AI adds bold and headings by default, and in the team channel they show up as stray symbols. Try: Add: "Plain text only, no bold, no headings."
What a strong prompt includes
- Gives the 30-day rule
- Skips auto-renew and retired
- Asks for owners
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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