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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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