Claude Opus Prompts — Get the Most from Anthropic's Best Model

You are a senior {{domain}} advisor. I need you to analyze the following decision:

**Decision:** {{decisionDescription}}

**Context:** {{backgroundContext}}

**Constraints:**
- Budget: {{budget}}
- Timeline: {{timeline}}
- Team: {{teamContext}}

Think through this step by step using extended thinking. For each option:
1. List concrete advantages with evidence
2. List concrete disadvantages and risks
3. Identify hidden second-order effects
4. Estimate likelihood of success (low/medium/high) with reasoning

Then provide your recommendation with a clear rationale. If the answer depends on factors I haven't mentioned, state what those factors are and how they would change your recommendation.

I'm providing a {{documentType}} below (approximately {{pageCount}} pages). Analyze the entire document with these specific objectives:

**Primary questions:**
{{primaryQuestions}}

**Analysis requirements:**
- Quote specific passages that support your conclusions (include page/section references)
- Flag any internal contradictions or inconsistencies in the document
- Identify claims that lack supporting evidence
- Note any significant omissions — topics you would expect to see covered but are missing

**Output format:**
1. Executive summary (3-5 sentences)
2. Detailed findings organized by my primary questions
3. Contradictions and gaps
4. Recommendations for follow-up

<document>
{{documentContent}}
</document>

Review the following codebase architecture for a {{projectType}} application.

**Tech stack:** {{techStack}}
**Scale:** {{scaleRequirements}}
**Team size:** {{teamSize}} engineers

I'll provide the key files. For each architectural concern, reference the specific file and line where the issue exists.

Review for:
1. **Separation of concerns** — Are responsibilities cleanly divided? Any God objects or modules doing too much?
2. **Scalability bottlenecks** — What breaks first at 10x current load?
3. **Error handling gaps** — Where can failures cascade or go unhandled?
4. **Testing friction** — What's hard to test due to tight coupling or hidden dependencies?
5. **Security surface** — Auth bypasses, injection points, data exposure risks

For each issue found, provide:
- Severity: critical / high / medium / low
- The specific anti-pattern or violation
- A concrete fix with code example

<codebase>
{{codebaseFiles}}
</codebase>

Write a {{contentType}} about {{topic}}.

**Voice & Style:**
- Tone: {{tone}}
- Reading level: {{audienceLevel}}
- Sentence structure: mix short punchy sentences with longer flowing ones. Vary paragraph length.
- Avoid: cliches, corporate jargon, passive voice, and the words "{{bannedWords}}"
- Emulate the style of: {{styleReference}} — but do not copy specific phrases

**Structure:**
- Length: approximately {{wordCount}} words
- Opening: start in medias res or with a surprising fact — no throat-clearing
- Include {{numberOfExamples}} concrete examples or anecdotes
- End with: {{endingStyle}}

**Content constraints:**
{{contentConstraints}}

Write the full piece. Do not include meta-commentary about your writing process.

I'm researching {{researchTopic}}. Below are {{sourceCount}} sources I've gathered. Synthesize them into a comprehensive analysis.

**Research question:** {{researchQuestion}}

**Sources:**
{{sources}}

**Synthesis requirements:**
1. Identify the key themes and findings that appear across multiple sources
2. Map where sources agree, where they disagree, and where they cover different aspects
3. Evaluate the strength of evidence — which claims are well-supported vs. speculative?
4. Identify gaps: what questions remain unanswered by these sources?
5. Flag any methodological concerns or potential biases in the sources

**Output:**
- Synthesis narrative (not a source-by-source summary — weave insights together thematically)
- Evidence strength table: claim | supporting sources | confidence level
- Recommended next steps for further research
- Key takeaway in one paragraph

Create a detailed execution plan for: {{projectGoal}}

**Current state:** {{currentState}}
**Target state:** {{targetState}}
**Timeline:** {{timeline}}
**Resources available:** {{resources}}
**Known risks:** {{knownRisks}}

Build the plan with these requirements:
1. Break into phases with clear milestones and exit criteria for each phase
2. For each task, specify: owner role, estimated effort, dependencies (what must complete first), and deliverable
3. Identify the critical path — which sequence of tasks determines the minimum timeline?
4. Build in contingency: for each high-risk task, provide a fallback approach
5. Define go/no-go decision points where the plan should be re-evaluated

Format as a structured plan I can hand to a project manager. Include a dependency graph showing which tasks block which.

You are {{assistantName}}, a {{role}} specializing in {{specialization}}.

## Behavior
- Think deeply before responding. Use extended thinking for complex questions.
- When uncertain, say so explicitly and explain what additional information would help.
- Cite specific evidence for claims. Do not state opinions as facts.
- Push back respectfully when the user's approach has significant issues.

## Communication Style
- {{communicationStyle}}
- Use concrete examples over abstract explanations
- Structure long responses with headers, bullets, and numbered lists
- Front-load the most important information

## Domain Knowledge
{{domainKnowledge}}

## Constraints
- Never fabricate data, statistics, or citations
- If a question is outside your expertise, say so rather than guessing
- {{additionalConstraints}}

## Output Defaults
- Default response length: {{defaultLength}}
- Default format: {{defaultFormat}}
- Always ask clarifying questions when the request is ambiguous

Compare {{optionA}} vs {{optionB}} for {{useCase}}.

**Evaluation criteria (weighted by importance):**
{{evaluationCriteria}}

**My context:** {{userContext}}

For each criterion:
1. Score both options (1-10) with specific justification
2. Cite concrete evidence — benchmarks, case studies, or documented features
3. Note where the comparison is context-dependent (what changes the answer?)

Then provide:
- Weighted total scores
- A "choose A when... choose B when..." summary
- The single most important factor that should drive the decision
- What I might be overlooking in this comparison