# Ask Your Document: prompt set

A reusable set of questions for any report, contract, or pile of notes.
Attach your file first, then paste one of these prompts in the same message.
Rename this file to something you will recognize, keep it open in a tab, and add
your own questions over time so you are never starting from a blank chat.

<!--
HOW TO USE THIS FILE
- Each prompt below is ready to copy and paste as-is.
- The line under each prompt tells you when to reach for it.
- The "Worked example" shows the shape filled in, so you can see how it adapts.
- Replace the [BRACKETED] parts with your own specifics before you send.
- One grounding habit runs through all of them: tell the tool to answer only from
  the document, and ask where in the file the answer came from. That keeps the
  answer anchored to your file.
-->

---

## 1. One-paragraph summary

```
Read the attached document and answer only from it. If something is not in
the document, say so rather than guessing.

Give me a one-paragraph summary of what this document is and what it covers.
```

When to use: your first question on any new file, before you decide what else to ask.

<!-- Worked example: the same prompt, no edits needed. It works on a report,
a contract, or a folder of notes exported into one file. -->

**Worked example output (shape to expect):**
This is a 40-page quarterly operations report covering the period [DATES]. It
lays out [TOPIC], reports the results for [AREA], and closes with three
recommendations for the next quarter.

---

## 2. The decisions, numbers, and dates

```
Read the attached document and answer only from it. If something is not in
the document, say so rather than guessing.

List the key decisions, numbers, and dates it contains. For each one, tell
me where in the document it comes from.
```

When to use: when you need the specifics that carry weight and do not want to
read every paragraph to find them.

<!-- Worked example: swap in your own focus if you want to narrow it,
such as asking only for the deadlines and who owns each one. -->

**Worked example (narrowed):**
```
Read the attached contract and answer only from it. If something is not in
the document, say so rather than guessing.

List every payment amount, every date, and every obligation, and tell me
where in the document each one appears.
```

---

## 3. The risks or red flags

```
Read the attached document and answer only from it. If something is not in
the document, say so rather than guessing.

Point out anything I should look at twice: unusual terms, missing details,
or anything that reads as a risk. For each, tell me where in the document
it appears.
```

When to use: contracts, agreements, and policies, where one buried line can
change the whole picture.

<!-- Worked example: keep the grounding instruction. The point is to surface
things worth a second look, not to replace your own judgment. -->

**Worked example output (shape to expect):**
Section [X] sets a [TERM] that is shorter than the rest of the document
implies. Section [Y] mentions [OBLIGATION] but never names who is responsible.
Both are worth confirming before you rely on them.

---

## 4. The open questions

```
Read the attached document and answer only from it. If something is not in
the document, say so rather than guessing.

What questions does this document leave open? List the things it does not
answer that someone in my position would want to know.
```

When to use: after you have the summary, to find what the file does not tell you.
This is often where the work starts.

<!-- Worked example: pair this with question 2. The numbers tell you what is
there; this tells you what is missing. -->

**Worked example output (shape to expect):**
The document states the budget but never says who approved it. It names a launch
date but not the steps between now and then. It refers to a prior agreement that
is not attached.

---

## 5. The "where does it say X" check

```
You told me [PASTE THE CLAIM YOU WANT TO CHECK]. Read the attached document
again and tell me exactly where in it that is stated. Quote the relevant
line or section. If it is not in the document, say so.
```

When to use: any time you are about to rely on an answer. This keeps the answer
tied to the page instead of to a guess.

<!-- Worked example: fill the bracket with the exact claim from the tool's
earlier answer. -->

**Worked example (filled in):**
```
You told me the agreement renews automatically after one year. Read the
attached document again and tell me exactly where it says that. Quote the
relevant line or section. If it is not in the document, say so.
```

---

## The all-in-one starter

If you only want one prompt to begin with, use this. Attach your file and paste
it in the same message. It does three things at once: keeps the answer inside the
file, asks for a summary plus the details that carry weight, and flags anything
worth checking yourself.

```
Read the attached document and answer only from it. If something is not
in the document, say so rather than guessing.

Then give me:
1. A one-paragraph summary of what this document is and what it covers.
2. The key decisions, numbers, and dates it contains.
3. Anything I should double-check before I rely on it.

For each point, tell me where in the document it comes from.
```

---

<!-- A few practical notes, drawn from how document reading behaves:

- For non-PDF documents, the tool extracts text only. A chart that lives as an
  image inside a Word file will not be read. If the detail you need is in an
  embedded image, export the document to a PDF under 100 pages so the visual
  elements come through.

- The grounding instruction ("answer only from it") and the source check
  ("where in the document does it say that?") are the habits worth keeping.
  Reading a file does not make an answer infallible, so anchor it to the page.

- Once you find yourself uploading the same materials into every new chat, that
  is the sign to set up a workspace that holds your documents for you. In Claude,
  a Project keeps your files in a knowledge base across many conversations, so you
  upload once and ask repeatedly.
-->