The Anatomy of a new Claude ‘Fable 5’ Prompt:

1. Task

Start with why, NOT what. Claude 5 connects the dots. ‘I’m working on [goal] for [who it’s for]. They need [what the output enables]. With that in mind: [task].’

2. Context Files

Upload your expertise. Stop explaining in prompts. “Read these files completely before responding: [filename .md] - [what it contains].” The file is the brain. This part never changes.

3. Reference

Show Claude 5 what good looks like. “Reference for what I want to achieve: [paste].” One example beats ten instructions.

4. Effort

The new change, a few people are talking about. “This is a [routine / hard / hardest-unsolved] problem. Scope it like it’s at the top of your range.” Teams testing Claude 5 on easy tasks undersell it. Give it your hardest problem.

5. Act

“AskUserQuestion” is still the king. Add “When you have enough information to act, act. Don’t re-litigate my decisions. While weighing a choice, give a recommendation.”

6. Scope

Claude 5 over-delivers by default. Control it. “Do the simplest thing that works well. No extra features, refactors, or abstractions. If I’m describing a problem, the deliverable is your assessment.” The old one did too little. This one does too much.

7. Delegate

One Claude is no longer the limit. “Split independent subtasks across subagents & keep working while they run. Verify with a fresh-context subagent.” It’s not a chatbot anymore. It’s a team lead.

8. Evidence

The line that removes fake progress reports. “Before reporting progress, audit every claim against a tool result. If it’s unverified, say so. Tests failed? Show the output.” Anthropic tested this. It nearly eliminated fabricated status updates.

9. Memory Claude 5 gets smarter every run. If you let it. “Record learnings in [notes .md] — one per file. Update, no duplicate. Delete what turns out wrong.” Your prompts expire. Your learning file compounds.

10. Checkpoint

It can run for hours. Decide when it stops. “Pause only for: destructive actions, scope changes, or input only I can provide. Never end your turn on a promise.” The old fear was Claude stopping too late. The new fear is stopping too early.

11. Report

The last block. The first thing you read. “Open with the outcome - the TLDR I’d ask for. Complete sentences. Clear beats short.” It worked for hours. You read for ten seconds.

Copy the full prompt template + download my personal md. files for Claude here:

Step 1. Go to http://how-to-ai.guide. Step 2. Subscribe for free. Don’t pay anything. Step 3. Open my welcome email. Step 4. Hit the automatic reply button inside. Step 5. Download my .md files. Ready to upload.

How to AI | Ruben Hassid | Substack

Source: https://ruben.substack.com/?no_skip=1&showWelcome=true Stop collecting AI tips. Run practical AI workflows, with exact prompts, screenshots, and steps you can follow. Finish something with AI today. Free.

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