The secret to effective chain prompting lies in the handoffs—how information passes between prompts. Poor handoffs create disjointed outputs. Perfect handoffs create seamless flows.
The Three Types of Handoffs
1. Full Carry-Forward Pass the entire previous output to the next prompt: ```text Prompt 1: "Create an outline for a thriller novel about AI" [Captures full output]
Prompt 2: "Using this outline [paste full output], write Chapter 1, establishing the tone, and introducing the protagonist based on the character description in the outline" ```text 2. Selective Extraction Pass only relevant portions forward: ```text Prompt 1: "Analyze this company's financial data and identify top 3 risks" [Output includes lots of analysis]
Prompt 2: "For these 3 risks [paste only the risk list], create mitigation strategies" ```text 3. Summary Bridge Create a condensed bridge between prompts: ```text Prompt 1: "Research content marketing trends for 2024" [Extensive research output]
Prompt 2: "I've researched content marketing trends. Key findings: video dominance, AI integration, personalization at scale. Now create a content strategy incorporating these trends for a B2B SaaS company" ```text
Handoff Best Practices
DO: - ✓ Explicitly reference previous outputs - ✓ Maintain consistent voice/perspective - ✓ Carry forward critical constraints - ✓ Build on established facts - ✓ Preserve key terminology
DON'T: - ✗ Assume AI remembers without reminders - ✗ Contradict previous outputs - ✗ Lose important context - ✗ Change fundamental parameters - ✗ Break established patterns