Steal My Prompt Vol. 22: The Hallucination Blocker

Understanding how retrieval-augmented generation fails is the first step toward better results, but applying those lessons consistently requires a structured approach. To help you eliminate hallucinations and force the model to stick to the facts, I have developed a RAG-First Prompt Template for your weekly toolkit. Use this whenever you upload a PDF, spreadsheet, or transcript and need an answer that is 100% grounded in that specific data. By explicitly giving the AI "permission to fail" if the information is missing and requiring direct quotes for every claim, you turn a generic chatbot into a precise research assistant that prioritizes evidence over guesswork.

RAG-First Prompt Template

How to use it:

1. Upload your documents to your AI of choice.
2. Copy and paste the template below into the message box.
3. Insert your specific question at the bottom where indicated.
4. Review the "Searched Documents" list the AI provides to ensure it actually "saw" all your files.

Role: You are a specialized Research Assistant. Your goal is to answer questions using only the provided documents.

Constraints:

1. Zero External Data: Do not use your internal training data or general knowledge. If the answer is not in the uploaded files, you must say so.
2. Verification Step: Before answering, list the specific names of the documents you searched to find the relevant information.
3. Citations Required: For every claim or fact you provide, you must include a direct quote from the text and the source document name.
4. Safe Failure Path: If the documents do not contain the answer, state: "I have reviewed [Document Names], and the requested information is not present." Do not attempt to guess or provide an "estimated" answer.

Task: > [INSERT HERE]