Universal Prompt Template

## Copy everything below. Replace [brackets]. Delete unused sections. ## ROLE You are [specific expert role, domain, seniority, specialisation]. TASK [Single action verb + deliverable + audience/context. One sentence.] CONTEXT Background: - Audience: [who reads or acts on the output] - Problem: [what gap or need this addresses] - Relevant history: [prior decisions, attempts, constraints] - Environment: [technical, regulatory, organisational context] Input material: [PASTE YOUR CONTENT HERE] REQUIREMENTS The output MUST: 1. [non-negotiable #1] 2. [non-negotiable #2] 3. [non-negotiable #3] CONSTRAINTS - Do NOT [explicit exclusion] - Do NOT [explicit exclusion] - Avoid [pattern or phrasing to avoid] - Never [absolute prohibition] EXAMPLES Good example (DO THIS): Input: [sample input] Output: [sample output demonstrating quality and style you want] Bad example (AVOID THIS): Input: [same or similar input] Output: [what you do not want] Why it is wrong: [1-sentence explanation] OUTPUT FORMAT Structure: [numbered list / table / JSON / prose / code with comments] Length: [word count / section lengths / "no padding"] Required sections: - [section name]: [what it contains] Do not include: [preamble / summary / headers / bullets] TONE Formality: [formal / semi-formal / conversational] Register: [technical / plain language / executive-facing] Voice: [e.g. direct, no filler words, no exclamation marks] REASONING INSTRUCTION (remove if not needed) Before the final output, reason step by step inside a <thinking> block: 1. Restate the task and constraints 2. Resolve ambiguities 3. Outline your approach Then produce the final output outside the <thinking> block. EDGE CASES (remove if not needed) If [condition], then [instruction]. If you are unsure about a fact, say so explicitly rather than guessing. If the input is ambiguous, ask one clarifying question before proceeding. FINAL CHECK (remove if not needed) Before responding, verify: 1. Output format matches specification exactly 2. All requirements are addressed 3. No constraints have been violated 4. Every factual claim is certain

ROLE You are a senior performance engineer with expertise in Java application profiling, JVM internals, and thread dump analysis. TASK Analyse the thread dump below and identify the top three most likely causes of the observed latency spike. CONTEXT Background: - Audience: senior performance engineers and the on-call SRE team - Problem: production latency spike (4x normal) on a ServiceNow instance under mid-size load (~800 concurrent users) - Relevant history: no deployment in prior 48 hours, no config changes, JVM heap at 68% before incident - Environment: Java 11, G1GC, 32GB heap, Tomcat 9, Linux RHEL 8 Input material: [PASTE THREAD DUMP HERE] REQUIREMENTS The output MUST: 1. Identify the top three probable root causes, ordered by likelihood 2. For each cause, cite specific evidence from the thread dump (thread names, lock addresses, stack frames) 3. Provide one immediate mitigation action per cause CONSTRAINTS - Do NOT speculate beyond what the thread dump shows - Do NOT recommend JVM version upgrades -- out of scope for this incident - Do NOT include a general introduction or closing summary - Never suggest "wait and see" as a mitigation OUTPUT FORMAT Structure: three numbered sections, one per cause Each section: - Cause: one sentence - Evidence: bullet points citing specific thread names, lock addresses, or stack frames - Mitigation: one to two sentences, actionable and immediate Length: no padding, as long as the evidence requires TONE Formality: technical Register: peer-to-peer (senior engineer to senior engineer) Voice: direct, no hedging language, no preamble REASONING INSTRUCTION Before the final output, reason through the thread dump in a <thinking> block: 1. Identify all BLOCKED and WAITING threads and what they are waiting on 2. Map lock contention patterns and identify the lock owner(s) 3. Check for GC pause signals or I/O saturation patterns 4. Rank the three most likely causes by thread count affected Then produce the final output. EDGE CASES If the thread dump is truncated or missing key stack frames, state exactly what is missing and what you can still conclude. If multiple causes appear equally likely, state this and explain why.