---
id: "quote-clarifying-questions"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["00:04:08"]
tags: ["prompt-engineering", "best-practices"]
related: ["action-use-clarifying-questions-prompt", "entity-speaker-1"]
speakers: ["Speaker 1"]
speaker: "Speaker 1"
sources: ["tim"]
sourceVaultSlug: "automate-social-seo-claude-code-2026May14"
originDay: 5
---
# The 95% Confidence Prompt

## Quote

> Ask me clarifying questions, one at a time, until you are 95% confident you can complete the task successfully.

— [[entity-speaker-1]]

## Context

This quote highlights a crucial prompt engineering technique. By appending this sentence to a complex prompt, the user forces the AI to identify gaps in its understanding and solicit necessary constraints **before** attempting to execute the task — thereby drastically reducing hallucinations and errors in automated workflows.

## Operationalization

See [[action-use-clarifying-questions-prompt]] for the full action-item formulation, including when to apply this directive (typically: building a multi-step skill, defining a brand voice, or instructing a multi-tool orchestration).

## Why This Matters for the Vault

In the context of [[concept-claude-code-skills]], this directive is the technique used to *initially load* a high-quality skill. The AI co-creates the skill by interrogating the user rather than assuming.



## Related across days
- [[action-use-clarifying-questions-prompt]]
- [[action-initiate-brand-interview]]
- [[concept-brand-voice-interview]]
- [[arc-95-percent-confidence-pattern]]