This article demonstrates how to write good ClickUp Super Agent prompts.
Brand new to Super Agents? Read our article What are Super Agents? before diving in.
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To use Super Agents, you'll need to activate the AI ClickApp for your Workspace.
Brand new to Super Agents? Read our article What are Super Agents? before diving in.
Manually configure a Super Agent
Make sure you have all the info! Learn how to manually configure your Super Agent, including entering the prompt.
Super Agents can also be created in our natural-language builder.
The prompt snippets outlined below are divided into sections. In each section, there is an example of a good prompt and an optimized prompt.
Role and objective
ClickUp Super Agents are like coworkers. You can assign them a role or persona and give them tasks. Think of them as a new employee or someone new to their role.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| You are a content and insights agent focused on surfacing newly shipped product features and translating them into compelling , plain-English summaries and sales angles for young professionals who are excited about new technology, but may be non-technical. | You are an insightful and creative agent focused on surfacing newly shipped product features, gathering information about those features, and translating that feature information into compelling sales angles for young professionals who are excited about new technology, but may be non‑technical. |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
The optimized prompt features rich language. For example, you are an insightful and creative agent.
- Rich language gives the Super Agent nuance and context for tasks requiring human-like subjective reasoning, deduction, or synthesis.
The optimized prompt uses the same term for consistency and repeats terms so the Super Agent doesn't have to infer any info. For example, focused on surfacing newly shipped product features, gathering information about those features, and translating that feature information.
- Being consistent with terms and reducing inference saves the Super Agent's brainpower for the main task.
Scope
This part of the prompt introduces the Super Agent to the scope of their task.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
|
Every week, gather feature work completed across the entire workspace over the last 7 days. Exclude obvious bug fixes, chores, refactors, or internal‑only tasks when identified via title/labels. |
Every week, gather feature work completed across the entire workspace over the last 7 days. Stick to new product features by excluding obvious bug fixes, chores, refactors, or internal‑only tasks when identified via title/labels. |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
The optimized prompt uses positive instead of negative commands. For example, stick to new product features by excluding obvious bug fixes, chores, refactors, or internal-only tasks when identified via titles/labels.
- When you start the sentence telling the Super Agent to "exclude obvious bug fixes," it spends its brainpower thinking about bugs, rather than finding new product features.
- Starting with a positive, "Stick to new product features," enables the Super Agent to spend its brainpower finding new product features rather than focusing on bugs.
Next steps
Tell the Super Agent which tools to use. For example, to scan for new product features, the Super Agent will need to have access to all or part of your Workspace.
Learn more about creating Super Agents in ClickUp.
In your prompt, tell the Super Agent how to use the tool. For example, you could tell the Super Agent, Ensure there is a task named "Weekly Product Features;" if not found, create it with the create a task tool.
Learn more about using ClickUp AI tools.
Writing guidance
This part of the prompt tells the Super Agent what to produce based on the info it has gathered.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| Provide 1–3 punchy sales angles per feature using action-oriented language and specific benefits. |
Provide 1–3 punchy sales angles per feature using action-oriented language and specific benefits. Use the feature information you gathered to ruminate on how these features could benefit or excite young Write in punchy, action-oriented language that paints |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
The optimized prompt efficiently shows cause and effect. For example, Distill the feature information you gathered into high-impact sales angles that speak directly to customer needs.
- This kind of language is useful when the Super Agent isn't using an element of your prompt enough in its output.
The optimized prompt uses cause and effect to ask the Super Agent to transform the info it's gathered into its output. For example, Use the feature information you gathered to ruminate on how these features could benefit or excite young tech-enthusiastic customers who aren't from a technical background.
- Use this kind of language when the Super Agent is fixating on one part of your prompt.
The optimized prompt features another example of rich language: Write in punchy, action-oriented language that paints an engaging and exciting picture of how to sell each feature.
- Use this kind of language to get the precise output you're looking for.
Output format
This part of the prompt is like a template that tells the Super Agent how to format its output.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
Feature entries: Name: (Task title) Source: Link to the task What it is: 1–2 sentence plain‑English explanation |
Feature entries format: Name: (Feature title) Source: Link to the task about the feature What the feature is: (Concisely explain what the |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
Both prompts provide a template with parentheses. The Super Agent will know to replace the placeholder with the content it has gathered. For example, Name: (Feature title).
The optimized prompt is much more descriptive. For example, (Concisely explain what the feature is, how it functions, and how it fits into the larger product.)
- Use output formatting when the Super Agent will benefit from guidance rather than thinking through the format on its own. For example, structured reports, SOPs, or blogs.
Next step
To reinforce the structure you're looking for, you can follow up this section with a summary. For example:
Output Format
Produce polished, ready‑to‑publish markdown on the weekly page. Use short paragraphs and bulleted lists. Keep each feature entry under ~120 words excluding bullets.
Use delimiters to label prompt sections
When your prompt includes reference material like brand guidelines, product descriptions, or example content, label where each section starts and ends.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
|
Brand guidelines: 1 Use short sentences. 2 Avoid jargon. 3 Always lead with the benefit.
Product description: A Super Agent that ensures everyone follows brand guidelines. |
Brand guidelines: 1 Use short sentences. 2 Avoid jargon. 3 Always lead with the benefit. --end of brand guidelines--
Product description: A Super Agent that ensures everyone follows brand guidelines. —end of product description— |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
The optimized prompt uses delimiters to explicitly mark where each section ends. This eliminates ambiguity and lets the Super Agent move cleanly from one section to the next without guessing.
You can format delimiters however you like, as long as you're consistent throughout the prompt. A few options:
--end of [section name]---
XML tags: <brand_guidelines> Your content here </brand_guidelines>- XML tags are a particularly effective delimiter format. AI models usually interpret these boundaries reliably.
- Dashes or other visual separators
Avoid shorthands and vague language
Super Agents don't understand shorthand language as well as humans. Save the Super Agent's computing power for better outputs.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| Look at the doc and write something for socials about the new feature. | Read the product brief and write a social media post announcing the new scheduling feature. Focus on the benefit to remote teams. |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
The optimized prompt replaces vague terms with specific ones, keeping the Super Agent focused on the task instead of interpreting shorthands or vague language.
Using positive or negative commands
If the instruction is a clear rule like don't use exclamation points, a negative command works well. If the instruction involves tone, style, or judgment, rewrite it as a positive command.
Even with objective rules, avoid using too many negative commands in a single prompt.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| Don't leave out any information from the original text | Preserve all information from the original text. |
Use integrative and transformative language
If your Super Agent isn't using a resource you've provided enough or over-copying part of your input, use integrative or transformative language.
Integrative language
If your Super Agent isn't using a resource you've provided enough, use integrative language.
Integrative language is very compressed, using dependent clauses to lock the input and the task together.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| Take the marketing angles and write a social media post. | Use the marketing angles to write a social media post. |
Transformative language
If your Super Agent is over-copying part of your input, like copying a product description verbatim instead of reimagining it, use transformative language.
Transformative language focuses on words that imply change and breaks down the action into multiple steps.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| Make the product description into a song. | Take the concepts and compelling details from the product description and reimagine them as a song. |
Split up complex prompts
Split up complex prompts to improve the output quality.
If a prompt tells a Super Agent to do two very different things, like extracting technical details from a document and then turning those details into polished marketing copy, split up the prompt.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| Make the product description into a song. |
Step 1: Extract the key technical details from this document and list them. Step 2: Using the extracted details, write a customer-facing summary in a casual tone. |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
The prompt is split into two clear steps with detailed language.
Add structure to long prompts
Use the following framework to improve the output of longer prompts:
| Section | What to include | Example |
| Context | The Super Agent's role, the background of the task, any complicating factors. | You are a product marketing specialist. We launched a new feature last week and need to follow up with existing customers. |
| Resources | Any reference material the Super Agent will use. Label the start and end of each resource. | Add a product brief, customer segment data, brand guidelines, or any resources your Super Agent will need. Use delimiters to label these. |
| In-depth instructions | Rules, parameters, edge cases, and output structure. | Write in a casual tone. Keep each section under 100 words. If a feature doesn't have customer data, note it as TBD. |
| Final command | A closing sentence that restates the core task. | Write the follow-up email using the product brief and brand guidelines. |
Handle multiple scenarios
Some Super Agent prompts handle several different situations.
If the logic is simple, use natural if/then language. For example: If the task has a due date, include it in the summary. If it doesn't, skip the due date line.
If your prompt has multiple pathways, or if one of the paths is to not take any action, define all possible scenarios upfront. Tell the Super Agent to choose one before executing.
| Good prompt | Optimized prompt |
| Remove any PII from the text. If there's no PII, just return the original text. |
Your job is to remove PII from a piece of text. Determine which scenario applies before continuing: Scenario 1: The text contains PII that can be removed without disrupting the meaning. Remove the PII and preserve everything else. Scenario 2: The text contains PII, but some of it can't be removed without disrupting the meaning. Remove what you can, and replace the rest with [PLACEHOLDER]. Scenario 3: The text contains no PII. Return it as originally written. Determine which scenario applies, then follow that scenario's instructions. |
Why is the optimized prompt better?
The optimized prompt forces the Super Agent to commit to a pathway first, so the other options don't take up bandwidth during execution.
Additional tips
If you've followed the above steps and your Super Agent isn't performing as expected, ensure you:
- Provide critical facts directly in the prompt rather than expecting the Super Agent to find them.
- Add flexibility to any templates you're using. For example,
If this information isn't available, write 'N/A' or Leave out any section that can't be completed with the provided information. - Limit context. For example,
The product brief is all the information you have to work with.