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Highly recommend adding some kind of canary like this in all LLM project instructions. I prefer my instructions to say 'always start output with an (uniquely de
by awad 10mo ago
Highly recommend adding some kind of canary like this in all LLM project instructions. I prefer my instructions to say 'always start output with an (uniquely decided by you) emoji' as it's easier to visually scan for one when reading a wall of LLM output, and use a different emoji per project because what's life without a little whim?
- wahnfrieden 10mo agoThis stuff also becomes context poison however
- IsopropylMalbec 10mo agoSorry, what do you mean?
- question_AK91 10mo agohttps://www.dbreunig.com/2025/06/22/how-contexts-fail-and-how-to-fix-them.html https://www.dbreunig.com/2025/06/22/how-contexts-fail-and-ho... This guy has a good write up on the topic
- nullc 10mo agoIrrelevant nonsense can also poison the context. That's part of the magic formula behind AI psychosis victims... if you have some line noise mumbojumbo all the output afterward is more prone to be disordered. I'd be wary of using any canary material that wouldn't be at home in the sort of work you're doing.
- dostick 10mo agoWhat is you tell it to end output with certain character?
- wahnfrieden 10mo agoIt is a distraction from its intended purpose
- Uehreka 10mo agoDoes it actually? One sentence telling the agent to call me “Chris the human serviette” plus the times it calls me that is not going to add that much to the context. What kills the context IME is verbose logs with timestamps.
- ramraj07 10mo agoSure, but its an instruction that applies and the model will consider fairly relevant in every single token. As an extremely example imagine instructing the llm to not use the letter E or to output only in French. Not as extreme but it probably does affect.
- Loic 10mo agoLa disparition[0], Georges Perec. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Void https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Void
- jappgar 10mo agoNot only that, but the whimsical nature of the instruction will lead to a more whimsical conversation. The chat is a simulation, and if you act silly, the model will simulate an appropriate response.
- wahnfrieden 10mo agoPeople are so concerned about preventing a bad result that they will sabotage it from a good result. Better to strive for the best it can give you and throw out the bad until it does.
- davidmurdoch 10mo agoA single emoji though?
- wahnfrieden 10mo agoIt is not a single emoji, it's an instruction to interleave conversation with some nonsense. It can only do harm. It won't help produce a better result and is questionable at preventing a bad one.
- davidmurdoch 10mo agoThe point is that the it _already_ treats the instructions as nonsense. The emoji is a sigil to know if it dismissing the instructions or not.