R0020/2026-03-25/Q003/H2¶
Statement¶
Mainstream prompt engineering guides do not discuss imperative constraints, focusing instead on general clarity and examples.
Status¶
Current: Eliminated
All examined guides discuss explicit constraints in some form. Anthropic's documentation contains extensive examples of directive language. Lakera's guide explicitly advocates constraint-based design. Multiple industry sources recommend treating prompts "like contracts."
Supporting Evidence¶
No evidence supports this hypothesis.
Contradicting Evidence¶
| Evidence | Summary |
|---|---|
| SRC01-E01 | Anthropic docs demonstrate constraint language extensively |
| SRC02-E01 | Lakera explicitly advocates constraint-based design |
| SRC03-E01 | Industry sources recommend imperative language |
Reasoning¶
Every source examined discusses explicit constraints. The debate is about degree and trend, not existence.
Relationship to Other Hypotheses¶
H2 is the null hypothesis and is clearly eliminated. The question is between H1 (explicit recommendation) and H3 (implicit through clarity advice).