Anthropic has released new system prompts for its Claude 4 models, but the published version lacks crucial details. Simon Willison, an independent AI researcher, has created a comprehensive guide to using Claude 4’s Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 models by analyzing leaked internal tool instructions.
Importance of System Prompts
System prompts are essential instructions given to large language models before each conversation. They dictate how the models should respond and maintain context throughout the interaction. The full system prompts contain detailed instructions for tools like web search and code generation.
Analysis of Leaked Prompts
Willison employed techniques like prompt injection to gather leaked prompts from researchers who obtained complete versions of the system prompts through similar methods. He noted that Anthropic’s release notes do not include these critical details.
Key Differences Identified
In his blog post on February 24th, Willison highlighted several key differences between Anthropic’s official release notes and his analysis of the leaked internal tool instructions:
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Web Search Queries:
- Official Documentation: Users can specify up to three separate queries or pages of results when conducting a web search with Claude Opus 4 or Sonnet 4.
- Leaked Instructions: Users can actually specify up to five separate queries or pages of results.
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Code Generation Tasks:
- Official Documentation: Users can only provide one specification at a time for Python code generation.
- Leaked Instructions: Users can provide up to two specifications at once for Python code generation.
Additional Discrepancies
There are other discrepancies regarding usage limits per user session, including the maximum number allowed within any given hour period. The full list includes:
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Maximum Requests Allowed Within an Hour:
- For both Opus & Sonnet:
- No more than five distinct requests may be made within sixty minutes following the completion of the last request initiated prior to sixty minutes ago.
- Each request counts toward the total limit, regardless of whether it was completed successfully or partially failed due to an error condition beyond the user’s control.
- For both Opus & Sonnet:
-
Maximum Requests Allowed Per User Session:
- For both Opus & Sonnet:
- No more than twenty-five distinct requests may be made during a single continuous interaction lasting no longer than ninety minutes.
- Each request counts toward the total limit, regardless of whether it was completed successfully or partially failed due to an error condition beyond the user’s control.
- For both Opus & Sonnet:
Conclusion
The discrepancies between Anthropic’s official documentation and the leaked internal instructions highlight the importance of transparency in AI model usage. Understanding these differences can significantly enhance user experience and model performance.
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