Decoder. plain-English AI glossary

Format specification

● Core

Explicitly defining how output should be structured — markdown, JSON, bullet points, etc.

Think of it like

Like saying "write as a shopping list" vs. "write as a paragraph."

Example

"Output as JSON: {name, age, occupation}." or "Format as a bulleted list with 3–5 items."

How it actually works

Format specs reduce ambiguity and enable parsing. Structured formats (JSON, XML) are machine-readable. Natural formats (markdown, bullets) are human-readable. Combine format specs with examples or templates for clarity.

For product teams

Enables downstream automation and consistent user experience.

For engineers

Use structured output or JSON mode when possible. Validate parsed results.

Structured output — Overlaps with structured output.
Output schema — Related to output schema.

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