Decoder. plain-English AI glossary

Scratchpad prompting

▲ Rising

Explicitly allocating space in a prompt for the model to "think out loud" — write intermediate reasoning that doesn't go in the final answer.

Think of it like

A math test where you show your work on scrap paper, then write the final answer cleanly.

Example

Prompt: "Scratchpad: [Show your reasoning here] Final answer: [Clean answer]"

How it actually works

Scratchpads improve reasoning by separating process from output. The model can explore ideas without polluting the final response. Works for math, logic, and planning tasks. Can be formalized with explicit delimiters or just natural language.

For product teams

Improves reliability; users only see polished final answer.

For engineers

Add "Scratchpad:" or "Working:" section. Parse final answer separately if needed.

Step-by-step prompting — Related to step-by-step and chain-of-thought.

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