Prompt Expansion

Expand short prompts into detailed, actionable prompts

The --expand-prompt flag expands short prompts into detailed, actionable prompts using the PromptExpanderAgent.

Quick Start

praisonai "write a movie script in 3 lines" --expand-prompt

Usage

Basic Expansion

praisonai "write a movie script in 3 lines" --expand-prompt

Expected Output:

✨ Expanding prompt...

╭─ Original Prompt ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│  write a movie script in 3 lines                                            │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

╭─ Expanded Prompt ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│  Write a compelling 3-line movie script that includes:                      │
│  1. A hook that establishes the setting and protagonist                     │
│  2. A conflict or turning point that creates tension                        │
│  3. A resolution or cliffhanger that leaves an impact                       │
│                                                                              │
│  Format: Each line should be a complete scene description with dialogue     │
│  if appropriate. Use present tense and vivid imagery.                       │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

With Verbose Output

praisonai "blog about AI" --expand-prompt -v

With Tools for Context

# Tools file
praisonai "latest AI trends" --expand-prompt --expand-tools tools.py

# Built-in SDK tool
praisonai "draft a coding plan" --expand-prompt --expand-tools "internet_search"

# praisonai-tools / entry-point plugin
praisonai "draft a coding plan" --expand-prompt --expand-tools "duckduckgo_search"

--expand-tools now accepts any name reachable by praisonai tools list — the same resolver chain used by praisonai research --tools and --rewrite-tools. See Tool Resolution for the full chain.

Combine with Query Rewrite

praisonai "AI news" --query-rewrite --expand-prompt

Key Difference

Flag	Purpose	Best For
--query-rewrite	Optimizes queries for search/retrieval (RAG)	Search, RAG, retrieval
--expand-prompt	Expands prompts for detailed task execution	Content creation, coding

Expansion Strategies

Strategy	Description
BASIC	Simple expansion with context
DETAILED	Comprehensive expansion with structure
STRUCTURED	Adds formatting and organization
CREATIVE	Adds creative elements and suggestions
AUTO	Automatically selects best strategy

Examples

Content Creation

praisonai "blog about AI" --expand-prompt

Expanded to: “Write a comprehensive blog post about Artificial Intelligence that includes: an engaging introduction, key concepts explained for beginners, current trends and applications, future predictions, and a conclusion with actionable takeaways. Use headers, bullet points, and examples.”

Code Generation

praisonai "REST API" --expand-prompt

Expanded to: “Create a REST API with the following specifications: endpoints for CRUD operations, proper HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), error handling with appropriate status codes, input validation, authentication middleware, and documentation comments.”

Research Task

praisonai "quantum computing" --expand-prompt

Expanded to: “Research quantum computing covering: fundamental principles (qubits, superposition, entanglement), current hardware implementations, major players and their approaches, practical applications, challenges and limitations, and future outlook.”

Choosing the expander’s model

The CLI’s --expand-prompt step honours the standard cascade — CLI flag wins, env vars next, gpt-4o-mini fallback last:

# Expander uses claude-3-5-sonnet-latest, matching the main agent
praisonai "write a movie script in 3 lines" --expand-prompt --llm claude-3-5-sonnet-latest

To keep a cheap expander regardless of the main model, pin it explicitly with OPENAI_MODEL_NAME=gpt-4o-mini while --llm drives the main agent — but the recommended pattern is running the expander and main agent on the same model.

Programmatic Usage

The model= kwarg on PromptExpanderAgent is unchanged — the cascade above applies only to the CLI path.

from praisonaiagents import PromptExpanderAgent, ExpandStrategy

# Basic usage
agent = PromptExpanderAgent()
result = agent.expand("write a movie script in 3 lines")
print(result.expanded_prompt)

# With specific strategy
result = agent.expand("blog about AI", strategy=ExpandStrategy.DETAILED)

# Available strategies: BASIC, DETAILED, STRUCTURED, CREATIVE, AUTO

How It Works

1. Analyze: PromptExpanderAgent analyzes the short prompt
2. Strategy: Selects appropriate expansion strategy
3. Expand: Generates detailed, actionable prompt
4. Execute: Uses expanded prompt for the task

Best Practices

Use --expand-prompt for content creation and coding tasks where detailed instructions improve output quality.

Prompt expansion adds an LLM call. Use --metrics to monitor token usage.

Do	Don’t
Use for vague or short prompts	Use for already detailed prompts
Combine with --query-rewrite for research	Use alone for simple lookups
Use --expand-tools for context	Skip context for complex topics

Related

• Prompt Expander Agent
• Query Rewrite CLI
• Planning CLI