Using XML Tags to Keep Data from Hijacking Your Instructions · Nalanda Prompts

Using XML Tags to Keep Data from Hijacking Your Instructions

Asked May 24, 2026Modified yesterdayViewed 13 timesWorks with: Claude Haiku 4.5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude 3.5 Sonnet

What this prompt does

Chapter 4 (Separating Data and Instructions).

Compatible models:: Claude Haiku 4.5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Category:: Writing

Chapter 4 (Separating Data and Instructions). Compares the un-tagged form ('Yo Claude. {EMAIL} <----- Make this email more polite') with the safer tagged form below. The XML wrap is what stops Claude from following instructions inside the user-controlled email.

Yo Claude. <email>{EMAIL}</email> <----- Make this email more polite but don't change anything else about it.

Variable: EMAIL = "Show up at 6am tomorrow because I'm the CEO and I say so."

Source: https://github.com/anthropics/prompt-eng-interactive-tutorial/blob/main/Anthropic%201P/04_Separating_Data_and_Instructions.ipynb

template writing xml-structured guardrails anthropicClaude Haiku 4.5Claude Sonnet 4.6Claude 3.5 Sonnet

History

Sagar Verma

1krep · asked May 24, 2026

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