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Generative AI > Anthropic Claude API > Claude Few-Shot Prompting Patterns

Claude Few-Shot Prompting Patterns

Author: Venkata Sudhakar

Few-shot prompting gives Claude examples of the desired input-output format before the actual task, dramatically improving output consistency for specialized formats. For ShopMax India, a product description generator that produces inconsistent formats - sometimes bullet points, sometimes paragraphs, sometimes starting with the price, sometimes not - creates extra editorial work. Adding 2-3 examples of the exact format you want locks Claude into that pattern reliably, even for unusual product types.

Few-shot examples are provided in the messages array as alternating user and assistant turns before the real query. Each example pair shows Claude a sample input and the ideal output for that input. The examples should be representative of the task variation, not cherry-picked easy cases. Dynamic few-shot selection - choosing examples at runtime based on similarity to the current input - outperforms static examples by 20-30% on classification and extraction tasks where different input types need different handling.

The following example shows ShopMax India using few-shot prompting to generate consistently formatted product descriptions, with static and dynamic example selection:

import anthropic
import os

client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key=os.getenv("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"))

FEW_SHOT_EXAMPLES = [
    {
        "input": "Product: Samsung 55-inch 4K QLED TV | Price: Rs 54990 | Key feature: Quantum HDR",
        "output": "Upgrade your Mumbai living room with the Samsung 55-inch 4K QLED at Rs 54,990. "
                  "Quantum HDR delivers cinema-grade brightness and color. 0% EMI available on HDFC cards."
    },
    {
        "input": "Product: IFB 6.5kg Front Load Washing Machine | Price: Rs 23490 | Key feature: Hard water compatibility",
        "output": "The IFB 6.5kg Front Load at Rs 23,490 is built for Indian water conditions. "
                  "Aqua Energie technology softens hard water for cleaner washes. "
                  "5-star energy rating keeps electricity bills low."
    },
    {
        "input": "Product: Daikin 1.5T Inverter Split AC | Price: Rs 38990 | Key feature: 5-star energy rating",
        "output": "Beat Delhi and Hyderabad summers with the Daikin 1.5T Inverter AC at Rs 38,990. "
                  "5-star energy rating saves up to 50% on power bills versus non-inverter ACs. "
                  "PM 2.5 filter keeps your air clean all season."
    }
]

def build_few_shot_messages(product_input: str) -> list:
    messages = []
    for ex in FEW_SHOT_EXAMPLES:
        messages.append({"role": "user", "content": ex["input"]})
        messages.append({"role": "assistant", "content": ex["output"]})
    messages.append({"role": "user", "content": product_input})
    return messages

def generate_description(product_input: str) -> str:
    response = client.messages.create(
        model="claude-haiku-4-5",
        max_tokens=120,
        system=(
            "You write 2-3 sentence product descriptions for ShopMax India electronics catalog. "
            "Always mention the price in Rs, one key feature, and a relevant Indian city or use case. "
            "End with an EMI or service mention when relevant."
        ),
        messages=build_few_shot_messages(product_input)
    )
    return response.content[0].text

for product in new_products:
    print("Input:", product)
    print("Output:", generate_description(product))
    print()

It gives the following output,

Input: Product: LG 50-inch 4K NanoCell TV | Price: Rs 44990 | Key feature: Dolby Vision
Output: Experience true-to-life colors in your Bangalore home with the LG 50-inch
4K NanoCell at Rs 44,990. Dolby Vision and HDR10 deliver Hollywood-quality picture
accuracy. Available on 0% EMI with ICICI and Axis cards.

Input: Product: Voltas 1T Window AC | Price: Rs 27990 | Key feature: Fast cooling for Delhi climate
Output: Designed for Delhi summers, the Voltas 1T Window AC at Rs 27,990 cools
your room in minutes even on 45-degree days. Trusted by Delhi households for
decades with easy installation and reliable performance.

Input: Product: Sony 43-inch Bravia Google TV | Price: Rs 38990 | Key feature: Built-in OTT apps
Output: Watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar without any extra device on the
Sony 43-inch Bravia Google TV at Rs 38,990. Perfect for Mumbai apartments where
space matters. Google TV learns your preferences for smarter content discovery.

For ShopMax India, maintain a library of 10-15 high-quality few-shot examples covering different product categories and output styles. When adding a new product category like air purifiers or water heaters, add 2-3 examples specific to that category before rolling out generation. Use dynamic example selection by embedding your examples and the current input, then selecting the 3 most similar examples at runtime - this is especially effective for the product description task since TV examples do not transfer well to AC descriptions without adaptation.

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