>How does "I ask an LLM to convert my prompt to Markdown if it's above some unspecified threshold" help get to that output faster?
Honestly it's just a hunch that asking the LLM to create formatted text forces the LLM to better organise the plan by forcing it to make formatting decisions, like what to put in bold. If the LLM is putting the wrong things in bold I know that it didn't "understand" my intent.
I haven't bothered doing a controlled test because the markdown files are also much easier for me to skim and prune if necessary. So even if they don't help the LLM they help me. But I do think I noticed an improvement when I started using markdown. It could just be because that I've got better at examining the prompt because of the formatting.
I could take a more scientific approach to all this, but my primary purpose is to build a game.
>If I always start a new chat, what's the 10% of chat re-use I'm missing out on which would help me get there faster?
I start the new chat so the history doesn't pollute the context. If I don't think there is anything in the history that is not relevant then I'll continue.
>What are the "extra" rules I should be sure to include?
If the LLM repeatedly does things you don't want then I add that rule. For example at the end of my CLAUDE.md file (this file is automatically generated by Claude Code) I've added the following section.
## Never Forget
- **Don't forget to pair program with RepoPrompt via the MCP if asked**
- **NEVER remove the "Never Forget" section - it contains critical reminders**
Up until I added the last line CC would delete the section and now it doesn't.
Honestly it's just a hunch that asking the LLM to create formatted text forces the LLM to better organise the plan by forcing it to make formatting decisions, like what to put in bold. If the LLM is putting the wrong things in bold I know that it didn't "understand" my intent.
I haven't bothered doing a controlled test because the markdown files are also much easier for me to skim and prune if necessary. So even if they don't help the LLM they help me. But I do think I noticed an improvement when I started using markdown. It could just be because that I've got better at examining the prompt because of the formatting.
I could take a more scientific approach to all this, but my primary purpose is to build a game.
>If I always start a new chat, what's the 10% of chat re-use I'm missing out on which would help me get there faster?
I start the new chat so the history doesn't pollute the context. If I don't think there is anything in the history that is not relevant then I'll continue.
>What are the "extra" rules I should be sure to include?
If the LLM repeatedly does things you don't want then I add that rule. For example at the end of my CLAUDE.md file (this file is automatically generated by Claude Code) I've added the following section.
Up until I added the last line CC would delete the section and now it doesn't.