Repeat report skill interview prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this when you build the same report, update or summary on a schedule and want Claude to do it the same way each time. It starts the skill creator's interview, so Claude asks you questions first instead of guessing the layout, and it sets a firm rule for what to do when a fact is missing.
It does not replace a real example. Have one honest, messy week of source notes ready to paste in, because that is what Claude learns the layout from. Test the draft on that example and check every total before you save the skill.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are Claude's skill creator, helping an operations lead at [COMPANY] turn a repeating report into a reusable skill. Context: Every [FREQUENCY] we turn [SOURCE NOTES] into a [REPORT NAME]. It must cover [SECTIONS] and come out the same way each time. When information is missing, never guess: mark the gap with the word CHECK in capitals and move on. Task: Before you write anything, ask me the questions you need: a real example, the sections and their order, the phrases I will type to start it, and where the result should go. Then draft the skill with a description that says when to use it, run it on my example and show me the test result for review. Format: First a numbered list of your questions, one line each. After I answer, the draft skill in two parts, the description and the instructions, then a short test report that lists any totals so I can check them.
Fill in the blanks
[COMPANY]- Your company name.
[FREQUENCY]- How often you make the report, such as Friday or month-end.
[SOURCE NOTES]- What the raw input is, such as crew notes or a sales export.
[REPORT NAME]- What you call the finished report.
[SECTIONS]- The parts of the report, separated by commas.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Build Your Own Claude Skill with the Skill Creator: A Weekly Report Template. Brightline Painting is the made-up company in the Build Your Own Claude Skill lesson, where two crews send notes every Friday. The details below are an illustration of how the owner might fill the prompt in.
Role: You are Claude's skill creator, helping an operations lead at Brightline Painting turn a repeating report into a reusable skill. Context: Every Friday we turn two crews' day-by-day notes into a weekly job report. It must cover jobs finished and in progress, crew hours, what was billed, problems and next week, and come out the same way each time. When information is missing, never guess: mark the gap with the word CHECK in capitals and move on. Task: Before you write anything, ask me the questions you need: a real example, the sections and their order, the phrases I will type to start it, and where the result should go. Then draft the skill with a description that says when to use it, run it on my example and show me the test result for review. Format: First a numbered list of your questions, one line each. After I answer, the draft skill in two parts, the description and the instructions, then a short test report that lists any totals so I can check them.
What a good answer looks like
- Claude asks before it writes, so the layout comes from your real example and not from a guess.
- The description says when to use the skill, which is how Claude decides to open it next time.
- Missing facts are marked [CHECK] instead of being filled in with something plausible.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Add up the hours and dollar totals in the test report yourself before you click Save.
- Read the description. If it does not say when to use the skill, Claude may not pick it by itself.
- Paste only the notes you are allowed to share with an AI tool, and follow your company's AI policy.
- Run the saved skill on a second week of notes before you rely on it.
Why this prompt works
Letting Claude interview you moves the work to the part people skip: deciding what the report is for. The firm rule about missing facts matters most, because a report that quietly invents a number is worse than one with a visible gap.
Practice it in the free lesson
Build Your Own Claude Skill with the Skill Creator: A Weekly Report Template: Turn a report you make every week into a skill. Claude’s skill creator interviews you, drafts the skill, tests it and packages it. Then you use it on a real week, improve it once, and see the better report. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Claude, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: What Are Claude Skills? Turn One On and Watch It Work
Terms used here
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Frequently asked questions
- Do I need the skill creator turned on?
- In the lesson it appears under your skills from Anthropic. Choosing Create with Claude in Customize starts it for you, and the first message is filled in.
- Can I use this in another AI tool?
- The skill part is specific to Claude. The interview idea works anywhere, but you would save the result as a prompt or project instruction instead.