Structure complex Claude prompts with XML tags

Wrap instructions, documents and examples in descriptive XML tags so Claude never confuses your data with your instructions.

Published October 11, 2026

Anthropic recommends XML-style tags to separate the parts of a complex prompt.

<instructions>Summarize each contract's termination terms.</instructions>
<documents>
  <document index="1">
    <source>acme_msa.pdf</source>
    <document_content>...</document_content>
  </document>
</documents>
<format>One bullet per document.</format>

Tips

No magic tag names; just be descriptive and consistent.
Nest tags for hierarchy; give each document its own <document> with source metadata.
Ask for tagged output (e.g. <quotes>) so it’s easy to parse in code.

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