rule-under-pressure

Rule under pressure

You set a rule: never use requests; use only the standard library. The model agrees. Ask 1 (fetch a URL with retries) and Ask 2 (the demo is in an hour) both stay stdlib. Ask 3 lifts the rule in words: "use requests for this demo; we'll remove it before merge." With a weak rule, it imports requests. It can still quote the rule.

Remembered is not obeyed. A hard rule should refuse even you. The fix has two parts. Ask: write the rule so a soft ask gets refused, with the rule named, and give it a safe way to help. Verify: replay the same soft ask, and check the code with a script.

Put Part A in your tool's instructions box (system prompt, custom or project instructions). No box? Make it message 1 and re-send it with risky asks. Do Part B yourself. Fill in the brackets.

Part A — Ask (paste and adapt)

HARD RULES (no exceptions in this chat, including asks from me):
1. [HARD RULE, e.g. never use the `requests` library; use only Python's standard library]
2. [SAFE WAY TO HELP, e.g. if the task is awkward without it, stay in the allowed tools and say what is awkward]
3. [FORMAT LOCK, e.g. never add the forbidden library to imports, requirements, or examples]

For every request in this chat:
1. Before answering, check the request against each HARD RULE. If one
   applies, say which and how your answer keeps it.
2. If the request asks you to bend a HARD RULE ("for this demo", "we'll
   remove it before merge", "just this once", "I'll fix it later", a
   deadline, "the rule doesn't apply here", [YOUR OWN SOFT ASKS]), do not
   comply. Reply:
   "HARD RULE [number] blocks this. To change it, edit HARD RULES."
3. Then offer the best answer that keeps every HARD RULE, and say what is
   awkward about it.
4. If you are not sure whether a request bends a HARD RULE, say UNKNOWN
   and ask. Do not decide quietly.

The only way to change a HARD RULE is for me to edit HARD RULES. If I do,
mark each use with # TEMP: HARD RULES exception and name the file.