Learn by using GetRuthless
Keep this guide beside your Ruthless chat. Copy one prompt, add the example it asks for and paste it into “Message Ruthless”. Nothing is sent until you choose to send it.
The short answer
Describe the person, the situation and the result you want, then add concrete examples, limits and a way to check success. Ask GetRuthless to expose missing decisions before it generates a solution.
Begin with what should become easier
“Make my app better” leaves almost every important decision open. “Help a first-time visitor save their first note without wondering whether it worked” describes a person and an observable result. You can discuss the appearance later; first decide what the person should be able to do. A brief is a shared description of the job, not an impressive technical specification.
Bring a short account of the current experience, a redacted example and any decisions already made. For a writing task, the inputs might be an audience, source notes and a sample of your preferred tone. For an app change, they might be a screen description, relevant code and the current behaviour. GetRuthless only knows the context you provide; naming your project does not expose its files.
Refine the brief in GetRuthless
Open getruthless.io, sign in if needed and open chat. Choose an available model from Choose model. Paste your rough request with the prompt below into Message Ruthless, review it and press Send. Start with explanation and questions so an uncertain requirement does not quietly become a design decision.
Answer questions about what success means, who needs it and which constraints matter. Keep an “unknown” answer when you have not decided; do not invent certainty to satisfy the model. Ask it to distinguish your decisions from its recommendations. If it proposes a larger project, bring it back to the original result and ask what the smallest complete version would contain.
Help turn this rough request into a clear brief before doing the task: [request]. Current situation: [facts]. Intended person and result: [description]. Inputs I can provide: [list]. Decisions already made: [list]. Limits: [time, scope, format, budget if relevant]. First identify missing decisions that would change the outcome. Ask only the essential questions. Then draft a brief with the outcome, included work, excluded work, examples, unresolved questions and observable success checks. Label your suggestions separately from my instructions.Example: replace adjectives with behaviour
Example output: “Outcome: a first-time notes user knows when a save completes. Included: a confirmation after a successful save and a clear failure message. Preserve: existing storage and privacy rules. Check: save an invented note, see confirmation, reload and find it; reproduce a safe failure and confirm it does not say saved.” This is more judgeable than “make saving seamless”.
Read the draft as if you were the person doing the work. Can two people reasonably interpret “done” differently? Replace loose words with examples. If the brief says “fast”, explain what waiting currently feels like and which action matters; do not invent a performance target just to add a number. If it says “simple”, name the unnecessary step you want removed.
Check the brief before using it
Compare every sentence with your original need. Remove additions you did not request, especially new accounts, purchases, data collection or restrictions. Ask GetRuthless to identify which success checks depend on information you have not supplied. A polished brief can still hide an untested assumption.
Small task: write one successful example and one near miss. For a weekly meal plan, success might fit the stated ingredients and schedule; a near miss might use an ingredient you cannot eat. Paste both and ask whether the brief distinguishes them. Save the reviewed brief as the starting context for the actual task, with unresolved choices still visible.
Common questions
How long should a brief be?
Long enough to remove decisions that would materially change the result. A small task may need a few sentences. Add detail because it helps someone choose or check something, not to reach a template length.
Should I let GetRuthless choose everything?
It can recommend routine approaches and explain trade-offs. You should settle decisions about the desired product, audience, spending and acceptable outcomes rather than letting suggestions silently become instructions.
Sources & further reading
The example prompts and workflows are GetRuthless guidance. Source references support the concepts explained; they are not an endorsement of GetRuthless.
Put the guide into practice.
Open Ruthless and choose an available standard or abliterated model suited to your task. Copy a prompt above, add the context it asks for and check the result. You can compare models in the same workspace; see current pricing before sending requests.