thinkhard.SI

Prompt repository Email, meetings & presentations

Email reply prompt: answer everything an email asks

You need a reply that answers every question and request in a long email, in order, without missing one.

Registry no.
OFF-010
Collection
Email, meetings & presentations
Laid out for
Any chat model
Score
10 out of 10
Blanks to fill
3
Added

Email, meetings & presentationsAny chat

The prompt

Score 10 of 10, Excellent

Use it when You need a reply that answers every question and request in a long email, in order, without missing one.

  • {{sender}}
  • {{incoming_email}}
  • {{my_answers}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
Draft my reply to the email below. It asks several things, and the reply must answer every one of them, in order, so the sender does not have to write back to ask again.

The email, from {{sender}}:
"""
{{incoming_email}}
"""

My answers and notes (fragments are fine):
"""
{{my_answers}}
"""

Step 1. Before drafting, find every question and request in the email, including ones buried mid-paragraph or only implied, such as "let me know if that works" or "could you also send...". Number them in the order they appear.

Step 2. Write the reply:
- One opening line that thanks them or acknowledges the email, then straight to the answers.
- Answer each item in the order the sender asked it, as a numbered list. Start each point with a few words naming the question, for example "1. Delivery date:", then give the answer before any explanation.
- One to three sentences per answer, usually under 250 words in total. Copy names, numbers and dates from my notes exactly.
- If two questions depend on each other, answer them together and say so.
- Close with the next step and who takes it.
- A friendly, professional tone that matches how formal the sender's email is.

Use only my notes for the answers. If my notes do not answer an item, do not make up an answer, a date or a commitment. Write "[I need to answer: ...]" in that spot so I can fill it in before sending. If a question could be read two ways, answer the more likely reading and mention the other in the check below.

Step 3. Under the draft, add a coverage check: a table with the columns Their question or request, Answered (yes, partly, or needs your input), and Note. Every item from Step 1 must appear in it, so I can see at a glance that nothing was missed.

Variables

{{sender}}
Who sent it and your relationship, for example "a new client" or "the finance team".
{{incoming_email}}
The email you are replying to, in full.
{{my_answers}}
What you know for each question, including "no" or "don't know yet". Fragments are fine.

Why it works

  • What to make. Listing every question first, including the implied ones, is what stops a reply from answering four things and missing the fifth.
  • If unsure. Anything your notes do not answer becomes a marked gap for you to fill, never an invented date or commitment.
  • Format. Answers follow the sender's order, and a coverage table shows at a glance that each request has been handled.

How to use it

  1. Press Fill in variables and type your details into each blank. What you type stays in this browser.
  2. Copy the filled prompt into the AI tool you already use, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, or open it in the Grader or the Prompt Tester here.
  3. Before you rely on it, try it on three or four real examples. The Prompt Tester runs them all at once and shows which ones go wrong.
Use it from code

Get this prompt as JSON from the free REST API, with your own text in the blanks, or let an AI assistant fetch it through the MCP server. No key.

curl -s https://thinkhard.si/api/v1/prompts/reply-to-multi-question-email

With the MCP server added to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or VS Code, call get_prompt with {"prompt": "reply-to-multi-question-email"}, or just ask for it by name.

Questions

How do I get ChatGPT or Claude to answer every question in an email?

Ask it to list every question first, then answer them in order. This prompt does that, including requests buried mid-paragraph such as let me know if that works. Paste the full email and your answers (fragments are fine), and it ends with a coverage table showing which items are answered and which still need your input.

What happens if I don't know an answer yet?

Write don't know yet in your notes and the reply will say so, or leave it out and the draft shows [I need to answer: ...] in that spot. Either way it will not invent a date or commitment for you. Search the draft for brackets before sending, and check the coverage table for anything marked partly.

Is it OK to paste a client's email into ChatGPT or Claude?

Check your company's AI policy first, because a client email often carries names, contact details and account numbers. If it is allowed, run the email through Safe Paste before you paste it, which swaps those details for labels and restores them in the reply. Anything your policy says must stay inside your systems should not go in at all.