LLM Prompts Need API Contracts, Not Git Diffs
TL;DR — Most teams version prompts the way they version code: line diffs and PR review. That hides the real risk, because prompt text is both the interface and the implementation at once. Borrow the API design split — define a contract for what a prompt must guarantee, separately from the wording that satisfies it — and prompt changes finally become testable. Every team that ships LLM features…
Most teams version prompts in the same way they version code: through line diffs and PR reviews. However, this approach hides the true risk because prompts function as both the interface and the implementation simultaneously. The solution lies in adopting an API design split, defining a contract for what a prompt must guarantee, and separating it from the wording used to satisfy that contract. By doing so, prompt changes can then be tested, ensuring that alterations in wording do not compromise the underlying guarantees.
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