Prompt variables
Turn one good prompt into a fill-in-the-blank template. Write {{variables}} where the details change and StickyPrompts asks for them each time the prompt runs.
A prompt that says “write a renewal email to Elena at Bluebird Market” is useful once. A prompt that says “write a renewal email to {{contact_name}} at {{company}}” is useful every week, for everyone on the team. Variables are the blanks in a saved prompt: you write the instructions once, and whoever runs it only fills in what is different this time.
Write a variable
Wrap a name in double curly braces anywhere in the prompt:
Write a renewal check-in email to {{contact_name}} at {{company}}.That is all. StickyPrompts detects every {{...}} automatically, highlights it in the editor and adds it to the VARIABLES panel on the right. There is nothing to register separately, and deleting the text removes the variable.
Good variable names are short, lowercase and descriptive, with underscores between words: renewal_date, not {{Date2}}. The name becomes the label people see when they fill it in, so top_feature shows up as Top Feature.
Example: Renewal Check-in Email
The Northwind customer success team uses this prompt before every renewal. It has five variables.
Write a renewal check-in email to {{contact_name}} at {{company}}.
Context:
- Plan: {{plan}}
- Renewal date: {{renewal_date}}
- What they use most: {{top_feature}}
Tone: warm, direct, no pressure. Max 120 words. End with one clear
question. Follow the Northwind brand voice.| Variable | What the person running it enters |
|---|---|
{{contact_name}} | The customer contact, e.g. Elena Ortiz |
{{company}} | The customer, e.g. Bluebird Market |
{{plan}} | Their current plan, e.g. Growth, 12 stores |
{{renewal_date}} | When they renew, e.g. 15 November 2026 |
{{top_feature}} | The feature they rely on, e.g. Store Comparison |
Set defaults and required fields
Each variable in the VARIABLES panel has its own settings.
- Default value. Type into Set a default value (optional). The default is pre-filled whenever the prompt runs, so people only change it when they need to. Good for values that are usually the same, like a sender name or a region.
- Required or optional. Mark a variable as required when the prompt makes no sense without it. The panel header counts how many are required. Leave it optional when the model can cope with a blank.
- Always ask. Turn this on when you want a form to pop up and collect the values before the prompt runs, so nobody sends it with a blank by accident.
Use the edit and delete icons on a variable to change or remove it. Add variable creates one by hand, and Assign Selection to Variable turns text you have selected in the prompt into a variable.
Test with sample values
Before you share a prompt, try it on the Test prompt tab. It shows one input per variable, a model picker and a Run button. Each run is kept under RESULTS with the time, the model and the values you used, so you can compare outputs side by side as you tweak the wording.
Try at least two quite different inputs - a large customer and a small one, say - and read every result. If one comes back wrong, the fix usually belongs in the prompt’s instructions, not in the values.
Run a prompt with variables
Run the prompt with Try in chat from the library or Run chat from the editor. You fill in the values, starting from any defaults you set (with Always ask on, a form pops up for them). The prompt then goes to the model with every {{variable}} replaced by your text, and you carry on in a normal chat.
Tips
- Put variables in context, not alone.
Renewal date: {{renewal_date}}tells the model what the value means. A bare{{renewal_date}}at the end of a sentence does not. - Keep the list short. Three to five variables is a comfortable form. If you need ten, you may have two prompts.
- Use the same names across prompts. If every sales prompt uses
{{company}}, people learn what to type. - Variables carry text, not files. For reference material, attach a file to the prompt or use a knowledge base.