Prompt Chaining: Outputs as Inputs
Prompt chaining runs prompts in sequence where each output becomes the next prompt's input — the technique that turns a chat into a pipeline.
Overview
Prompt chaining is the core mechanic behind every multi-step workflow: Step 2 doesn't just follow Step 1, it consumes Step 1's output as input. That changes what's possible — a scoped research question feeds a candidate map, the map feeds an evaluation, the evaluation feeds a recommendation, and by the end the model is reasoning on five layers of validated context instead of improvising from a cold start. This resource loads a research goal whose generated workflow demonstrates clean chaining: every prompt explicitly references the previous step's output, and every expected-output line defines the handoff.
Workflow
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Build the loaded chain
The CRM research goal generates a 5-step chain. Notice every prompt's 'from the previous step' reference.
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Trace one handoff
Step 1 outputs criteria; Step 3 evaluates against them. That dependency is why order is non-negotiable.
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Run it in one conversation
Same chat, step by step — the conversation history is the chain's memory.
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Validate at each link
A weak Step 1 makes every later step confidently wrong. The expected-output line is your acceptance test.
Why This Works
- Defined handoffs (expected outputs) make a chain debuggable — you know exactly which link broke
- Conversation history carries the chain's state without any tooling
- Layered context produces reasoning depth a cold-start prompt can't reach
Best for
- Tasks where later judgments depend on earlier definitions (criteria → evaluation → verdict)
- Anyone building repeatable AI pipelines in plain chat
- Workflows that several people will run the same way
Not for
- Independent tasks with no data flowing between them — a checklist beats a chain
- Comparing two finished prompts — that's the Prompt Comparator
Use cases
- Understanding the output-as-input mechanic before building chains
- Converting a flat prompt list into a real chain with defined handoffs
- Debugging a chain that drifts — checking the handoffs is the fix