# 3. Scope It First

Most people under-use Fable 5 by giving it small tasks. Its real strength is jobs you would normally break up yourself.

**When to use:** Use when the job is bigger than one sitting and you have not fully thought it through. Let the model do the thinking.

## The prompt

```
Here is the job: [describe the outcome you want, even roughly]. Before you start, scope it. Tell me how you would break it down, what you need from me, and what could go wrong. Ask me your clarifying questions now, in one batch. Once I answer, execute end to end without checking in unless you are genuinely blocked.
```

## What that looks like filled in

```
Here is the job: I want a complete onboarding pack for new hires at my electrical contracting company. Rough shape in my head: a first-day checklist, a first-week training plan, the safety basics, and a who-to-call list. I have uploaded our current staff handbook, two old checklists and our org chart; keep whatever is worth keeping. It is not fully thought through, which is why I am handing it to you. Before you start, scope it. Tell me how you would break it down, what you need from me, and what could go wrong. Ask me your clarifying questions now, in one batch. Once I answer, execute end to end without checking in unless you are genuinely blocked.
```

**Why it works:** Anthropic's advice is to start at the top of your difficulty range: pick a harder task than you would give other models, and have Fable 5 scope it before executing.

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Adapted from Anthropic's official Claude Fable 5 prompting guide.
Full guide with all 12 prompts: https://www.waboom.ai/resources/claude-fable-5