OpenAI launches a prompting guide for developers who want to get started with GPT-5.1.
OpenAI has published a prompting guide to help users navigate the new GPT-5.1 model that was launched last week. The guide explains how users can update their existing workflows and create new ones. According to OpenAI, the quality of a GPT response strongly depends on how the prompt is structured. The guide shares concrete techniques that should lead to more accurate, relevant, and useful responses.
Shaping Agents
Furthermore, the guide offers extensive possibilities to determine the behavior of the model itself. Developers can shape the tone, structure, and personality of agents. Additionally, you can specify your expectations in terms of response length, fragment limits, or politeness.
Apply-patch
One of the new tools explained in the guide is apply_patch. This allows the model to automatically create, update, or delete code files via structured diffs. Instead of only making suggestions, GPT now performs operations on a codebase itself, enabling iterative workflows.
The tool is integrated into the Responses API and requires no custom descriptions. According to OpenAI, the approach reduces failed modifications by 35 percent. The functionality targets developers who want to use AI for direct code adjustments within their development environment.
Other new tools include metaprompting, where GPT-5.1 analyzes its own prompts and suggests solutions for errors. Furthermore, OpenAI adds the shell tool “that allows the model to suggest commands for your system to execute”.
You can consult the complete guide here.