---
id: "openai-prompt-engineering-guide"
title: "Prompt engineering (OpenAI API docs)"
creator: "OpenAI"
creator_url: "https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/prompt-engineering"
url: "https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/prompt-engineering"
level: "beginner"
level_max: null
category: "prompting"
subcategory: "prompting-fundamentals"
region: "West"
license: "closed"
license_scope: "linked-resource"
models: ["gpt"]
source_date: null
date_added: "2026-10-18"
---

[Prompting](/prompting/index.md)

# Prompt engineering (OpenAI API docs)

by [OpenAI](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/prompt-engineering)

[Read the original →](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/prompt-engineering)

OpenAI's official baseline on message roles, instructions and examples.

This documentation explains how to organize instructions and examples when using OpenAI models. It provides a starting reference for separating the task from the material the model should process.

Level: [Beginner](/levels/index.md#beginner)
Models: gpt
Category: [Prompting](/prompting/index.md)
Tags: [official-guide](/tags/official-guide/index.md)
Source date: date not stated
Added: 2026-10-18
Last verified: 2026-10-18
Status: ok
Prerequisites: Conceptual or guided prompt use; the main path does not require writing code.
Subcategory: [prompting fundamentals](/prompting/prompting-fundamentals/index.md)
Region: West
Original language: en
Access: free
Resource reuse: closed: No general open-reuse grant established from the inspected page. Closed is the conservative index bucket, not a legal finding; the resource is publicly readable. [Facet definitions](/about/index.md#facets)

Summary in our own words. Rights remain with the original creator. [Credit and correction policy](/about/index.md#credit-policy).

[Plain-text Markdown copy](/prompting/prompting-fundamentals/openai-prompt-engineering-guide/index.md)