# AI Prompt

Use **AI Prompt** when you want a workflow step to send a prompt to an LLM and store the assistant response for later steps.

## Configuration

| Option                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Required | Description                                                                                     |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Name                                                                                                                                                                                                                               | No       | Label for the step in the workflow canvas.                                                      |
| Charge Type                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | No       | Whether the step uses **Hosted** or **Personal** model billing.                                 |
| LLM Model                                                                                                                                                                                                                          | Yes      | The model selected in **LLM Model**.                                                            |
| Temperature                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | No       | Controls how predictable or creative the response is when the selected model uses temperature.  |
| Max Thinking Tokens                                                                                                                                                                                                                | No       | Sets **Max Thinking Tokens** for Claude thinking models.                                        |
| Reasoning Effort                                                                                                                                                                                                                   | No       | Sets **Reasoning Effort** for supported reasoning models.                                       |
| Max Tokens                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | No       | Sets the maximum response length for the step.                                                  |
| Prompt                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Yes      | Prompt messages in the **Prompt** section. Each message has a role and content.                 |
| Response Format                                                                                                                                                                                                                    | No       | Lets you switch **JSON Schema** on for supported providers.                                     |
| JSON Schema                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | No       | Structured response schema used when **JSON Schema** is enabled.                                |
| When the step fails                                                                                                                                                                                                                | No       | Controls whether the workflow should **Terminate Workflow** or **Continue** if this step fails. |
| The **AI Prompt** step uses a wider settings sheet than the other workflow step types. The left side holds the prompt configuration, and the right side shows prompt messages and model responses from test runs in the same view. |          |                                                                                                 |

In **Parameters**, the exact controls change with the selected model:

* **Temperature** is shown for standard models.
* **Max Thinking Tokens** is shown for Claude thinking models.
* **Reasoning Effort** is shown for supported reasoning models.

In **Prompt**, click **Add Message** to build the message list. The first new message is a `system` message. After that, new messages default to `user`. Each message supports variable insertion from the workflow with the **Insert Variable** button.

If your selected provider supports structured output, you can enable **JSON Schema** in **Response Format**. This opens a schema editor where you can set a schema name, load an example, and save the JSON schema the model must follow.

`assistant` is available as a message role in the editor, but this step still runs as a single prompt execution and stores the final assistant response as the step output.

## Output

This step stores the final assistant response as the step output.

Use the variable picker to insert the exact reference path for a previous prompt step. In templates and later steps, the base reference is:

```
{{STEP_IDENTIFIER.output}}
```

If the response is plain text, reference the full value directly:

```
{{step_2.output}}
```

If **JSON Schema** is enabled and the model returns a structured object, you can reference nested fields:

```
{{step_2.output.title}}
{{step_2.output.summary}}
```

The exact available keys depend on the schema and model response shown in the variable picker.

## Example

Add **AI Prompt** from the workflow step picker.

Set **Name** to something like `Summarize article`.

In **Parameters**, choose your **Charge Type** and **LLM Model**. Adjust **Temperature**, **Reasoning Effort**, or **Max Thinking Tokens** if those controls are shown for your model.

In **Prompt**, add a `system` message that explains the task and a `user` message that inserts earlier workflow data such as `{{step_1.output}}`.

If you need structured output, enable **JSON Schema** and define fields such as `title` and `summary`.

Click **Run** in the step header to test the step. The response appears in the right-hand panel, and later steps can reference that output with the variable picker.

## Notes

* Use the step identifier shown in the variable picker when you reference this step in later fields.
* The **Clear** action removes previous model responses from the test panel. It does not remove your prompt messages.
* The step output is the final assistant response, not the full request metadata.
* When **JSON Schema** is enabled, later steps can reference the returned object by field instead of parsing raw text.

See also: [Creating and Editing](https://docs.fetchhive.com/workflows/creating-and-editing), [Testing and Iteration](https://docs.fetchhive.com/workflows/testing-and-iteration), and [Use your own API Key](https://docs.fetchhive.com/your-workspace/llm-providers)