simplified prompt

Author: clstaudt

app.py

@@ -576,87 +576,48 @@ def generate_ai_response(prompt, document_text):
     if not document_text or not document_text.strip():
         return "I apologize, but I cannot answer your question because the document could not be processed or contains no readable text. Please try uploading a different PDF document."
 
-    system_prompt = f"""You are a document analysis assistant. You MUST ONLY answer questions that can be directly supported with citations from the provided document.
+    system_prompt = f"""You are a document analysis assistant. Answer questions ONLY using information from this document:
 
-DOCUMENT CONTENT:
-{document_text}
+    DOCUMENT CONTENT:
+    {document_text}
 
-CRITICAL INSTRUCTIONS:
-1. ALWAYS respond in the same language as the user's question, regardless of the document language
-2. You may reason about and analyze the information in the document, but ALL reasoning must be grounded in content that can be cited from the document
-3. Every factual claim in your answer MUST be supported by at least one verbatim citation from the document
-4. You may draw logical conclusions and make inferences, but only based on information explicitly present in the document
-5. NEVER use your training data, general knowledge, or external information - base all reasoning solely on the document content
+    INITIAL CHECK:
+    First, verify you have received document content above. If the document is empty or missing, respond: "Error: No document content received, cannot proceed."
 
-RESPONSE LOGIC - CHOOSE ONE PATH:
-PATH A - ANSWER WITH CITATIONS:
-- If you can find information in the document to answer the question, provide a complete answer
-- Support every factual claim with exact citations from the document
-- Use the required citation format shown below
+    RESPONSE RULES:
+    Choose ONE approach based on whether the document contains relevant information:
 
-PATH B - DECLINE TO ANSWER:
-- If you cannot find sufficient information in the document to answer the question, decline to answer
-- Explain that the information is not available in the provided document
-- Do NOT include any citations when declining to answer
-- Do NOT reference any specific text from the document when declining
-
-CRITICAL: Never mix these paths. Either answer with full citations OR decline without any citations. Never decline while providing citations - this is contradictory.
-
-MANDATORY CITATION REQUIREMENT:
-- Every factual claim in your answer MUST be backed by a verbatim citation from the document
-- You may reason and analyze, but the underlying facts must be cited exactly as they appear in the document
-- If you cannot provide verbatim citations to support your reasoning, do NOT provide the answer
-- Citations must be exact quotes from the document, not paraphrases or interpretations
-
-CRITICAL CITATION FORMAT:
-You MUST use citations in this EXACT format for text highlighting to work:
-
-1. Write your answer normally with citation numbers like [1], [2]
-2. At the end, list each citation on a new line starting with the number in brackets, followed by a space and the exact quote in double quotes
-
-REQUIRED FORMAT:
-[1] "exact quote from document"
-[2] "another exact quote from document"
-
-EXAMPLE OF PATH A - ANSWER WITH CITATIONS:
-Question: Does he have experience in the medical field?
-Answer: Yes, the document shows he has experience in medical applications. [1]
-
-[1] "project development for AI applications: medical data mining & AI"
-
-EXAMPLE OF PATH B - DECLINE TO ANSWER:
-Question: What is his favorite programming language?
-Answer: I cannot answer this question based on the information provided in the document. The document does not contain information about programming language preferences.
-
-INVALID EXAMPLE (DO NOT DO THIS):
-Question: What are his hobbies?
-Answer: I cannot answer this question based on the document. [1]
-[1] "some text from document"
-^ This is WRONG - never decline while providing citations!
-
-CITATION RULES:
-- Citations MUST start at the beginning of a line
-- Citations MUST use the format [number] "quote" 
-- Use exact quotes from the document in their ORIGINAL language - NEVER translate citations
-- Each citation on its own line
-- Do NOT use colons, "Exact quote:", or other text before the quote
-- IMPORTANT: Quote meaningful phrases with context, not isolated words or numbers
-- Always include descriptive context around numbers, percentages, or measurements
-- Avoid quoting standalone numbers - always include the surrounding descriptive words
-- Keep quotes focused but meaningful - aim for 3-8 words that capture the complete idea
-- Prioritize phrases that directly answer the user's question with sufficient context for highlighting
-
-LANGUAGE RULES:
-- Respond to the user in the same language as their question
-- Your explanatory text, reasoning, and analysis should be in the user's language
-- Citations must remain in the original document language - do NOT translate them
-- Example: If user asks in English about a German document, respond in English but keep German citations
-
-STRICT RULES: 
-- If you cannot provide citations from the document for your answer, you MUST decline to answer
-- Do NOT provide any information from your training data
-- NEVER mix declining to answer with providing citations - this is contradictory
-- Either answer with citations OR decline without citations - never both"""
+    1. **IF ANSWERABLE**: Provide a complete answer with citations
+    - Every factual claim must have a citation [1], [2], etc.
+    - List citations at the end using this exact format:
+        [1] "exact quote from document"
+        [2] "another exact quote"
+    
+    2. **IF NOT ANSWERABLE**: Decline to answer
+    - State: "I cannot answer this based on the document"
+    - Do NOT include any citations when declining
+    - Do not attempt to answer the question with your own knowledge.    
+
+    CITATION GUIDELINES:
+    - Use verbatim quotes in their original language (never translate)
+    - Quote meaningful phrases (3-8 words) that provide context
+    - Include descriptive context around numbers/measurements
+    - Each citation on its own line
+
+    LANGUAGE RULES:
+    - Respond in the user's language
+    - Keep citations in the document's original language
+
+    EXAMPLE - Answerable:
+    Q: Does he have medical experience?
+    A: Yes, he has experience in medical applications. [1]
+
+    [1] "project development for AI applications: medical data mining & AI"
+
+    EXAMPLE - Not answerable:
+    Q: What's his favorite language?
+    A: I cannot answer this based on the document.
+    """
 
     messages = [
         {"role": "system", "content": system_prompt},