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Control & Agency
Format Refusal (Lazy Output)
The AI ignores specific formatting instructions (JSON, Table, Markdown) and outputs conversational text.
3 principles3 checklist items2 simulation modes
What you will learn
Respect Constraints
Structured Output
No Chatter
Run the simulation to see the failure in action.
Interactive Lab
Toggle between Bad and Good modes.
Anti-pattern mode
Simulation Status: Idlev2.4.0
Why it fails
Developers often use AI to generate structured data for other systems. When the AI ignores 'Output as valid JSON' and instead gives a chatty preamble ('Here is the JSON you asked for...') or uses the wrong delimiters, it breaks pipelines and wastes user time.
Root cause
RLHF training prioritizes conversational helpfulness over rigid adherence to formatting constraints. System prompts are not strict enough about 'no chatter'.
How to fix it
Respect Constraints
Structured Output
No Chatter
Implementation checklist
- Support a 'JSON Mode' or structured output flag
- Recognize format keywords (JSON, CSV, Markdown) and suppress conversational filler
- Validate output schema before sending