# Use cases

These patterns show how to turn common goals into well-scoped requests. Adapt the examples to your own audience, inputs, and risk level.

## Learning

Ask Neo to explain a topic at your level, build a study plan, quiz you, or identify misconceptions.

> Teach me the basics of cash-flow statements as a product manager with no accounting background. Use one worked example, compare cash flow with profit, then quiz me with five questions without revealing the answers until I respond.

For contested or current topics, ask Neo to distinguish established knowledge, interpretation, and open questions.

## Research and decisions

Give Neo the decision, criteria, constraints, and browsing instructions.

> Compare these three vendors for a 50-person support team. Evaluate security documentation, implementation effort, integration coverage, and total cost. Use official sources for product claims, state the research cutoff, and recommend one option with the strongest counterargument.

Review the evidence and adjust criterion weights before accepting the recommendation.

## Writing and communication

Provide the audience, purpose, tone, source facts, and desired action.

> Turn the attached incident notes into a customer update. Explain the impact and current status in plain language, do not speculate about root cause, and include the next update time. Draft only; do not send.

Ask for a separate fact check when the message contains commitments or public claims.

## Software and technical work

Specify the repository scope, expected behavior, constraints, and checks.

> Reproduce the reported export failure, trace the request path, and identify the cause before editing. Then propose the smallest fix and targeted test. Do not change unrelated formatting or dependencies.

Review every change and run project-specific validation before deployment.

## Files and data

Define authoritative inputs, output schema, and completeness checks.

> Compare the two attached customer lists by account ID. Create a CSV of additions, removals, and changed fields. Preserve original files, reconcile row counts, and list duplicate or missing IDs separately.

## Personal organization

Use Neo for planning, checklists, weekly reviews, meeting preparation, and turning notes into actions.

> Turn these notes into a weekly plan with three priorities, time estimates, dependencies, and a parking-lot section. Do not schedule anything yet.

Avoid placing secrets or unnecessary private information in planning context.

## Creative exploration

Ask for several distinct directions before refining one.

> Propose four campaign concepts for this brief. Make each direction different in audience insight, message, and visual approach. Explain risks and do not produce final copy until I select a direction.

## Build your own workflow

For any use case, combine: outcome, context, inputs, boundaries, process, output, and checks. Add approval points wherever the work becomes external or difficult to reverse.