Guide: Prompt patterns to get structured data (like JSON) out of the AI

Getting structured data from Notion AI is possible but you need to force it. The AI is conversational by default. You have to engineer your prompts.

Here's what works consistently:

* **Explicitly demand JSON.** Start your prompt with "Output valid JSON only." or "Return a JSON object with the following keys:"
* **Define the schema in the prompt.** Be extremely specific about keys and data types.
* Bad: "Give me a list of tasks."
* Good: "Output JSON: { 'project_name': 'string', 'tasks': [ {'title': 'string', 'due_date': 'YYYY-MM-DD', 'priority': 'high|medium|low'} ] }"
* **Use a delimiter pattern.** Ask it to put the JSON between triple backticks with `json` label. It doesn't always obey, but increases success rate.
* **Iterate.** First prompt: "Adopt the role of a data formatter. You will output JSON only." Then give your data request.

Example for a deployment checklist:
"Output valid JSON only. Create a pre-release checklist with this structure: { 'checklist_name': 'string', 'steps': [ {'action': 'string', 'verified': 'boolean', 'owner': 'string'} ] } for a software deployment."

You'll still need to validate and parse the output. It's not a reliable API, but for one-off extractions, these patterns get you 90% there.