What is the LLaMA instruct template?

LLaMA instruct models expect a specific format: system content inside >... > tags and user instructions inside [INST]...[/INST] tags. This format was introduced with LLaMA 2 Chat and is used by most LLaMA-based fine-tunes.

Does LLaMA 3 use the same prompt format as LLaMA 2?

LLaMA 3 introduced a new special token format using and tokens for Llama 3 instruct models. The >/[INST] format is primarily for LLaMA 2. This builder uses the widely-supported instruct convention.

Can I use this format with Ollama or llama.cpp?

Yes. Most local LLaMA runtimes including Ollama, llama.cpp, and LM Studio support the >/[INST] instruct template for LLaMA 2 Chat models.

LLaMA Prompt Builder

Build structured prompts in LLaMA instruct format with <<SYS>> and [INST] tags.

Role / Persona

Task / Instruction

Context / Background

Constraints / Rules

Output Format

Examples

Assembled Prompt

0 tokens · 0 chars

Fill in the fields on the left to build your prompt...

Format: LLaMA instruct template (<<SYS>> / [INST])

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FAQ

What is the LLaMA instruct template?: LLaMA instruct models expect a specific format: system content inside <<SYS>>...</<SYS>> tags and user instructions inside [INST]...[/INST] tags. This format was introduced with LLaMA 2 Chat and is used by most LLaMA-based fine-tunes.
Does LLaMA 3 use the same prompt format as LLaMA 2?: LLaMA 3 introduced a new special token format using <|begin_of_text|> and <|start_header_id|> tokens for Llama 3 instruct models. The <<SYS>>/[INST] format is primarily for LLaMA 2. This builder uses the widely-supported instruct convention.
Can I use this format with Ollama or llama.cpp?: Yes. Most local LLaMA runtimes including Ollama, llama.cpp, and LM Studio support the <<SYS>>/[INST] instruct template for LLaMA 2 Chat models.

Build well-structured prompts in the LLaMA instruct template format. System content is wrapped in <<SYS>>...</<SYS>> and user instructions in [INST]...[/INST] — the native format for LLaMA 2 and LLaMA 3 instruct models. Fill in role, task, context, constraints, output format, and examples.