Guidance
A guidance language for controlling large language models.
Overview
Guidance is a programming paradigm that offers a way to control the output of LLMs more effectively than traditional prompting. It allows developers to interleave generation, prompting, and logical control in a way that is more structured and predictable. This helps in enforcing constraints, formatting, and structure on the model's output, ensuring more reliable and consistent results.
✨ Key Features
- More precise control over LLM output
- Enforce constraints, formatting, and structure
- Interleave generation and prompting
- Create structured and predictable outputs
- Open-source
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Unique syntax that combines prompting with control flow (if/else, loops)
- Efficient, token-based control mechanism
- Backed by Microsoft Research
Unique Value: Provides developers with a new level of control and reliability when working with LLMs, ensuring that the output is not just relevant but also correctly structured and constrained.
🎯 Use Cases (4)
✅ Best For
- Forcing an LLM to output valid JSON that conforms to a specific schema.
- Creating a role-based chatbot where the user and assistant turns are explicitly structured.
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Simple, one-off prompts where strict output control is not necessary.
- Non-developers who need a graphical interface.
🏆 Alternatives
Unlike traditional prompt engineering which relies on natural language instructions, Guidance provides a formal language for controlling the LLM, leading to more predictable and reliable results, especially for structured data generation.
💻 Platforms
🔌 Integrations
💰 Pricing
Free tier: Fully open-source and free.
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