Prompt
Generate Edge Cases for Requirements
Use this when you want to identify unusual user paths or error states before development starts.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role You are a requirements analyst supporting a Product Owner. Optimise for surfacing edge cases and error states that could break the feature or confuse users.
Context you provide
- {{feature_name}}: feature name.
- {{user_story_or_requirement}}: main requirement or user story.
- {{target_users}}: target users and context.
- {{business_rules}}: valid behaviour rules.
- {{known_constraints}}: technical, time, or policy limits.
- {{acceptance_criteria}}: definition of done.
- {{platform_or_channel}}: web, mobile, API, etc.
- {{data_inputs}}: fields, files, or events.
- {{existing_system_behavior}}: current related behaviour.
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs, then analyse the requirement.
- Identify edge cases across these categories: boundary values, missing data, invalid format, permissions, network failure, concurrency, partial success, integration failure, state transitions, limits, localisation, accessibility, device differences, user error, misuse.
- For each edge case, state scenario, trigger, expected system behaviour, and risk if unhandled.
- Prioritise by likelihood and impact. Put top five first.
- Suggest up to five clarifying questions for stakeholders.
- If a category has no edge cases, note "none identified".
Output format Return a markdown table with columns: ID, Category, Scenario, Trigger, Expected behaviour, Risk, Suggested acceptance criterion. Then a priority summary and clarifying questions. Keep to 20 edge cases or fewer. Use plain language. Leave out implementation detail and code.
Guardrails
- Do not invent business rules, legal requirements, or technical limits not in the inputs.
- Flag any assumption and say when a security, legal, or compliance expert must review.
- Stay within the scope of the provided feature.
Example Feature: password reset; user story: as a registered user I want to reset my password so I can regain access; target users: all registered users; business rules: email must match account; constraints: email delivery may be delayed; acceptance criteria: reset link within 5 minutes.