What prompt format/template should I use for training Unsloth/Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?
Hugging Face Forums [Unofficial]
June 25, 2026
Hi, I need some help figuring out the best way to format my prompts for my dataset based on the model I’m training, and I’d appreciate some advice. Should I keep it as it is, or use a chat template? Which approach should I use, and how should I format my prompts? I’m planning to run the model using an API I’ll code. Below I have attached my current format prompt that I am using to train my Unsloth/Phi-3.5-mini-instruct Model.
Example of my current format prompt
```
from datasets import Dataset
def format_prompt(example):
return f"### Input: {json.dumps(example['input'], ensure_ascii=False)}\n### Output: {json.dumps(example['output'], ensure_ascii=False)}<|endoftext|>"
formatted_data = [format_prompt(item) for item in file]
dataset = Dataset.from_dict({"text": formatted_data})
```
Example of my dataset input and output
```
{
"input": {
"insight_period": "7-Days",
"receipts": [
{
"merchantName": "Lane7",
"date": "2026-06-08",
"total": 21.02,
"currency": "£"
},
{
"merchantName": "LVLS",
"date": "2026-06-07",
"total": 53.78,
"currency": "£"
}
]
},
"output": {
"insights": [
{
"title": "Balanced Spending",
"description": "You spent £74.80, which falls within a reasonable range. The majority of your spending came from Entertainment. There is a consistent pattern in your recent transactions."
},
{
"title": "Spending Pattern",
"description": "You made 2 transactions during this period."
},
{
"title": "Category Insight",
"description": "Your highest spending category was Entertainment."
}
],
"category": "Entertainment"
}
}
```
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