From 14bbafa146b06490eada7d5f3cde6849aaf188fa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: yangdx <gzdaniel@me.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2025 03:26:50 +0800
Subject: [PATCH] Improve inline citation format and add examples to prompts

- Clarify single caret rule for citations
- Add citation format examples
- Rename to "References Section Format"
- Improve multi-citation instructions
---
 lightrag/prompt.py | 10 ++++++----
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/lightrag/prompt.py b/lightrag/prompt.py
index af642d47..14b775b7 100644
--- a/lightrag/prompt.py
+++ b/lightrag/prompt.py
@@ -237,9 +237,10 @@ Consider the conversation history if provided to maintain conversational flow an
   - Use Markdown for clear formatting (e.g., headings, bold, lists).
   - The response should be presented in {response_type}.
   - For inline citations, employ the footnote syntax `[^1]`. The caret (`^`) is mandatory to designate it as a footnote, and the numeral enclosed within the brackets must precisely match the `reference_id` of the corresponding document chunk.
-  - For multiple inline citations, enclose all corresponding footnote IDs within a single set of brackets and separate them with commas. For example: `[^1,2,3]`.
+  - For multiple inline citations, enclose all corresponding footnote IDs within a single set of brackets and separate them with commas. A single caret (`^`) is required to precede the opening bracket for the entire group.
+  - Inline citation examples are provided as follows: `[^2]`, `[^1,3]`, `[^1,2,3]`, `[^2,4,5]`
 
-4. **Reference/Citation Format:**
+4. **References Section Format:**
   - The References section should be under heading: `### References`
   - Citation format: `* [n] Document Titile`
   - The Document Title in the citation must retain its original language.
@@ -289,9 +290,10 @@ Consider the conversation history if provided to maintain conversational flow an
   - Use Markdown for clear formatting (e.g., headings, bold, lists).
   - The response should be presented in {response_type}.
   - For inline citations, employ the footnote syntax `[^1]`. The caret (`^`) is mandatory to designate it as a footnote, and the numeral enclosed within the brackets must precisely match the `reference_id` of the corresponding document chunk.
-  - For multiple inline citations, enclose all corresponding footnote IDs within a single set of brackets and separate them with commas. For example: `[^1,2,3]`.
+  - For multiple inline citations, enclose all corresponding footnote IDs within a single set of brackets and separate them with commas. A single caret (`^`) is required to precede the opening bracket for the entire group.
+  - Inline citation examples are provided as follows: `[^2]`, `[^1,3]`, `[^1,2,3]`, `[^2,4,5]`
 
-4. **Reference/Citation Format:**
+4. **References Section Format:**
   - The References section should be under heading: `### References`
   - Citation format: `* [n] Document Titile`
   - The Document Title in the citation must retain its original language.