ChatGPT prompt for responding to client scope creep

This is the prompt we use when a client asks for something outside the agreed scope. It drafts a reply that is warm but firm, grounded only in the scope language you provide, with one core rule: the AI never invents a price. If you give none, it writes [PRICE TBC].

The prompt to copy

Client {name} asked for: {the request}. This is outside our agreed scope, which says: {paste the relevant scope language}. Relationship context: {one line}.
Draft a reply that:
1. Confirms we understood the need and why it matters to them.
2. States plainly that it's outside current scope — reference only the scope language I gave you.
3. Offers two paths: add it via a change order (shape it briefly; use {price} or write [PRICE TBC] — never invent a number) or fold it into the next phase.
4. Stays warm. No apologizing for enforcing the agreement.
Under 150 words.

Replace the fields in curly braces: the client’s name, their request, the scope language exactly as it appears in your proposal or contract, and one line of relationship context.

When to use it

Whenever a client request drifts past the proposal, the retainer, or the contract: one extra deliverable, one revision too many, a channel that was never in the plan. It is the email everyone postpones because it is uncomfortable to write. The prompt makes it factual: the scope language does the boundary-setting, you keep the tone.

What you get back

A ready-to-review reply, under 150 words, that:

1. Shows the client their request was understood and taken seriously.
2. Names the scope gap by citing only your language, no extrapolation.
3. Offers two concrete paths: a change order with a price (or [PRICE TBC]) or a fold-in to the next phase.
4. Stays warm, with not one line of apology for enforcing the agreement.

Real example: out-of-scope ask → ready-to-review reply

Input: at Brightside Studio, an 8-person brand agency, client Fernhill Coffee asks for a monthly newsletter on top of their social retainer. The fields as filled in by Sam, the account manager:

Client Fernhill Coffee asked for: a monthly newsletter (design + copy), on top of the current retainer.
This is outside our agreed scope, which says: "12 posts per month across Instagram and LinkedIn, email campaigns excluded".
Relationship context: loyal client for two years, great relationship, always pays on time.

Output, as generated:

Hi Dana,

Thanks for the note. A monthly newsletter is a great idea for extending what is already working on Instagram, and we can see what it would do for your launches.

That format sits outside the current retainer, which covers “12 posts per month across Instagram and LinkedIn, email campaigns excluded”.

Two simple options:

1. A dedicated change order: newsletter design and copy each month, at [PRICE TBC] per month.
2. Folding it into the retainer renewal next quarter and rebalancing the whole package.

Tell us which works better and we will send the details right after.

Best, Sam

Notice what the AI did not do: it invented no rate for the change order, because Sam gave none. The [PRICE TBC] marker waits for the figure Maya, the founder, signs off on. That is the prompt working, not failing: replacing the marker takes ten seconds, sending an invented price costs far more.

This prompt ships in the kit’s library, with its usage card.