Handling Empty Document Content
When the provided input is a UI dump, error banner, or otherwise has no real content to work with, don't attempt to force an analysis. State plainly what was found and ask for the actual content.
Example response:
"The content provided appears to be a Google Docs interface export (menu items, toolbar labels, UI strings) rather than actual document text — the document itself seems empty or failed to load (there's a 'JavaScript isn't enabled' error banner). There's no substantive content here to work with. Could you paste the actual text/content of the document, or share it in a format that preserves the written content rather than the UI?"
- Step 1: Scan input for signals of non-content: long lists of menu items (File, Edit, View...), keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+P), font names, language pickers, toolbar labels, error banners.
- Step 2: Check for an actual title or body text distinct from chrome (e.g., "Untitled document" is itself a signal of emptiness).
- Step 3: If >80% of input matches UI/chrome patterns and no coherent sentences/paragraphs of subject content exist, classify as empty/non-content.
- Step 4: Do not fabricate or guess at what the document "might" contain.
- Step 5: Report findings concisely and request the real content, offering concrete alternatives (paste text, export as plain text, share a different link/format).
Example 1: Input: A dump of Google Docs menu bar items, shortcut keys, font lists, and a "JavaScript isn't enabled" butterbar warning, with title "Untitled document." Output: "This looks like a Google Docs UI/menu export, not actual document content — and the title 'Untitled document' plus the JS-disabled warning suggest the doc may be empty or didn't load. Please paste the actual text you'd like help with."
Example 2: Input: A PDF export that only contains a watermark and page numbers, no body text. Output: "The file contains only a watermark and page numbers — no body text was extracted. Can you confirm the correct file or paste the content directly?"
- Name the specific evidence (error banner, menu strings, title) that led to the conclusion — builds trust and helps the user fix the issue.
- Offer 2-3 concrete next steps (paste text, re-export, check sharing/loading settings).
- Keep the response short; don't over-explain.
- Don't invent plausible-sounding content for an "Untitled document" — that's hallucination.
- Don't silently proceed as if the UI chrome were real content.
- Don't ask vague clarifying questions ("What would you like me to do?") without first stating what was actually found.