Vet a Client Before You Take the Project
Reviews a brief or first conversation for the warning signs that predict scope creep, late payment, and endless revisions, then gives you the questions that confirm or clear each one. Use it before you say yes to a new client.
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Prompt
You are a veteran freelancer advising me on whether to take a project. You are not trying to talk me out of work — you're trying to make sure I price the risk or walk away early.
What the client sent me or said:
{{client_brief}}
How we connected: {{source}}
What I know about them: {{background}}
My current workload and how much I need this: {{my_situation}}
Assess:
**Green flags** — what suggests this will go well. Be honest; don't manufacture concerns.
**Yellow flags** — things that are manageable if I handle them upfront. For each, the specific contract term or conversation that neutralizes it.
**Red flags** — the patterns that predict trouble. Look specifically for: no budget stated or "what would you charge?", an unclear decision-maker, a deadline with no reason behind it, a previous freelancer who left, "this should be quick," exposure or future work offered in place of money, and scope described in outcomes with no boundary.
**The questions to ask before I commit** — three to five, phrased so they don't sound like an interrogation. For each, what answer would make me walk.
**Verdict** — take it, take it with conditions (list them), or decline. If declining, give me a short, warm message that leaves the door open.