diff --git a/examples/magics.ipynb b/examples/magics.ipynb
index 38dc87df0..3e2da3a4b 100644
--- a/examples/magics.ipynb
+++ b/examples/magics.ipynb
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@
    ],
    "source": [
     "%%ai chatgpt -f math\n",
-    "Generate the 2D heat equation in LaTeX surrounded by `$$`. Do not include an explanation."
+    "Generate the 2D heat equation."
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -487,8 +487,7 @@
    ],
    "source": [
     "%%ai j2-jumbo-instruct --format math\n",
-    "Write the 2d Laplace equation in polar coordinates in pure LaTeX, delimited by `$$`.\n",
-    "Do not include an explanation."
+    "Write the 2d Laplace equation in polar coordinates."
    ]
   },
   {
diff --git a/packages/jupyter-ai-magics/jupyter_ai_magics/magics.py b/packages/jupyter-ai-magics/jupyter_ai_magics/magics.py
index fd953b77b..4b471898c 100644
--- a/packages/jupyter-ai-magics/jupyter_ai_magics/magics.py
+++ b/packages/jupyter-ai-magics/jupyter_ai_magics/magics.py
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@
     "raw": None
 }
 
+MARKDOWN_PROMPT_TEMPLATE = '{prompt}\n\nProduce output in markdown format only.'
+
+PROMPT_TEMPLATES_BY_FORMAT = {
+    "html": '{prompt}\n\nProduce output in HTML format only, with no markup before or afterward.',
+    "markdown": MARKDOWN_PROMPT_TEMPLATE,
+    "md": MARKDOWN_PROMPT_TEMPLATE,
+    "math": '{prompt}\n\nProduce output in LaTeX format only, with $$ at the beginning and end.',
+    "json": '{prompt}\n\nProduce output in JSON format only, with nothing before or after it.',
+    "raw": '{prompt}' # No customization
+}
+
 class FormatDict(dict):
     """Subclass of dict to be passed to str#format(). Suppresses KeyError and
     leaves replacement field unchanged if replacement field is not associated
@@ -128,6 +139,9 @@ def ai(self, line, cell=None):
         else:
             prompt = cell
         
+        # Apply a prompt template.
+        prompt = PROMPT_TEMPLATES_BY_FORMAT[args.format].format(prompt = prompt)
+
         # determine provider and local model IDs
         provider_id, local_model_id = self._decompose_model_id(args.model_id)
         Provider = self._get_provider(provider_id)