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Issue 57 · 31 Oct 2026 · Easy · Free
Costume Panic
Last minute costume ideas from clothes I already have
The party starts at eight, it's six now, and the costume shop is down to a single sad wig. Your closet is full of normal clothes and you can't see a single costume in it.
- Category
- Productivity
Sample you can paste
Party: Halloween house party at a friend's, starts 8pm. It's 6pm now. Most people will dress up, nothing fancy. Closet: black blazer, white shirt, black jeans, one black tie, grey hoodie, a loud Hawaiian shirt, denim jacket, white trainers, black boots, a bucket hat. Other stuff at home: sunglasses, an old lanyard from a conference, a red lipstick, a cardboard box, tape, a black marker, some flour. Me: I don't want anything scary or gross. I'll be standing and dancing, so nothing that falls apart. No time to go shopping.
Steps
Step 1
List the closet
Write down what you could wear, in plain words: colours, jackets, hats, shoes. Add the odd things lying around the house too, like sunglasses, a lanyard or a cardboard box.
Step 2
Give the party
What kind of party, how long you have, and anything you won't do (no face paint, nothing scary, must be able to sit down).
Step 3
Get three costumes
Three costumes made only from what you listed, each with what to wear, the one detail that makes people get it, and how long it takes.
Step 4
Wear the pick
It picks the one that's most recognisable for the least work, and gives you a one-line answer for when someone asks what you are.
What you get
What you put in and what you get out
When to use it
Use it two hours before a Halloween or fancy dress party, when the shops are out of everything and you're staring at a closet of normal clothes.
When to skip it
It can't see your closet, it only uses the list you give it, so it may suggest a piece you'll need to swap. It won't help with full makeup tutorials or costumes that need sewing, and it can't promise people will get every reference, so it says how recognisable each one is.
Sample run
0:00
The closet
Black blazer, white shirt, black jeans, a black tie, a Hawaiian shirt, a bucket hat, sunglasses, an old lanyard. Party at 8pm, two hours to go.
Full prompt
costume-panic.prompt.txt
You are a quick, practical costume stylist for last-minute parties. Your job is to turn the clothes and things the user already has into a costume they can wear tonight, without buying anything.
INPUT
- What's in their closet: clothes, colours, jackets, hats, shoes, accessories.
- Odd things around the house: sunglasses, a lanyard, tape, a marker, a cardboard box, makeup.
- The party: what kind, theme if any, when it starts, how long they have.
- Limits: things they won't do (no face paint, nothing scary, must be able to dance or sit), and who it's for (just them, a couple, a group).
HOW TO WORK
1. If you don't know what's in their closet or how long they have, ask up to three short questions. Then stop and wait.
2. Find costumes that need only items from their list. A costume is a recognisable character, job or idea plus one clear detail that makes people get it.
3. Prefer costumes people recognise in one second. Avoid anything offensive, anything that mocks a real group of people, and anything that needs sewing.
4. For each costume, count the time to put it together and say how recognisable it is (instant, most people, a few people).
5. Pick one: the most recognisable for the least work that fits their limits. Give a backup in case one item is missing or doesn't fit.
6. For a couple or group, find one theme where every person's costume comes from their own list, and say who wears what.
RULES
- Use only items from the user's list. If something small would help (tape, a marker, paper), mark it optional.
- Never suggest buying anything.
- No long makeup tutorials. At most one simple makeup step, and only if they have the makeup.
- Short lines, no lectures.
OUTPUT
## Three costumes
For each: name, what to wear (from their list), the one detail that makes it work, time, how recognisable.
## The pick
One costume and one sentence on why.
## Backup
One costume to switch to if an item is missing.
## When someone asks
One short line they can say, in character.Copied it? Get the Friday roundup. Seven agents and one tip, once a week.
How it works
Last-minute costumes go wrong in the same way. You search "easy costume", every idea needs a cape, a wig or a trip to a shop that closed an hour ago, and you end up going as "a person in a black T-shirt".
This agent works the other way round. It starts from the clothes and odd things you already have, finds the costumes hiding in them, and picks the one people will get in a second.
What to paste
What's in your closet, in plain words (colours, jackets, hats, shoes), plus the odd things around the house: sunglasses, a lanyard, tape, a cardboard box. Add the kind of party, how long you have, and anything you won't do, like face paint or anything scary.
What you get back
Three costumes made only from what you listed. For each: what to wear, the one detail that makes it click, how long it takes, and how recognisable it is. Then one pick, a backup if something is missing, and a one-line answer for when people ask what you are.
It won't invent clothes you didn't list. If it needs something small you might have, like tape or a marker, it asks or marks it as optional.
Questions about Costume Panic
What if I only have plain clothes?
That's the point of it. Plain clothes plus one small detail make most of the good last-minute costumes, like a white shirt and sunglasses or all black with a paper name tag. List everything, even boring things, and the odd stuff lying around the house.
Can it do group or couple costumes?
Yes. List each person's clothes separately and say it's for a group. It looks for one theme where every person can be done from their own closet, and says who wears what.
Is Costume Panic free?
Yes. The prompt is free to copy, download, and reuse under CC-BY-4.0. There is no sign-up on One Agent a Day. You only need access to a chat model such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
Which AI tools does Costume Panic work in?
It was written for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. It is a plain-text prompt, so any capable chat model can run it. Paste the prompt first, then your input.
What do I paste into Costume Panic?
List the closet. Write down what you could wear, in plain words: colours, jackets, hats, shoes. Add the odd things lying around the house too, like sunglasses, a lanyard or a cardboard box.
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Costume Panic — You put in Party: Halloween house party at a friend's, starts 8pm. It's 6pm now. Most people will dr…. You get out Backup. Free from One Agent a Day.
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