Mistral Classification: Single-Word Label vs JSON

Mistral's official prompting guide outlines two main classification strategies: (1) ask for the label directly as a single word/string (fast, cheap, uses the fewest output tokens), or (2) ask for a JSON object (generates slightly more tokens, but is more reliable, flexible, and practical for complex downstream processing).

System (Strategy 2 - JSON): Categorize the customer bank inquiry into one predetermined category [ACCOUNT_OPENING, CARD_DISPUTE, LOAN_APPLICATION] and return a valid JSON object: {"category": string, "confidence_note": string}.