Earlier quoted context omitted.
JSON Structured Output from OpenAI was released a year after the first LangChain release. I think structured output with schema validation mostly replaces the need for complex prompt frameworks. I do look at the LC source from time to time because they do have good prompts backed into the framework.
To this day many good models don't support structured outputs (say Opus 4.5) so it's not a panacea you can count on in production. The bigger problem is that LangChain/Python is the least set up to take advantage of strong schemas even when you do have it. Agree about pillaging for prompts though.
OpenAI and Gemini models can handle ridiculously complicated and convoluted schemas, if I needed complicated JSON output I wouldn’t use anything that didn’t guarantee it.
I have pushed Gemini 2.5 Pro further than I thought possible when it comes to ridiculously over complicated (by necessity) structured output.