A Developer's Guide
This guide will teach you how to effectively communicate with AI tools in your development workflow. You'll learn proven prompting techniques, context management strategies, and troubleshooting approaches that get the best results from AI assistance.
Think of AI as a junior developer who's brilliant but needs clear instructions. The better you communicate, the better results you'll get. Good AI interaction practices help you avoid confusion and get consistent, high-quality code.
Use these proven prompts to get better results:
# Key Prompting Instructions ## For Code Generation "The fewer lines of code, the better" - Why: Encourages clean, minimal code - When: Writing new functions or components "Proceed like a senior developer" - Why: Promotes professional patterns - When: Designing architecture or systems ## For Complex Tasks "Do not stop working until fully implemented" - Why: Ensures complete solutions - When: Working on multi-step features ## For Problem Solving "Start by writing three reasoning paragraphs" - Why: Forces thorough analysis - When: Debugging or planning complex changes "Do not jump to conclusions" - Why: Promotes careful consideration - When: Investigating bugs or making decisions
# Prompt Template 1. Context (2-4 sentences) - What we're building - Current problem - Relevant background 2. File Tags - List relevant files - Current file context - Related components 3. Instructions - Clear action items - Constraints - Expected output 4. Context Data - Error messages - Documentation links - Examples 5. Core Instructions - Repeat key points - Specify format - Note requirements
# New Session Template ## Current Focus - Feature: [Name] - Stage: [Planning/Implementation/Debug] - Priority: [High/Medium/Low] ## Relevant Files - [file1.js]: [purpose] - [file2.js]: [purpose] ## Objectives 1. [Primary goal] 2. [Secondary goals] ## Constraints - Time limitations - Performance requirements - Security considerations
# Context Switch Summary ## Completed - [List completed items] - [Status of current task] ## In Progress - [Current challenges] - [Pending decisions] ## Next Steps - [Immediate next actions] - [Future considerations]
# Error Resolution Process ## 1. Error Description - Error message - Stack trace - Expected behavior - Actual behavior ## 2. Context Collection - Related files - Recent changes - Environment details - Reproduction steps ## 3. Analysis Request "Please analyze this error: - Start with three reasoning paragraphs - Consider multiple possible causes - Suggest debugging steps - Propose potential solutions" ## 4. Solution Implementation - Test in isolation - Verify fix - Document solution - Update related docs
# AI Code Review ## Security - [ ] Check for vulnerabilities - [ ] Verify input handling - [ ] Review access controls - [ ] Validate data handling ## Quality - [ ] Verify logic - [ ] Check error handling - [ ] Review performance - [ ] Test edge cases ## Documentation - [ ] Clear comments - [ ] Updated docs - [ ] Usage examples - [ ] Security notes
Always provide specific, detailed instructions. Vague prompts lead to vague or incorrect responses.