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Coding Prompts

Ready-to-use prompt templates for AI-assisted development, organized around the 8 Patterns for Effective AI Coding from Chapter 5.

Prompts in This Collection

Prompt File Patterns Covered Use When...
Context Loading Pattern 1: Context First Starting a new coding session or onboarding AI to your project
Test-Driven Prompts Pattern 5: Test-Driven Prompting Writing tests before implementation or defining behavior specs
Architecture Prompts Pattern 4: Architecture Ownership Making structural decisions before handing implementation to AI
Review Prompts Pattern 8: Review Ruthlessly Reviewing AI-generated code for correctness, security, and style
Error Escalation Prompts Pattern 6: Error Escalation Debugging failures with AI assistance using a structured ladder

How to Use These Prompts

Each file contains 3-5 prompt templates. Every template includes:

  • The prompt itself -- copy-paste ready, with placeholders marked in {BRACKETS}
  • When to use it -- the situation where this prompt produces the best results
  • Which pattern it applies -- connection back to the 8 Patterns framework
  • Tips -- practical advice for getting the most from the prompt

Replace placeholders with your specific project details before using. The prompts are designed to be adapted, not used verbatim -- your project context matters more than the template.

The 8 Patterns Quick Reference

# Pattern Principle
1 Context First Background before code
2 Concrete Examples Show, don't tell
3 Iterative Refinement Small focused requests
4 Architecture Ownership You decide structure
5 Test-Driven Prompting Behavior, not implementation
6 Error Escalation Let AI fix before taking over
7 Checkpoint Commits Protect working state
8 Review Ruthlessly Trust but verify