Manage Prompts

Objective

Create effective prompts for both direct execution and multi-stage AI-to-AI workflows. This skill handles standalone prompts and meta-prompts (chains where outputs from one prompt become inputs for the next).

Prompt Categories

Single Prompts

Standalone prompts for direct execution by users or agents.

• Analysis: Examine and interpret information, extract insights
• Generation: Create new content or artifacts
• Review: Quality checks, validation, critique
• Transformation: Conversion, extraction, summarization
• Q&A: Answer specific questions
• Creative: Brainstorming, ideation, problem-solving

Meta-Prompts

Multi-stage prompt chains for Claude-to-Claude communication where outputs feed into subsequent prompts.

• Research Prompts: Gather information, analyze options, produce findings
• Plan Prompts: Create implementation roadmaps and strategies
• Do Prompts: Execute tasks, produce artifacts
• Refine Prompts: Improve existing prompts with versioning

Output Structure

Single Prompts

.prompts/prompts/
├── {number}-{name}.md    # The prompt file
└── SUMMARY.md             # Summary of created prompt

Meta-Prompts

.prompts/metaprompt/
├── {number}-{topic}-{purpose}/
│   ├── {number}-{topic}-{purpose}.md  # The prompt file
│   ├── {topic}-{purpose}.md            # Output file (for Research/Plan)
│   ├── completed/                      # Archive after running
│   └── SUMMARY.md                      # Required: executive summary

Prompt Numbering

Auto-increment from existing prompts:

# Single prompts
find .prompts/prompts -name "*.md" | wc -l

# Meta-prompts
find .prompts/metaprompt -type d -name "*-*" | wc -l

Key Methodology

Hybrid XML/Markdown Structure

XML Containers (Use Sparingly - max 3-5 tags):

• <context> - Large data dumps or background info
• <workflow> - Non-negotiable step sequences
• <constraints> - Negative constraints (NEVER/MUST NOT)
• <output_format> - Machine-parseable responses

Markdown (Most Content):

• Instructions and guidance
• Explanations and descriptions
• Examples and demonstrations

Critical Rules:

• Limit to 3-5 XML tags maximum
• Never nest XML tags
• Reserve XML for highly structured workflows

Prompt Creation Steps

Single Prompts

1. Understand the Task: What inputs, outputs, context?
2. Select Type: Analysis, Generation, Review, etc.
3. Apply Structure: XML for containers, Markdown for instructions
4. Include Examples: Concrete examples where helpful
5. Add Verification: How to confirm successful output

Meta-Prompts

1. Design the Chain: Research → Plan → Do sequence
2. Structure Each Prompt: Use hybrid XML/Markdown
3. Set Dependencies: Reference previous outputs with @ syntax
4. Add YAML Frontmatter: Include confidence, dependencies, questions
5. Create SUMMARY.md: Required for each prompt in the chain

Chaining Patterns

• Sequential: Each prompt depends on previous output
• Parallel: Multiple prompts run simultaneously
• Mixed: Parallel layer feeds into sequential step

Reference Files

Single Prompts

• references/prompt-types.md - Detailed type guidance
• references/single-prompt-templates.md - Template patterns
• references/optimization-guide.md - Quality improvement

Meta-Prompts

• references/research-patterns.md - Research prompt structure
• references/plan-patterns.md - Plan prompt structure
• references/do-patterns.md - Do prompt structure
• references/refine-patterns.md - Refine prompt structure
• references/metadata-guidelines.md - YAML frontmatter requirements
• references/summary-template.md - SUMMARY.md structure