tomevault-io Prompting
Announce at start: "Following the prompting skill for effective AI interaction."
Core Rule
Task first, context after. Lead with what you want, then provide supporting information.
Prompt Structure
1. State the Task Clearly
[Specific, actionable task description]
Context:
- [Relevant code or file references]
- [Constraints and boundaries]
- [Expected behavior]
2. Decompose Large Tasks
| Signal | Action |
|---|---|
| Task mentions "and" multiple times | Split on each "and" |
| Touches more than 2-3 files | Do one file at a time |
| Multiple behaviors to implement | One behavior per prompt |
| "While you're at it..." | Separate prompt |
3. Set Explicit Constraints
[Task description]
Constraints:
- Only modify: [specific files or functions]
- Must preserve: [existing behavior, API, tests]
- Don't use: [forbidden dependencies, patterns]
- Must support: [versions, environments, edge cases]
4. Provide Focused Context
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Share the specific functions mentioned in the error | Dump the entire codebase |
| Include relevant types and interfaces | Include unrelated modules |
| Show error messages and stack traces | Describe errors vaguely |
| Reference existing patterns to match | Assume AI knows your conventions |
Context Management
Session Hygiene
- Start fresh sessions for unrelated tasks
- Re-state critical constraints when context grows long
- Share only code relevant to the current task
- Summarize decisions made earlier in the session
When Context Gets Stale
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| AI forgets instructions | Context pushed out | Repeat key constraints |
| AI contradicts previous output | Lost history | Start fresh session |
| AI ignores shared code | Code too far back | Re-share relevant snippets |
| Generic responses | Overloaded context | Reduce scope |
Prompt Templates
Bug Fix
Fix this error: [full error message]
Stack trace: [full stack trace]
Code: [relevant function]
Expected: [correct behavior]
Actual: [current behavior]
Feature Addition
Add [feature] to [component].
Behavior:
- When [trigger], it should [action]
Constraints:
- [Scope limits]
- [What must not change]
Match the pattern in [existing similar code].
Related Skills
| When | Invoke |
|---|---|
| Prompting for a multi-step task | planning |
| Prompting for debugging help | debugging |
| Prompting for code review | code-review |
Deep Reference
For principles, rationale, anti-patterns, and examples:
guides/prompting-patterns/prompting-patterns.mdguides/context-management/context-management.md
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