A good coding prompt isn't a magic trick. It's a checklist you don't have to remember, run by something that never gets bored.
Reuse the recipe
Ask for the reasoning, then the result. When the model shows its steps you can see exactly where to push back.
- Have the model flag what it could not cover
- Keep one ask per prompt — chaining beats cramming
- Save the prompt that worked so the next person reuses it
Cut before you polish
Ask for the reasoning, then the result. When the model shows its steps you can see exactly where to push back.
Make the output reviewable
Lock the parts that never change and leave one slot for the variable. Now every run shares a family resemblance instead of starting from scratch.
Write down what you never want as explicitly as what you do. The exclusions often do more work than the instructions.