PROMPT GUIDE
Bolt.new turns prompts into running apps in the browser — and it follows instructions with unusual literalness. That makes prompt quality the difference between "it just worked" and a broken dev server at 2 AM. Here is how to write Bolt prompts it follows, plus a free generator that engineers them for you.
Generate your prompt — free, no sign-up
Bolt follows numbered lists more faithfully than prose. Turn every prompt into 1, 2, 3 — one requirement per line, nothing buried mid-paragraph.
Say "React + Vite + Tailwind" at the top so Bolt does not swap scaffolding mid-project. Every stack change silently rewrites files you thought were stable.
Describe exactly which files and behaviors change per prompt. Bolt is a small-steps tool — "small explicit change now, verify, next change" beats "build the whole admin section."
Say "install any npm packages you need" once instead of naming libraries yourself. It resolves versions against its own environment and stops fighting your guesses.
End with "list the files you changed." When something breaks later — and it will — that list is your map of what to check.
Using React + Vite + Tailwind, add [FEATURE]. Requirements: 1. [Explicit requirement] 2. [Explicit requirement] 3. Handle empty, loading, and error states. 4. Match the existing layout and styling. Install any npm packages you need. When done, list the files you changed.
Usually a stack assumption changed — a new prompt implied a different setup, so Bolt regenerated scaffolding. Prevent it by stating the stack at the top of every prompt and keeping each prompt to one focused change.
Shorter than you think: a one-line goal plus a numbered list of requirements. The free generator on this site produces exactly that shape from your plain description.
With a free VibePilot account you can attach a screenshot and get a Bolt-ready prompt that incorporates the visible layout, styling, and content.