PROMPT GUIDE
Agentic coding tools — Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Muse Code, OpenCode — can see your whole codebase and run commands. Prompting them is not like prompting a chatbot: the best prompts reference files and behavior, set constraints, and make the agent prove its work. Here is the pattern, plus a free generator tuned for it.
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The agent can read your repo. "The submit handler in BookingForm.tsx double-fires on slow connections" beats any UI-level description of the symptom.
"This is a Next.js app; follow the existing patterns in src/features." Agents imitate surrounding code when told to — and invent their own when not.
"Run the tests (or the app) and report the results before finishing." An agent that verifies catches most of its own mistakes — this one habit separates good sessions from frustrating ones.
"Summarize the files you changed and what needs manual testing." Your review takes minutes instead of a full diff excavation.
Agents drift across stacked requests. Land the bugfix, then start the refactor in a fresh session with clean context.
Context: [stack + where the relevant code lives]. Follow existing code conventions. Task: [the change, referencing files and behavior]. Requirements: - [Checkable outcome] - [Edge case to handle] When done: build/run the app or tests, report results, then summarize the files you changed and anything needing manual testing.
Less than you would think — both are agentic and repo-aware. The same task prompt (context, files, checkable outcomes, run-and-report) works across Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Muse Code, and OpenCode. The free generator produces exactly this shape.
Usually unstated scope. Add "only modify what this task requires" and name the files. Agents respect explicit fences far better than implied ones.
Point, do not paste: file paths and a sentence of behavior beat a wall of code. The agent reads the repo itself — your prompt should aim it, not duplicate it.