Pick your year
Home by Dark
×

Starter prompts you'll use again and again

⏱ 20 min5 steps

A few moments come up in every project: planning the build, checking the work, the morning after a change, and when something breaks. For each one, I keep a I paste in rather than typing it fresh. They're a starting point, not a rulebook. As you get better, you'll cut what you don't need and add what you keep repeating.

This piece has the first two. If Claude builds before it shows you a plan, nothing's broken. One key stops it.

prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words

Before this, you'll want:

×

Steps

Step 1 of 50 done · about 20 min left

Steps for
  1. Step 1 of 5, not done yet
  2. Step 2 of 5, not done yet
  3. Step 3 of 5, not done yet
  4. Step 4 of 5, not done yet
  5. Step 5 of 5, not done yet

  1. Start Claude Code in your my-idea folder

    1. Open (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter).

    2. Go to your my-idea . Type this and press Enter:

      cd ~/Backyard/my-idea

      cd ~\Backyard\my-idea

    3. Check the says my-idea.

    4. Start . Type this and press Enter:

      claude
    Terminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordsprompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All wordsClaude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All words

    You should see:

    Claude Code's name and version at the top, a line starting with ❯ where you type, and ⏵⏵ on in the bar at the bottom.

    auto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All words
    That's not what I see
    It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
    The my-idea folder isn't there. It comes from Check the idea first and The three files, so do those first, then come back.
    It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
    This Terminal window doesn't know about Claude Code. Close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W, open a new one and try again. If it still says that, go back to Claude Code and .install Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordssign in Tell Claude Code which Claude account is yours, so it knows you've paid for it. All words

  2. Ask for a plan you can check, one step at a time

    Every good build prompt has three parts: Goal (what, and how good), How to work (the order of steps) and Rules (what never to do).

    This prompt asks Claude to plan the smallest version of your idea from , in small steps you can check, and to wait for your OK before it builds. What good looks like goes at the end.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Goal: build the smallest version from PRD.md for the people it names, to the quality bar I give at the end. How to work: 1. Read PRD.md and CLAUDE.md first. 2. Plan before you build. Write the plan as a numbered list of small steps, each one something I can check. Show it to me and wait for my OK. 3. For each step, say how we'll know it works, like "I open the page and see X". 4. Build one step at a time. After each step, check it yourself, tell me what you checked and what you didn't, then stop for me to look. Rules: Never say something works unless you checked it. Never buy, subscribe or sign up for anything. Never delete files without asking. Ask me when you're unsure, one question at a time. Start by reading the files and showing me the plan. The quality bar, what good looks like:
    1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V.
    2. Type a space, then what good looks like to you, like works on a phone and loads fast.
    3. Press Enter.
    4. Read every step of the plan.

    You can say OK and let it build the first step, or stop here and come back later. Either is fine.

    PRD.md One page on the problem, who it's for, and what "done" looks like. PRD stands for product requirements document. All words

    You should see:

    Claude reads PRD.md and , then shows you a numbered plan of small steps and waits for your OK.

    CLAUDE.md A note to Claude about how to work in this project. Claude Code reads it at the start of every session in that folder. All words
    That's not what I see
    Claude started building before showing me a plan.
    Press Esc to stop it. Then type: Stop. Show me the plan first, as a numbered list, and wait for my OK. It will.
    The plan has steps I don't understand.
    Ask about each one. Type: What does step 3 mean, in plain words? Use the number of the step you're asking about. A plan you can't check isn't a plan yet.

  3. Start a fresh conversation for the checker

    Whoever built something is the worst one to check it. They see what they meant, not what's there. So the checker always starts in a new conversation.

    1. Leave Claude Code. Type this and press Enter:

      /exit

    2. Clear the window: presstype Cmd+Kcls and press Enter.

    3. Start a brand-new conversation. Type this and press Enter, without -c:

      claude

    You should see:

    Claude Code's name and version at the top, and an empty line starting with ❯ where you type. Your planning conversation isn't on the screen.

    That's not what I see
    My planning conversation shows up again under the new header.
    You typed claude -c, which picks up the last conversation. Type and press Enter, then type claude and press Enter./exit Typed in Claude Code, it ends the conversation and takes you back to Terminal. All words

  4. Have a fresh Claude check the work

    This prompt asks the new Claude to check the work against PRD.md and report what's wrong, worst first, without fixing anything. What you want checked goes at the end.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    You're reviewing work someone else did. Your job is to find what's wrong, not to approve it. Read PRD.md for what this is supposed to do. Then check the thing I name at the end: 1. Does it do what PRD.md says? Check each "Done means" item and say pass or fail, with what you saw. 2. Look at it the way a real person would, on a phone too, and list anything broken, confusing or slow. 3. Check every fact, number and name against its source. List any you couldn't verify. 4. List anything that could embarrass me or cost money: wrong prices, broken links, private information showing, test content left in. Rank what you find, worst first. Don't fix anything; only report. Check this:
    1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V.
    2. Type a space, then what you want checked, like the home page. If nothing's built yet, type PRD.md.
    3. Press Enter.

    Read the list, worst first. Fix what matters before anything reaches another person.

    You should see:

    Claude reads PRD.md, marks each "Done means" item pass or fail, then lists what it found, worst first. It doesn't change anything.

    That's not what I see
    It says everything is fine.
    Ask it: What's the weakest part? If you had to find one more problem, what would it be? Reviewers who approve everything aren't reviewing.
    I used it in the same conversation that built the thing.
    Type /exit, then claude (without -c) to start fresh, and paste it again. Whoever built something is the worst one to check it.

  5. Keep your own copies, and make them yours

    1. Copy both prompts somewhere you can find them in ten seconds, like a note called My prompts.
    2. Keep them up to date as you go:
      • When Claude gets something wrong twice, add a line to your CLAUDE.md so it stops.
      • When you paste the same extra sentence into a prompt three times, add it to your copy of the prompt.

    Your version beats mine. That's the point.

    That's not what I see
    I don't know where to keep them.
    A note called My prompts in the Notes app is enough. You'll have it on your phone too.A Notepad document called My prompts, saved on your Desktop, is enough. Any place you can find in ten seconds works.
×

Your challenge

Use the "check my work" prompt on the next thing Claude makes for you, before it reaches anyone else. Then add one sentence of your own to it, the thing you wish it had checked.

Last checked 2026-10-17

Start