Prompting Strategies
Master the art of communicating with Claude for better, more accurate results
title: Prompting Strategies description: Master the art of communicating with Claude for better, more accurate results
Effective prompting is the key to getting great results from Claude. This guide covers proven strategies for structuring your requests to get exactly what you need.
The Anatomy of a Good Prompt
A well-structured prompt typically includes:
- Context - What Claude needs to know
- Task - What you want done
- Constraints - Limitations or requirements
- Format - How you want the output
Example: Complete Prompt
Prompting Patterns
1. The Specific Request
Be precise about what you want:
Vague:
Specific:
2. The Contextual Request
Provide relevant background:
3. The Constrained Request
Set clear boundaries:
4. The Iterative Request
Build on previous work:
5. The Comparative Request
When you want options:
Advanced Techniques
Chain of Thought
Ask Claude to think through the problem:
Role Assignment
Set expectations with a role:
Few-Shot Examples
Show what you want through examples:
Structured Output
Request specific formats:
Domain-Specific Prompting
For Bug Fixes
For New Features
For Refactoring
For Code Review
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Too Vague
❌ "Fix the performance" ✅ "The /api/products endpoint takes 3s to respond. Profile and optimize the database queries in src/api/products.ts"
2. Missing Context
❌ "Add validation" ✅ "Add Zod validation to the user registration form in src/components/RegisterForm.tsx. Validate email format, password strength (8+ chars, 1 number), and matching password confirmation."
3. Overloading
❌ "Build a complete authentication system with login, registration, password reset, 2FA, social login, session management, and admin user management" ✅ Start with one feature: "Implement email/password login. We'll add other features incrementally."
4. Assuming Knowledge
❌ "Use our standard pattern" ✅ "Follow the repository pattern we use in src/repositories/UserRepository.ts"