Lesson 2
~2 min readCrafting Great Prompts
The skill that separates good builders from great ones
This Lesson
The Anatomy of a Great Prompt
A world-class prompt has three parts: Context, Intent, and Constraints. Context tells the AI what already exists ("On the dashboard page..."). Intent describes what you want ("...add a chart showing monthly revenue"). Constraints define boundaries ("...use a bar chart, match the existing color scheme, and make it responsive"). Skip any of these three and you will spend more time fixing than building.
The Cost of Vague Prompts
Vague prompts spiral. The AI guesses, you correct, it guesses again. Specific prompts converge in a handful of turns. The fix is not better AI, it is better instructions: name the screen, name the component, name the constraint.
The Power of Small Bites
Resist the urge to describe your entire app in one prompt. The best vibe coders break features into atomic steps. Instead of "build me a full e-commerce site," try: "Create a product card component with an image, title, price, and add-to-cart button." Then: "Create a product grid that displays 6 of these cards." Then: "Add a shopping cart sidebar." Each small win builds momentum and gives you control over the direction.
Anchor New Prompts to Existing Code
When you ask for something new, point at something old. "Add a settings page that matches the layout of /dashboard." "Use the same card style as the pricing section." Anchoring prompts to what already exists keeps the app coherent and saves you from re-explaining your design system every turn.
Common Prompt Patterns That Work
Four patterns cover most of what you will build:
1. Add — "Add a [thing] to [page] that does [X]."
2. Refactor — "Move [logic] from [A] to [B]; behavior should not change."
3. Style — "Match [target]; use the same [color/spacing/font] tokens."
4. Fix — "When I do [action], [bug] happens. Expected: [behavior]."
Reach for these before inventing your own.
Key Takeaways
Every great prompt has three parts: Context, Intent, Constraints.
Specific prompts converge in a few turns. Vague prompts spiral.
Break big features into small, atomic steps for cleaner results.
Anchor new prompts to existing screens to keep the app coherent.
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