ring:engineering-prompts

Engineering Prompts

When to use

• Crafting new prompts for LLM-based systems or AI assistants
• Optimizing existing prompts that underperform or produce inconsistent results
• Selecting appropriate prompting techniques for a specific use case
• Structuring complex multi-step reasoning prompts

Skip when

• The prompt is trivial and already producing good results
• The task is a direct code change, not prompt creation
• You need to execute the task described in the prompt rather than create a prompt for it

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Scope Boundaries

THIS SKILL ONLY GENERATES PROMPTS. IT NEVER:

• Proactively explores, modifies, or debugs any files in the codebase
• Attempts to fix, debug, or improve code in the project
• Performs the task described in the user's input

Allowed reads: Files the user explicitly references as input context, and docs/prompts/ for saving output.

THE INPUT IS A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THE PROMPT SHOULD DO, NOT A TASK TO PERFORM.

Example: Help debug React performance issues means:

• CREATE a prompt that helps users debug React performance issues
• DO NOT actually debug any React code

Process

Phase 1: Input Analysis

1. Parse Input: Analyze the provided description or file content
2. Identify Use Case: Determine the intended application and requirements
3. Select Techniques: Choose appropriate prompting patterns and methods

Phase 2: Prompt Construction

1. Structure Design: Create clear prompt architecture using proven patterns
2. Technique Application: Apply selected prompting techniques (few-shot, chain-of-thought, etc.)
3. Constraint Setting: Define boundaries and output format specifications
4. Validation: Ensure prompt follows best practices and guidelines

Phase 3: Documentation & Delivery

1. Display Prompt: Show complete prompt text in formatted code block
2. Implementation Notes: Explain techniques used and design rationale
3. Usage Guidelines: Provide clear instructions for implementation
4. Performance Tips: Include optimization suggestions and best practices
5. Save Output: Save the generated prompt to docs/prompts/ directory (create if needed)

Prompt Engineering Techniques

Core Patterns

• Zero-shot: Direct instruction without examples
• Few-shot: Providing examples to guide behavior
• Chain-of-thought: Step-by-step reasoning prompts
• Role-playing: Assigning specific roles or personas
• Constitutional: Setting principles and boundaries
• Tree-of-thoughts: Multi-path reasoning approaches

Common Use Cases

• Code Review: Technical analysis and improvement suggestions
• Debugging: Problem diagnosis and solution guidance
• Analysis: Data interpretation and insight extraction
• Creative Writing: Content generation and storytelling
• Reasoning: Logic problems and decision support
• Summarization: Content condensation and key points
• Classification: Categorization and labeling tasks
• Extraction: Information retrieval from text or data

Input Processing

The skill accepts:

• Text Description: Direct requirements or use case description
• File Reference: Reference requirement files for context
• Mixed Input: Combination of text and file references

Input will be processed to identify the prompt requirements and select appropriate techniques.

Required Output Format

Every prompt creation MUST include:

The Prompt

[Complete prompt text displayed in a code block]

Implementation Notes

• Key techniques used and rationale
• Model-specific optimizations applied
• Expected behavior and outcomes
• Performance considerations

Usage Guidelines

• How to implement the prompt
• Input format requirements
• Expected output structure
• Error handling strategies

Optimization Tips

• Performance benchmarks where applicable
• Iteration suggestions
• Common pitfalls to avoid
• Debugging approaches

Quality Checklist

Before completing any prompt creation, verify:

• Complete prompt text is displayed (not just described)
• Prompt is clearly marked with headers or code blocks
• Implementation notes explain design choices
• Usage instructions are provided
• Expected outcomes are described
• Appropriate techniques are applied
• Best practices are followed
• Performance considerations are addressed

Deliverables

1. The Complete Prompt (in formatted code block)
2. Implementation Notes (techniques and rationale)
3. Usage Guidelines (how to implement effectively)
4. Expected Outcomes (what results to anticipate)
5. Performance Tips (optimization and best practices)
6. Saved File (prompt saved to docs/prompts/ with descriptive filename)