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Prompt Cheat Sheet

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Full Lesson Reference

Copy-paste prompts for the most common situations. Replace the [bracketed text] with your specifics.

Starting Projects

New macOS app

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I want to build a macOS menu bar app that [describe what it does].
It should [key behavior 1] and [key behavior 2].

New iOS app

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I want to build an iOS app that [describe what it does].
The main screen should show [describe main view].

New web app

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I want to build a web app that [describe what it does].
It should have [describe pages/sections].
Use [React/Svelte/vanilla JS] with a clean, modern design.

New web tool

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I want to build a simple web tool that [describe functionality].
Single page is fine. No login needed.

Adding Features

Add a button

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Add a button that [describe action].
Put it [location].

Add a form

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Add a form that lets users [describe purpose].
Include fields for [field 1], [field 2], and [field 3].
Show a confirmation when submitted.

Add a list

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Add a list that shows [describe items].
Each item should display [item details].

Add navigation

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Add navigation between [page 1] and [page 2].
Use [tabs/sidebar/bottom bar] style.

Add data persistence

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Save [data] so it persists between sessions.
Use [localStorage/UserDefaults/CoreData] to store it.

Add an API call

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Fetch [data type] from [API or URL].
Display the results as [describe format].
Handle loading and error states.

Styling

Adjust spacing

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The spacing between [elements] feels [too tight/too loose].
Add [more/less] padding.

Change colors

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Change the [element] color to [color or hex].
Make sure it works in [light and dark mode/just light mode].

Change typography

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Make the [element] text [larger/smaller/bolder].
Use [font name] if available.

Match a reference

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Style this to look more like [reference product/website].
Focus on [specific aspect: spacing, colors, typography].

Improve visual hierarchy

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The hierarchy isn't clear. Make [primary element] more prominent
and [secondary element] more subtle.

Add animation

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Add a [fade/slide/bounce] animation when [trigger].
It should feel [snappy/smooth/subtle].

Fixing Bugs

Something doesn't work

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When I [action], [expected behavior] should happen,
but instead [actual behavior] happens.

Show an error

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I'm getting this error: [paste error message]
It happens when I [describe what you were doing].

Fix visual issue

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[Element] looks wrong. It should [expected appearance]
but it's showing [actual appearance].

Something is slow

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[Feature] is slow. It takes [time] when I [action].
Can you make it faster?

Understanding Code

Explain a file

What does this file do? Explain it simply.

Explain how something works

How does [feature] work? Walk me through the flow.

Find where something is

Where is the code that handles [feature/behavior]?

Explain an error

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What does this error mean? [paste error]
How do I fix it?

Refactoring

Simplify code

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This seems complicated. Can you simplify it while keeping
the same behavior?

Clean up

Clean up this file. Remove unused code and improve organization.

Extract component

Extract the [element] into its own reusable component.

Rename things

Rename [current name] to [new name] everywhere it's used.

Deploying

Deploy to Vercel (web)

Help me deploy this to Vercel. Walk me through the steps.

Build for distribution (macOS)

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Build this app for distribution. I want to share it
with others outside of Xcode.

Build for TestFlight (iOS)

Help me get this app on TestFlight so I can test on my phone.

When Stuck

Start over on a feature

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Let's start over on [feature]. The current approach isn't working.
Here's what I actually want: [describe it].

Undo recent changes

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The last few changes broke things. Can you undo back to
when [feature] was working?

Try a different approach

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This approach isn't working. What's another way to
accomplish [goal]?

Ask for options

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I want to [goal]. What are my options? Explain the
tradeoffs of each.

Pro Tips

Be specific about location

  • Bad: "Add a button"
  • Good: "Add a button in the top right corner of the header"

Reference what you know

"Make it feel like Apple's spring animations" — "Layout like Notion's sidebar" — "Transitions like Linear"

One thing at a time

Instead of asking for 5 features at once, add them one by one. Review each before moving to the next.

Describe what's wrong, not how to fix it

  • Bad: "Change the padding from 8 to 16"
  • Good: "The spacing feels too tight between items"

Let Claude figure out the fix. You focus on the problem.

Exercises

  1. Pick the project type you most want to build and fill in the bracketed blanks of its "Starting Projects" prompt, then run it for real.
  2. Take one vague request you'd normally make ("make this look better") and rewrite it using the "Describe what's wrong, not how to fix it" pattern.
  3. Bookmark this page and, the next time you hit a bug, grab the matching "Fixing Bugs" template instead of free-typing — note whether the structured prompt gets a better fix.