Prompt templates — reuse AI tasks you do daily

After a week with an AI agent you repeat the same kinds of requests daily — "review this code," "trace this bug," "write tests." Instead of re-stating context each time, reusable prompt templates save time, increase consistency, and improve output quality.

I think what a template actually does is externalize what you already know about what a good answer looks like. Not because it removes creativity, but rather because when you've seen a hundred code reviews, you know what makes a review useful — and encoding that into a template means every invocation benefits from that accumulated judgment. The template is not instructions to the model; it's a record of your own expertise.

This guide covers five daily templates (code review, debugging, refactor, test, documentation) and how to store them.

TL;DR

1. Template = context + task + output format + constraints
2. Storage: ~/.prompts/ or chezmoi-managed
3. Macro tools: Raycast Snippets, Cursor @docs, Claude Code slash commands
4. Four elements of a good template: role / inputs / output format / prohibitions

1. Four Elements of a Good Prompt

Placeholders shown as [...] (to avoid MDX/JSX conflicts).

You are a [role].

Context: [context]

Task: [what to do]

Output format: [how to respond]

Constraints:

• [prohibition 1]
• [prohibition 2]

Four clear sections help the model separate what to address from what to skip.

2. Template 1 — Code Review

You are a senior code reviewer for [language] projects.

Context:

• Code under review: [paste code or @file]
• Project conventions: [link or paste relevant style guide / .cursorrules]
• Reviewer focus: [correctness | security | performance | readability]

Task: Review the code. Identify:

1. Bugs or logic errors (severity: critical / major / minor)
2. Security issues (input validation, secrets, auth)
3. Performance concerns (only if obvious O(n^2) or memory)
4. Style violations against project conventions
5. Suggestions for clarity

Output format: SUMMARY: [one-paragraph overall verdict] [CRITICAL] (line N): [issue] -> [fix] [MAJOR] ... [MINOR] ... [STYLE] ... [SUGGESTION] ...

Constraints:

• Do not rewrite the entire file. Point and suggest.
• Do not nitpick style if .cursorrules don't enforce it.
• If no issues found at a level, omit that section.

Usage

Cursor side chat — @code-review.md + @src/auth/login.ts + focus: security.

Claude Code: store the template at .claude/commands/review.md, invoke with /review src/auth/login.ts.

3. Template 2 — Bug Debugging

You are a debugging assistant.

Context:

• Error message: [paste full stacktrace]
• Code where it occurs: [paste minimal repro or @file]
• What I tried: [hypotheses ruled out]
• Expected behavior: [what should happen]

Task:

1. Identify the most likely root cause (not just symptoms)
2. Suggest a fix
3. Suggest a test to prevent regression

Output format: ROOT CAUSE: [one sentence] EXPLANATION: [2-3 paragraphs of why] FIX: [patched code] REGRESSION TEST: [test code]

Constraints:

• Do not guess. If you need more info (logs, full file), ask.
• If 2+ hypotheses are equally likely, present both with discriminating signals.
• Do not just say "try X" — explain the model.

The "What I tried" section is critical — prevents the model from re-suggesting things you already eliminated.

4. Template 3 — Refactor

You are a refactoring assistant for [language].

Context:

• Current code: [paste or @file]
• Pain point: [readability | duplication | testability | performance]
• Constraints:
  • Must preserve public API
  • Must not break existing tests

Task: Refactor while preserving behavior. Show:

1. The refactored code
2. Diff vs original
3. Tradeoffs of this approach vs at most 1 alternative

Output format: REFACTOR: [new code] DIFF:

• Removed: [what]
• Added: [what]
• Renamed: [old -> new] TRADEOFF: [this approach]: [pros/cons] [alternative]: [pros/cons] RECOMMENDATION: [which and why]

Constraints:

• Do not change behavior. If you think behavior should change, flag it separately.
• Keep test compatibility — show how existing tests still pass.
• Don't introduce new dependencies without explicit ask.

5. Template 4 — Test Writing

You are a test writer for [language] (Vitest, Jest, Pytest, etc.).

Context:

• Code to test: [paste or @file]
• Existing test style: [paste sample test or @file]
• Coverage focus: [happy path | edge cases | failure modes | all]

Task: Write tests that:

1. Cover the happy path
2. Cover at least 3 edge cases (boundary values, empty input, error cases)
3. Are deterministic (no flaky time/network without mock)
4. Follow the existing test style

Output format: a single test file in [language].

Constraints:

• Use the same assertion library as existing tests
• Mock external dependencies (don't hit real network/DB)
• Keep each test focused (one assertion topic per test)
• Name tests descriptively: "returns X when Y"
• Do NOT write tests that just mirror implementation. Test behavior.

6. Template 5 — Documentation

You are a technical writer.

Context:

• Code: [paste or @file]
• Audience: [beginner | intermediate | expert]
• Doc type: [README section | JSDoc | tutorial | reference]

Task: Write documentation that:

1. States the purpose in 1 sentence
2. Shows minimal usage example
3. Lists parameters/returns with types
4. Notes edge cases or gotchas (if any)

Output format: markdown or specific JSDoc/TypeDoc format.

Constraints:

• No filler. Be direct.
• Code examples must be runnable / pasteable
• If the API is complex, link to deeper reference rather than dumping
• For library/framework specifics, prefer official terminology

7. Storage / Management

Option A — Claude Code slash commands

Save templates to ~/.claude/commands/review.md. CLI: /review src/foo.ts injects the system prompt automatically.

Option B — Cursor @docs

Cursor → Settings → Features → Docs → Add → URL/local path. In chat: @my-review-template.

Option C — Raycast Snippets

Via mac/productivity's Raycast Snippets:

• Add Snippet: paste the full template
• Keyword: !review
• In any text field, !review → expands

Option D — Simple directory + alias

Save each template as .md in ~/.prompts/. .zshrc:

alias prompt='ls ~/.prompts'

prompt → list → cat ~/.prompts/review.md | pbcopy → paste anywhere.

chezmoi Integration

Add ~/.prompts/ to your dotfiles chezmoi tree. Available on any new machine immediately.

8. Template Evolution

Your first template is 70% quality. Improve as you use:

1. Results often get too long → add "Keep under N lines" or "Output only diff"
2. AI keeps drifting → strengthen Constraints (concrete prohibitions)
3. Context missing → add explicit input slots like "What I tried"
4. Outputs inconsistent → show an example in Output format
5. Too conservative → "Recommend the best option, not all options"

Add a one-line note at the end of each phase to keep the template evolving. Over a year, those patterns solidify into a personal asset.

9. Antipatterns

Too abstract

❌ "Be a good code reviewer." ✅ "You are a senior reviewer. Identify bugs / security / style. Output in format X."

Vague goal

❌ "Make this better." ✅ "Make this more readable. Don't change behavior. Show diff."

Missing output format

Each model produces a different shape; comparison/automation suffers.

Too long — "insurance" constraints

"And also X. And maybe Y. Don't forget Z." → model loses priority. Keep 3–5 essentials.

Always Korean

Korean prompts on an English codebase are token-inefficient. If the code context is English, English prompts produce better results.

Verification

1. Review the same code with vs without the template — compare consistency / completeness
2. Apply chezmoi on a new machine → ~/.prompts/ immediately available
3. Raycast !review trigger → expands anywhere
4. Claude Code /review file.ts → same response shape
5. After a week of use, evolve one template per week (one-line note)

Troubleshooting

AI ignores the template

• Long templates make the model forget mid-instructions. Keep under 200 lines
• Re-state the most important constraint at the end (recency bias)
• Cursor @docs may compress context — extract essentials

Slash command not working

• Claude Code: file name/location at ~/.claude/commands/foo.md
• Cursor: slash commands depend on the model

Output format breaks

Show an explicit format example. "Use this exact format:" or similar strong wording.

Answers too long

"Maximum N lines." or "Only the diff, no explanation."

Language mixed

State both prompt and output language. "Respond in Korean." or "Respond in English."

References

• Claude Code setup — slash command registration
• Cursor setup — @docs and .cursorrules
• Multi-agent workflow — handoffs are also templates
• Dotfiles management — share templates across machines
• Anthropic Prompt Engineering

Changelog

• 2026-05-12: First draft. Five templates + four storage options + evolution + five antipatterns + five troubleshooting cases.