Prompting tips
Practical patterns for getting good output.
The agent does what you say. Vague requests get vague results.
Be specific about the stack
| Vague | Better |
|---|---|
| "Make a web app" | "Next.js 14 app router with Tailwind and shadcn/ui" |
| "Add a database" | "Add Prisma with SQLite; migrate the user model" |
| "Add auth" | "Add NextAuth with email magic links and Suzko's mail SMTP" |
If you don't pin the stack, the agent picks something reasonable — but it might not be what you wanted.
Describe behavior, not just structure
Bad: "Add a settings page."
Good: "Add a /settings page with three sections: Profile (name +
avatar), Preferences (theme toggle, language dropdown), and Danger
Zone (delete account). Each section is a <Card>. Save button per
section, with a 'Saved!' toast on success."
Iterate in small steps
One concept per turn works better than five.
Bad: "Add a login page, then a signup, then password reset, then 2FA, then session management, then admin panel." Good: "Add a login page with email + password." Then next turn: "Add signup that creates a user in the database."
The agent doesn't get tired, but it does get less precise when handling many things at once.
Show, don't tell, for design
If you have a visual reference:
- Paste an image of the design (drag onto the chat)
- Describe components by analogy: "like the GitHub repo card"
Reference files the agent already wrote
"In src/components/Header.tsx, replace the menu with a Sheet from
shadcn." The agent reads the file before editing — it'll match your
existing patterns.
When stuck
If the agent goes in circles on a problem:
- Tell it explicitly what's wrong. Don't ask it to guess.
- Paste the error message verbatim.
- Try Discard last turn to roll back and rephrase.
- Switch to a stronger model (Frontier) for the hard bit, then switch back.
When NOT to use Studio
- Reviewing existing code → use Claude Code or Cursor locally
- Long-running data processing → write it yourself, use Studio to build the UI
- Production hotfixes → fix it in your IDE; Studio is for greenfield
Save your work
Each turn is auto-versioned. But after big milestones, hit Checkpoint to mark a known-good state — easier to roll back to later. See Version history.