Meta Prompt
Make Claude better at understanding you.
When to Use
- Complex task, unclear how to express it
- Want optimal results, not just good
- Creating reusable prompts (skills)
- Teaching Claude new patterns
Meta Prompt Pattern
Ask for the Prompt
"What's the best way to ask you to [task]?"
Claude returns optimal prompt structure.
Then use that prompt.Prompt Improvement
"Here's my prompt: [prompt]
How can I improve it for better results?"
Claude refines your approach.Constraint Discovery
"What constraints would help you [task] better?"
Claude reveals what it needs to know.Prompt Architecture
Structure
1. Context (what you're working on)
2. Goal (what you want)
3. Constraints (what to avoid/include)
4. Format (how to return results)
5. Examples (if helpful)Example
Context: iOS app with SwiftUI
Goal: Add dark mode toggle to settings
Constraints:
- Use existing Theme system
- Support system preference
- Persist user choice
Format: Complete Swift code with commentsPrompt Templates
Feature Request
"In [codebase], add [feature].
Use existing [patterns].
Follow [conventions].
Return: [deliverables]"Bug Investigation
"[Symptom] is happening.
Expected: [expected behavior]
Actual: [actual behavior]
Find root cause and fix."Code Review
"Review [code] for:
- [Concern 1]
- [Concern 2]
- [Concern 3]
Return issues ranked by severity."Architecture Decision
"Need to choose between [A] and [B] for [use case].
Consider: [factors]
Recommend with reasoning."Skill Creation
From Repeated Prompts
Notice: Same prompt used 3+ times
"Turn this into a reusable skill:
[your repeated prompt]"
Claude creates SKILL.md.Skill Structure
---
name: Skill Name
description: When to use this
allowed-tools: [tools]
model: [model]
---
# Skill Name
[The optimized prompt content]Prompt Debugging
Not Getting Good Results?
"My prompt: [prompt]
I'm getting: [current results]
I want: [desired results]
What's wrong with my prompt?"Too Verbose?
"Compress this prompt while keeping quality:
[long prompt]"Too Vague?
"Make this more specific:
[vague prompt]"Advanced Patterns
Chain of Thought
"Think through this step by step:
1. First, understand [aspect]
2. Then, identify [aspect]
3. Finally, implement [solution]"Few-Shot Learning
"Here are examples of what I want:
Input: [A] → Output: [X]
Input: [B] → Output: [Y]
Now do: Input: [C] → Output: ?"Role Assignment
"Act as a [role] reviewing [thing].
Focus on [concerns] a [role] would have."Prompt Economics
Token Efficiency
Short prompt + clear constraints > Long prompt + vague intentReuse
Good prompt used 100 times = Skill
Skill invocation = 50 tokens
Manual prompt = 500 tokens
90% savings.Quick Commands
"Best prompt for [task]?"
"Improve: [prompt]"
"Compress: [prompt]"
"Turn into skill: [prompt]"Use when: Optimizing prompts, creating skills, complex tasks