Prompts

Prompts

Reusable prompts — global masters, phase masters, task prompts, and per-vendor prompt sets.

For the canonical reference, see prompts/README.md.

Directory layout

prompts/
├── shared/                              vendor-neutral prompts
│   ├── global-master-prompt-template.md       000_GLOBAL_MASTER pattern
│   ├── phase-master-prompt-template.md        000_MASTER_<phase> pattern
│   ├── task-prompt-template.md                production task-prompt shape
│   ├── prd-to-spec-prompt.md                  convert PRD into spec triplet
│   ├── spec-to-tasks-prompt.md                derive tasks.md from req+design
│   └── code-review-prompt.md                  vendor-neutral code review
├── codex/                               Codex-specific prompts
│   ├── implementation-prompt.md
│   ├── refactor-prompt.md
│   ├── test-generation-prompt.md
│   └── repo-bootstrap-prompt.md
└── claude/                              Claude Code-specific prompts
    ├── implementation-prompt.md
    ├── refactor-prompt.md
    ├── test-generation-prompt.md
    └── repo-bootstrap-prompt.md

The phased master-prompt pattern

The strongest spec-driven artifact in this framework. For multi-week initiatives:

prompts/<initiative>/
├── 000_GLOBAL_MASTER.md             single entry-point: role, mission, source-of-truth, phase order
├── phase0_<name>/
│   ├── 000_MASTER_<phase>.md        phase summary, prerequisites, agent assignments
│   ├── 001_<task>.md                production task prompt
│   ├── 002_<task>.md
│   └── ...
├── phase1_<name>/
│   └── ...
└── README.md                         phase index

Templates for the three layers:

Layer	Template
Global master	shared/global-master-prompt-template.md
Phase master	shared/phase-master-prompt-template.md
Task prompt	shared/task-prompt-template.md

The task-prompt shape (load-bearing)

The task-prompt-template.md is the heart of the framework. Its shape:

• Objective — one-line statement of what this task accomplishes.
• Context — cross-references to PRD, requirements, design, related tasks, ADRs.
• Agent Assignment — primary agent + any consulting agents.
• Prerequisites — tasks / state that must be done first.
• Task Details — current state → target state diff blocks for every file modification.
• Acceptance Criteria — testable, requirement-back-referenced.

This shape is far richer than a generic "implement this" prompt. It is what makes phased work auditable.

Cross-vendor prompts

shared/ holds prompts that work across all vendors. Use these by default; reach for codex/ or claude/ only when the prompt requires vendor-specific tooling (Claude's Task tool delegation, Codex's workspace-write sandbox, etc.).

Per-vendor prompts

Each of codex/ and claude/ ships the same four prompts:

• implementation-prompt.md — short ad-hoc implementation prompt (use task-prompt-template for production work).
• refactor-prompt.md — behavior-preserving refactor.
• test-generation-prompt.md — generate tests against requirement IDs.
• repo-bootstrap-prompt.md — populate a new repo with SpecRoute structure.

Gemini, Kiro, Cursor, and Windsurf don't have dedicated prompt directories yet. The shared/ prompts work in any agent CLI that reads markdown.

Phase index pattern

For a multi-phase initiative, maintain prompts/<initiative>/README.md as the phase index. It enumerates phases, prerequisites, master prompts, and task counts. See prompts/shared/global-master-prompt-template.md for the index pattern.

Owner agent

Designing and reviewing prompts is owned by the prompt-engineer agent.

Worked example

The canonical examples/sample-project/prompts/ directory has the full phased prompt set for the user-search feature:

• 1 global master (000_GLOBAL_MASTER.md).
• 4 phase masters (foundation / backend / frontend / validation).
• 22 numbered task prompts.
• 2 runtime operational prompts (pickup-next-task.md, daily-checkpoint.md).

Every numbered prompt instantiates the production task-prompt shape. See Worked Example.

See also

• Specs — prd-to-spec and spec-to-tasks prompts are the bridges from PRD to implementation
• Workflow Spec to Implementation — how a single task prompt drives merged code
• Worked Example — 28 prompt files in one feature