| name | prompt |
| description | Use when a task would benefit from a structured thinking technique but you're not sure which — recommends the right prompt technique for the intent (debug, spec, refactor, decision, design) and applies it |
| user-invocable | true |
Prompt — Find and Apply the Right Thinking Technique
Picks the best prompt-engineering technique for a problem, then applies it. The
preview_prompt_technique tool with technique="auto" is the single source of
truth for recommendations — don't maintain a parallel list here.
Usage
/prompt [query] — recommend a technique for the intent, then apply
/prompt [technique] [query] — apply a specific technique
/prompt refine [query] — opt-in: rewrite the raw query into a brief via refine_prompt
/prompt list — the ~9 core techniques (default)
/prompt all — all 31 techniques
/prompt [category] — one category in full
Instructions
/prompt list, /prompt all, /prompt [category]
- list:
list_prompt_techniques({}) — core techniques (the ones that still help 2026 reasoning models).
- all:
list_prompt_techniques({ all: true }).
- category:
list_prompt_techniques({ filter: "[category]" }) — categories: creative, research, research_advanced, analytical, reflective, reasoning, verification, meta, debate, judgment, engineering, structured_coding, decision.
/prompt [query] — recommend, then apply
- Ask the tool, don't guess:
preview_prompt_technique({ technique: "auto", query: "[query]" }). It returns the top techniques for the intent with a reason and a kind tag (contract = imposes output structure, safe on reasoning models; scaffold = mainly helps weaker/routed models).
- Write a goal-first brief IN CONTEXT (free — you're already a frontier model; do NOT add a paid rewrite step). Turn the raw query into: goal, constraints, deliverable, and how you'll know it's right. Preserve the user's ambiguity — surface it as an open question rather than resolving it silently. If the query is long/messy or the user explicitly asks to improve their prompt, offer the opt-in tool instead:
refine_prompt({ query, goal?, context? }) — relay its REFINED PROMPT + WHAT CHANGED + OPEN QUESTIONS and get approval before using the brief. Never call it automatically.
- Preview the top recommended technique against a sensible tool (see mapping below):
preview_prompt_technique({ technique: "[top pick]", tool: "[tool]", query: "[the brief]" }).
- Show the user the original query vs the enhanced prompt, name the technique + why. Offer the choice through your option-choosing interface (in Claude Code: the multiple-choice UI) — the previewed technique first marked "(Recommended)", then the runner-ups from the auto step, each with its one-line why. In clients without that UI, list them inline.
- On approval:
execute_prompt_technique({ execution_token: "last" }) (re-preview first if they picked a runner-up).
/prompt [technique] [query] — apply a named technique
preview_prompt_technique({ technique: "[technique]", tool: "[tool]", query: "[query]" }) — show original vs enhanced.- Confirm with the user.
execute_prompt_technique({ execution_token: "last" }) (tokens expire after a few minutes — re-preview if stale).
/prompt refine [query] — opt-in prompt rewrite
- Call
refine_prompt({ query }) directly (add goal/context if the user gave them) and relay REFINED PROMPT and WHAT CHANGED verbatim. This is the explicit, user-requested path — unlike step 2 above, it always calls the tool since the user asked for it by name.
- If OPEN QUESTIONS is not "none", DON'T just print them — present them through your option-choosing interface (in Claude Code: the multiple-choice question UI, one question per open question with the tool's listed options plus your best-guess default marked "(Recommended)"; batch up to 4 per round). In clients without that UI, ask them inline as a numbered list.
- Merge the answers into the refined prompt and show the FINAL BRIEF. Offer the next step: feed it to
preview_prompt_technique({ technique: "auto", query: "<final brief>" }) or straight to the tool/model of choice.
Tool selection for preview
Match the target tool to the technique's category:
| Category | Best tool | Fallback |
|---|
| Creative | gemini_brainstorm | grok_brainstorm |
| Research | perplexity_ask | grok_search |
| Analytical | grok_reason | openai_reason |
| Reflective | gemini_analyze_text | kimi_thinking |
| Reasoning | kimi_thinking | openai_reason |
| Verification | openai_reason | grok_reason |
| Debate / Decision | grok_reason | openai_reason |
| Judgment | gemini_judge | jury |
| Engineering / Structured Coding | qwen_coder | minimax_code |
| Research Advanced | perplexity_reason | kimi_long_context |
Examples
/prompt there's a null-pointer crash on checkout — auto recommends rubber_duck / react/prompt should we use Redis or Postgres for the queue — auto recommends adversarial / pre_mortem/prompt refactor the payment module safely — auto recommends pre_post / scot / test_driven/prompt scot implement a rate limiter — applies structured-CoT directly/prompt bdd_spec user registration flow — Given/When/Then before code/prompt list — the core techniques · /prompt all — all 31
