| name | prompt-engineer |
| description | Generate self-contained, agent-ready prompts for delegating work to fresh Claude sessions or sub-agents. Use whenever you need to hand off a task (fix, feature, debug, refactor) to another agent that has no prior context. Also use when crafting sub-agent prompts within workflows, or when any skill/workflow needs a high-quality delegation prompt. Trigger on: "generate a prompt for", "write a prompt to", "hand this off to another agent", "create a fix prompt", or any context where work must be delegated to a fresh agent with zero shared context. |
Prompt Engineer
Generate prompts that let a fresh agent act without back-and-forth. Every prompt you produce must be self-contained — the receiving agent has zero context from this conversation.
Core Principle
A good delegation prompt answers five questions for the receiving agent:
- What — the specific outcome expected
- Where — exact file paths, line numbers, or components involved
- Why — enough context to make judgment calls (not just follow instructions)
- Constraints — what must NOT change, what to avoid, boundaries
- Verification — how the agent confirms it worked
If any of these are missing, the receiving agent will either ask questions (wasting time) or guess wrong (creating bugs).
Prompt Structure
Use this structure for all delegation prompts. Adapt section depth to task complexity — a one-line label fix needs less than a navigation flow rewrite.
## Context
[1-3 sentences: what the project is, what area of code this touches, why this matters]
## The Problem
[What's wrong or what's needed. Be specific and observable — "the category label is missing below supplement icons in StackView" not "labels are broken"]
## Files Involved
[Exact paths. If you know line numbers, include them. If uncertain, say which file to search in and what to search for]
## What to Do
[Step-by-step if multi-step, or a clear single instruction. Include the expected end state]
## Constraints
[What NOT to change. Adjacent features to leave alone. Patterns to follow. Design system tokens to use. Architecture to respect]
## Verification
[How to confirm the fix works — build command, what to check in simulator, expected behavior]
## Attachments
[Note any screenshots, error logs, or reference files being provided alongside this prompt]
Calibration by Task Size
Trivial Fix (missing label, wrong color, typo)
- Context: 1 sentence
- Problem: 1 sentence with exact location
- Files: 1-2 paths
- What to Do: single clear instruction
- Constraints: 1 line ("don't change layout")
- Verification: "build and confirm X appears"
- Total: ~8-12 lines
Medium Fix (add tap navigation, wire up data binding, fix a flow)
- Context: 2-3 sentences covering the feature area
- Problem: describe current vs expected behavior
- Files: 2-5 paths with relationships explained
- What to Do: numbered steps
- Constraints: adjacent features, architectural patterns
- Verification: specific user flow to test
- Total: ~20-40 lines
Large Task (new feature, significant refactor)
- Context: full paragraph on the system and motivation
- Problem: detailed gap analysis
- Files: file tree of relevant area + key patterns to follow
- What to Do: phased approach with intermediate checkpoints
- Constraints: comprehensive (design system, architecture, existing tests)
- Verification: multiple scenarios including edge cases
- Total: ~50-80 lines
iOS/SwiftUI-Specific Anchoring
When generating prompts for iOS work in this project, always include:
- Design system reference: "Use tokens from
StackWise/DesignSystem.swift — no hardcoded colors or magic numbers"
- File placement convention: Components →
Views/Components/, Screens → Views/[TabName]/, ViewModels → ViewModels/
- SwiftUI patterns: Reference existing similar views as examples ("follow the same pattern as
StackView.swift")
- Build verification: "Build in Xcode (Cmd+B) to confirm no compiler errors. Run in simulator to verify visually."
Sub-Agent Prompts
When crafting prompts for sub-agents spawned within a workflow (not fresh sessions):
- Sub-agents inherit some context from parent but not conversation history
- Be explicit about what the sub-agent should return (format, length, structure)
- Include the specific question or task — don't rely on ambient context
- Specify whether the sub-agent should write code or just research/analyze
Anti-Patterns
Avoid these — they produce prompts that fail:
| Anti-Pattern | Why It Fails | Fix |
|---|
| "Fix the bug" | No specifics — agent has to explore blindly | Name the exact symptom and location |
| Assuming shared context | Fresh agent knows nothing about prior work | State everything explicitly |
| Vague verification | "Make sure it works" — how? | Specific observable outcome |
| Over-specifying implementation | Leaves no room for judgment on approach | Describe the outcome, not every keystep |
| Missing constraints | Agent "fixes" one thing and breaks another | Name what must not change |
| No file paths | Agent wastes time finding the right files | Anchor with exact paths |
When Invoked by Other Skills
When called from /stackwise-design Stage 6 or any other workflow:
- Receive the issue description from the calling skill
- Ask one clarifying question if the issue is ambiguous (otherwise proceed)
- Determine task size (trivial/medium/large)
- Generate the prompt using the structure above, calibrated to size
- Output as a single copy-pasteable block
- Note if a screenshot should be attached alongside the prompt
