prompt-enhancer

name	prompt-enhancer
description	Enrich user prompts with relevant codebase context from the MCP codebase index server. Automatically detects task type and intensity level, then injects ranked code snippets, repo maps, recent changes, and dependency graphs. Works best with MCP server; degrades gracefully to built-in file tools when unavailable.
argument-hint	[prompt text or topic]

Prompt Enhancer

Enrich prompts with codebase context before execution. Uses MCP codebase index server when available; falls back to built-in file tools (Read, Grep, Glob) when not.

When to Activate

• User starts a coding, debugging, or review task in an indexed codebase
• User asks to "fix", "implement", "refactor", "debug", or "review" code
• User wants better context for their prompt

Workflow

Step 0 — Check Indexing MCP availability (do this FIRST): Before running anything, check if MCP codebase-index tools are available to you (e.g., search_codebase, get_file_summary). If NO MCP tools are available, skip this skill entirely — proceed with the user's task using built-in file tools (Read, Grep, Glob) directly.

Step 1 — Run the enhancement script: Find enhance-prompt.py in this skill's scripts/ directory and run it:

python3 "SKILL_DIR/scripts/enhance-prompt.py" "USER_PROMPT_HERE"

Where SKILL_DIR is the absolute path to the directory containing this SKILL.md.

The script outputs an XML-structured enhanced prompt with tags like <tool_rules>, <objective>, <work_style>, <verification>, <done_criteria>, etc.

CRITICAL: The script output IS your working instructions. Follow these rules:

• DO NOT rewrite, reformat, or restructure the XML output
• DO NOT strip XML tags or merge XML blocks
• USE the XML output as-is to guide your task execution
• The XML tags define your workflow — <tool_rules> tells you what tools to use, <objective> tells you what to do, <done_criteria> tells you when you're done

Optional flags: --task TYPE, --intensity LEVEL, --budget N, --provider gemini|ollama|openai

External AI is automatic: If PROMPT_ENHANCER_PROVIDER is set in .env (e.g., gemini, ollama, openai), the script automatically sends the prompt to that provider for improvement — no --provider flag needed. When the MCP codebase-index HTTP server is also running, it enriches the external AI call with real codebase context. No configuration needed beyond the .env file.

Step 2 — Execute with codebase context:

1. Follow the <tool_rules> block to query MCP tools for relevant context
2. Apply quality gates — fallback to file-tools if MCP results are poor
3. Use the gathered context to execute the task described in <objective>
4. Validate your work against <done_criteria> and <verification> blocks

Task-Type Detection

Keywords	Task Type	Primary MCP Tools
fix, bug, error, crash, fail	debug	search_codebase, get_recent_changes, get_file_summary
implement, add, create, build	coding	search_codebase, get_dependencies
refactor, restructure, clean	refactor	get_dependencies, get_repo_map, search_codebase
review, audit, check	review	get_repo_map, get_file_summary
explain, understand, how	research	get_repo_map, search_codebase

Framework-aware queries: When the task targets a specific file, the file extension drives query strategy for the file-tool track. Vue/React/Svelte use <ComponentName> + import patterns; Python/Go/TS use symbol + import patterns. See references/task-type-strategies.md → "Framework-Aware Query Hints".

Intensity Levels

Level	Triggers	Blocks Included
light	"quick", "simple", "trivial", "rename", "typo"	tool_rules, work_style, objective, done_criteria
standard	Default for most tasks	All light blocks + investigate, diagnosis, grounding, verification, parallel_tools, anti_overengineering (coding/refactor)
deep	"careful", "thorough", "critical", "production", "security"	All standard blocks with stronger verification

Prompt Ordering (Best Practices)

Enhanced prompts follow Anthropic's recommendation — longform context at top, query at bottom:

1. <tool_rules> — which MCP tools to call and how
2. <use_parallel_tool_calls> — parallel execution (standard+, 2+ tools)
3. <investigate_before_answering> — prevent hallucination (standard+)
4. <diagnosis> — analyze before acting: map responsibilities, find patterns (standard+)
5. <anti_overengineering> — YAGNI/KISS (coding/refactor, standard+)
6. <work_style> — task-type specific approach
7. <grounding> — quote code before reasoning (standard+)
8. <verification> — imperative self-check at meaningful checkpoints (standard+)
9. <objective> — narrative restatement with deliverable and success signal (BOTTOM)
10. <done_criteria> — when to stop

Narrative Objective Format

CRITICAL: The <objective> is ONE block within the full XML-structured prompt. ALL other blocks (context_budget, tool_rules, investigate, grounding, verification, work_style, done_criteria, etc.) MUST still be present. Never replace the full XML structure with just a narrative.

The <objective> block must restate the user's task as a structured narrative — not echo the raw prompt. Structure:

1. Action statement — Lead with a specific verb matching the task type (fix, implement, refactor, review, analyze)
2. Context — Key facts discovered from codebase analysis (file size, consumer count, architecture details)
3. Constraints — What must be preserved, what's out of scope
4. Deliverables — What artifacts to produce
5. Approach — High-level strategy (optional, for complex tasks)

Keep under 4 sections for simple tasks. Use all 5 for complex/deep-intensity tasks.

Example (refactor task):

<objective>
Refactor customer-frontend/src/components/common/filters/AspireFilter.vue (~688 lines) to comply with the project's 200-line file size guideline.

Context:
- Component used in ~49 consumer files across transactions, cards, bills, accounting features
- Dual architecture: legacy state + unified state behind isUnifiedStateEnabled feature flag
- 20+ props, 4 emits, 2 slots define the public API

Constraints:
- Preserve exact public API (props, emits, slots) — zero changes to consumers
- Preserve legacy/unified dual-path unless feature flag status confirmed
- Follow YAGNI/KISS/DRY — extract, don't abstract

Deliverables:
1. Prioritized list of extractions with specific line-range references
2. Proposed file names and locations for each extraction
3. Risk assessment for each extraction

Verify all observations against the actual codebase before acting — use ~approximate numbers until confirmed.
Original request: Analyze and improve AspireFilter.vue
</objective>

Generation Guidelines

When assembling enhanced prompts with codebase-specific context:

Use Approximate Language for Observations

• Prefix counts with "~" (e.g., "~45 consumer files", "~687 lines")
• Add "verify against the codebase before acting" after factual claims
• Distinguish known facts from observations that need confirmation

Approach Section: Candidates, Not Commands

• Use "consider extracting..." not "extract..."
• Add qualifier: "if supported by the code" or "if self-contained"
• Frame as candidate targets the agent should evaluate, not steps to follow blindly

Match Investigation and Verification Scope

• If verification claims "all N consumers unchanged," investigation must scan those consumers
• If investigation only samples 2-3, verification should say "verify no API changes; scan consumers where feasible"
• Never promise verification you can't deliver

Realistic Verification Cadence

• Use "at meaningful checkpoints" not "after each step"
• Compile/typecheck after major extractions, not after every micro-change
• "If full verification isn't possible, document assumptions explicitly"

File Size Targets: Flexible, Not Rigid

• Use "target ~200 lines for the script portion where reasonable" (excluding template/styles)
• Add: "avoid splitting cohesive logic solely to satisfy the line limit"
• A 220-line cohesive composable is better than 2 artificially split files
• For Vue SFCs: count template, script, style separately — a 180-line template + 150-line script is fine

Token Budget

• Default: 4096 tokens for injected context
• Allocation varies by task type (see references/task-type-strategies.md)
• Configurable via argument: --budget 8192

Graceful Degradation

MCP Unavailable

If MCP server cannot be reached:

• Skip all MCP tool calls
• Keep all behavioral blocks (investigate, grounding, anti-overengineering, verification)
• Direct Claude to use built-in file tools (Read, Grep, Glob) for context
• Notice: "MCP codebase index not available — using file-system tools for context"

Low-Quality Results

If MCP tools return but results are poor, apply quality gates before injecting context:

Tool	Quality Gate	Fallback Action
search_codebase	All results score <0.3, OR top result <0.5	Re-query with literal Grep pattern instead
get_file_summary	Returns only file path, no symbols/outline	Use Read + manual outline extraction
get_dependencies	Both imports and imported-by are empty	Use Grep for import statements + component usage
get_repo_map	Empty or single-entry result	Use Glob for directory listing + file structure

Score behavior:

• <0.3: Drop individual result (noise — never inject)
• 0.3–0.5: Keep if at least one result scores ≥0.5 (marginal — useful as supporting context)
• ≥0.5: Keep (good quality)
• If NO results score ≥0.5: tool fails quality gate → substitute with file-tool equivalent
• If 2+ tools fail quality gates: switch entire strategy to file-tools-only mode
• Notice: "MCP results below quality threshold for [tool] — supplementing with file-system tools"
• Keep all behavioral blocks regardless of degradation level

Script Usage

python3 scripts/enhance-prompt.py "Fix the auth timeout bug"
python3 scripts/enhance-prompt.py "Fix the auth timeout bug" --intensity deep
python3 scripts/enhance-prompt.py "Rename variable" --intensity light --budget 2048
python3 scripts/enhance-prompt.py "Refactor auth module" --task refactor
python3 scripts/enhance-prompt.py "Fix auth bug" --provider gemini
python3 scripts/enhance-prompt.py "Refactor auth" --provider ollama --intensity deep

External AI Provider (Optional)

Offload prompt improvement to an external AI instead of consuming Claude's context window. The deterministic prompt is built first, then optionally refined by an external model.

Provider Setup

Variable	Default	Description
PROMPT_ENHANCER_PROVIDER	none	Provider: gemini, ollama, openai, or none
GEMINI_API_KEY	—	Google API key (shared across skills)
GEMINI_MODEL	gemini-2.5-flash	Gemini model name
OLLAMA_BASE_URL	http://localhost:11434	Ollama server URL
OLLAMA_MODEL	llama3.2	Ollama model name
OPENAI_API_KEY	—	OpenAI or compatible API key
OPENAI_BASE_URL	https://api.openai.com/v1	OpenAI-compatible base URL
OPENAI_MODEL	gpt-4o-mini	Model name
MCP_CODEBASE_URL	http://127.0.0.1:3847	MCP codebase-index HTTP server URL (optional — enriches external AI with codebase context)

Configuration

Claude Code (.mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codebase-index": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/mcp-codebase-index/dist/index.js", "--path", "/your/repo"],
      "env": {
        "PROMPT_ENHANCER_PROVIDER": "gemini",
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json) — same JSON format as Claude Code.

Windsurf (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json) — same JSON format.

Via .env file (either location works):

# Option 1: Inside .claude/ (standard hierarchy)
# .claude/skills/prompt-enhancer/.env

# Option 2: Next to the skill (auto-detected fallback)
# skills/prompt-enhancer/.env

PROMPT_ENHANCER_PROVIDER=gemini
GEMINI_API_KEY=your-key-here

Ollama (local):

ollama pull llama3.2
# .claude/skills/prompt-enhancer/.env
PROMPT_ENHANCER_PROVIDER=ollama
OLLAMA_MODEL=llama3.2

OpenAI-compatible (vLLM, LM Studio, Groq, Together):

# .claude/skills/prompt-enhancer/.env
PROMPT_ENHANCER_PROVIDER=openai
OPENAI_BASE_URL=http://localhost:1234/v1   # LM Studio
OPENAI_API_KEY=lm-studio                    # LM Studio uses any string
OPENAI_MODEL=your-local-model

Fallback Behavior

1. External AI succeeds → return AI-improved prompt
2. API key missing → return deterministic prompt + stderr notice
3. API call fails (timeout/error) → return deterministic prompt + stderr notice
4. AI response fails validation → return deterministic prompt + stderr notice

The enhancement pipeline never fails — it always returns a usable prompt.

Standalone Testing

python3 scripts/external-ai-enhance.py "Test prompt" --provider gemini
python3 scripts/external-ai-enhance.py "Test prompt" --provider ollama

References

• Context Injection Patterns
• Task Type Strategies