prompt-patterns

name	Prompt Patterns
description	Reference library of Anthropic-official prompt engineering patterns, templates, and Claude 4.6 best practices for generation agents

Prompt Patterns

A curated library of prompt engineering patterns distilled from Anthropic's official sources. Generation agents (agent-writer, skill-writer, rule-writer) and the prompt-optimizer read from this library during their work.

When to Use

Use this skill when generating or optimizing agent prompts, skill prompts, rule files, or CLAUDE.md content for a target team. Do not load the entire library — select only the patterns relevant to the current generation task.

Assets Structure

assets/
├── templates/               14 verbatim Anthropic prompt blocks (inject directly)
├── context-strategies/       7 agent context management patterns
├── advanced-techniques/      7 core prompt engineering techniques
├── claude-4-patterns/        6 Claude 4.6 behavioral patterns
└── raw/                      4 source files (3311 lines total)

Selection Methods

Method 1: Script (recommended for coordinators)

python .claude/skills/prompt-patterns/select.py --scenario generating-coordinator -v
python .claude/skills/prompt-patterns/select.py --tags "hallucination,escape-hatch"
python .claude/skills/prompt-patterns/select.py --list-scenarios

Method 2: INDEX.md Quick Reference

Read INDEX.md in this folder for the scenario-to-file mapping table.

Method 3: Direct Path

When you already know which pattern you need:

.claude/skills/prompt-patterns/assets/templates/parallel-tool-calls.md

Coordinator Dispatch Integration

Include selected pattern paths in the writer dispatch alongside worklog paths:

<knowledge_refs>
Read these patterns before writing:
- .claude/skills/prompt-patterns/assets/templates/investigate-before-answering.md
- .claude/skills/prompt-patterns/assets/claude-4-patterns/tone-calibration.md
</knowledge_refs>
<task_scope>Write the coordinator agent for the XYZ team.</task_scope>
<worklog_path>.worklog/202603/xyz-team/phase-3-generation/</worklog_path>

Available Scenarios

Scenario	Description
generating-coordinator	Writing coordinator agents
generating-execution-agent	Writing worker/execution agents
generating-research-agent	Writing research/analysis agents
generating-review-agent	Writing QA/review agents
generating-coding-team	Target team works with code
generating-frontend-team	Target team does frontend work
generating-rules	Writing rule files
writing-skill-prompts	Writing skill SKILL.md files
writing-agent-prompts	Writing agent .md files
optimizing-prompts	Prompt optimization pass
long-running-tasks	Agents handling extended workflows
context-constrained	Context budget is a concern

Example

Input

Coordinator dispatching agent-writer to create a coding team's coordinator:

Scenario: generating-coordinator + generating-coding-team

Output from select.py

assets/templates/parallel-tool-calls.md
assets/templates/commitment-over-exploration.md
assets/templates/investigate-before-answering.md
assets/templates/anti-over-engineering.md
assets/context-strategies/compaction.md
assets/context-strategies/sub-agent-dispatch.md
assets/claude-4-patterns/anti-overthinking.md
assets/claude-4-patterns/tone-calibration.md
assets/claude-4-patterns/over-engineering-prevention.md

How Writer Uses the Patterns

1. Read each selected pattern file
2. For templates/ files: inject the verbatim prompt block into the generated agent's prompt where appropriate
3. For context-strategies/ and advanced-techniques/ files: apply the pattern principle when structuring the agent's sections
4. For claude-4-patterns/ files: verify the generated prompt does not contain the listed anti-patterns

Sources

Source	Content
github.com/anthropics/prompt-eng-interactive-tutorial	10-element template, CoT, Few-shot, Tool Use, Prompt Chaining
github.com/anthropics/courses	Structured Refusal, Dual-zone Output, Evaluation frameworks
anthropic.com/engineering	Context engineering, Sub-agent architecture, Compaction
platform.claude.com	Claude 4.6 best practices, Ready-to-use templates, Migration guide