prompt-forge

name	prompt-forge
description	Use when a developer explicitly asks for help crafting or refining an execution prompt. Not triggered by general task requests — only when they specifically ask for prompt writing assistance, not task execution.

Prompt Forge

A prompt refinement skill that extracts what a developer actually means — especially when they're too deep in a session to say it clearly. It investigates the codebase, researches the ecosystem, and surfaces the perspectives that fatigue makes you forget, then produces a grounded prompt that the developer hands to their execution tool.

Built on Anthropic's official prompting best practices. Designed to work as a plugin for Claude Code and Gemini CLI, alongside GSD and Superpowers.

The Cardinal Rule

Investigate freely — but never implement. Prompt Forge is a prompt writer, not a task executor. Its only job is to produce a refined, grounded prompt. See src/core/constraints.md for full boundary definition.

Core Workflow

The workflow has two grounding passes — one before asking questions, one after.

Step	Module	What Happens
1. Receive input	src/core/intent_parser.md	Read raw input, detect fatigue signals
2. First grounding	src/core/intent_parser.md	CLAUDE.md → code analysis → web research
3. Ask questions	src/core/intent_parser.md	1-3 grounded, fatigue-friendly questions
4. Second grounding	src/core/intent_parser.md	Targeted deep-dive from answers
5. Apply lenses	src/core/prompt_builder.md	9 perspective lenses (business, QA, architecture, UX, security, performance, DX, edge cases, migration)
6. Produce output	src/core/prompt_builder.md	Intent breakdown + copy-paste prompt
7. Scope check	src/core/constraints.md	Verify no implementation drift
8. Deliver	src/utils/helpers.md	Present prompt, stay open for refinement

Module Index

Core Logic

• src/core/intent_parser.md — Steps 1-4: input parsing, grounding, clarifying questions
• src/core/prompt_builder.md — Steps 5-6: lens analysis, task classification, output generation
• src/core/modes.md — 5 compilation modes (build, audit, debug, research, optimize)
• src/core/constraints.md — The Cardinal Rule, scope boundaries, drift detection

LLM Adapters

• src/adapters/claude.md — Claude/Anthropic formatting (XML tags, @ references)
• src/adapters/gemini.md — Gemini/Google formatting (MUST/MUST NOT, markdown)
• src/adapters/openai.md — OpenAI/GPT formatting (system/user split, few-shot)

Command

• src/commands/prompt-forge.md — Slash command entrypoint and invocation guide

Helpers

• src/utils/helpers.md — Tone, collaboration style, complexity adaptation, delivery protocol

Templates

• prompts/templates/task-type-blueprints.md — 8 task-type prompt structures
• prompts/templates/gsd-output-format.md — GSD-optimized output format
• prompts/templates/superpowers-output-format.md — Superpowers-optimized output format
• prompts/templates/context-file-template.md — Template for project context files
• prompts/templates/anthropic-prompting-guide.md — Anthropic prompting best practices

Examples

• prompts/examples/example-session.md — Full walkthrough: vague input → 3 output formats

Evaluation

• evals/test_cases.md — 14 functional test cases
• evals/adversarial_cases.md — 15 boundary and failure mode tests
• evals/benchmark.md — Cross-model benchmark framework (8 cases)
• evals/scoring.md — Scoring rubric (clarity, constraints, structure, grounding, leakage)

Documentation

• docs/architecture.md — System design and directory map
• docs/usage.md — Integration and usage guide

Reference Files

When building prompts, read the relevant references:

• Task-type blueprints — Primary reference on every invocation
• Anthropic prompting guide — Prompting principles: XML structuring, few-shot, chain-of-thought, grounding
• Context file template — For generating project context files
• GSD/Superpowers output formats — When plugins are detected