The prompts that actually work with Claude Code (copy-paste ready)

Most Claude Code prompt advice is vague. "Be specific." "Give context." Not useful. Here are the actual prompts I use daily. Copy these and adjust for your context. New feature I need to add [feature]. Before writing any code: 1. What files will this touch? 2. What could break? 3. What's the simplest implementation? Then implement it. Why it works: forces Claude to think before coding, which catches the obvious mistakes upfront. Writing tests Write tests for [function/component]. Cover: - The happy path - Edge cases: empty input, null, max values - Error conditions Use the existing test patterns in this codebase. Always reference existing test patterns. Claude will copy your conventions instead of inventing new ones. Debugging This is broken: [error or description] Expected: [what should happen] Actual: [what's happening] Don't fix it yet. Tell me what you think the root cause is and what you'd check first. The "don't fix it yet" part is critical. Otherwise Claude jumps to a plausible