Find the slow thing before optimising
This is slow: {{describe symptom, e.g. endpoint takes 4s at p95}}. Here's the code and what I know: {{paste code, query plans, timings, data volumes}}. Don't optimise yet. First: …
133 copies · 15 likesWORKS WITH CURSOR
Prompts for Cursor
Community-tested ways to get more useful results from Cursor.
Add a promptDesign review before you write the service
Review this design before I build it: {{paste design or describe: what it does, data model, endpoints, dependencies, expected scale}}. Attack it in this order: 1. FAILURE MODES — …
56 copies · 9 likesWrite the SQL, then explain what it will cost
Write the query for this question: {{describe what you need to know}}. Schema: {{paste DDL or table and column list with row counts}} Database: {{engine and version}} Requirement…
23 copies · 4 likesWrite a spec an AI agent can actually follow
I want an agent that {{goal}}. It has access to: {{tools, APIs, data}}. It runs {{when and how often}}. Write the agent spec: 1. OBJECTIVE — one sentence, with the success conditi…
24 copies · 5 likesConvert a script into something maintainable
This script works but it's about to become important: {{paste script}}. Harden it without over-engineering: 1. Name the failure modes it currently has — what happens on a network …
27 copies · 4 likesWrite the docs the next engineer needs
Write documentation for the code below, for an engineer who joins in six months. Structure: 1. WHAT AND WHY — what this does and the problem it exists to solve. Include the constr…
14 copies · 5 likesReview this PR like the reviewer everyone respects
Review the diff below as a senior engineer on this codebase would. Order your review by what actually matters: 1. CORRECTNESS — logic errors, off-by-one, unhandled nulls, wrong er…
23 copies · 3 likesWrite the tests that would have caught the bug
Here's a bug that reached production, and the code around it. 1. Write the failing test that reproduces it at the smallest useful level (unit if the logic is pure, integration if …
21 copies · 3 likesUnderstand an unfamiliar codebase fast
I've just been dropped into this codebase and need to ship a change to {{area}} this week. Given the files below, produce an orientation doc: 1. What this system does, in two sent…
19 copies · 2 likesExplain this error like a senior engineer would
Here's an error and the relevant code. Diagnose it properly. 1. Translate the error into plain language: what the runtime was trying to do when it gave up. 2. Name the actual caus…
10 copies · 2 likesRefactor without changing behaviour
Refactor the code below. The behaviour must not change, including its bugs, unless I approve the change. Process: 1. First, describe the current behaviour precisely, including edg…
9 copies · 1 likeDebug the thing that only fails in production
This works locally and fails in production. Symptoms: {{describe, including frequency and pattern}}. Environment differences I know of: {{list}}. Logs: {{paste}}. Work the problem…
13 copiesTurn a vague ticket into an implementation plan
Here's the ticket: {{paste}}. Here's the relevant code: {{paste}}. Produce an implementation plan: 1. Restate the requirement precisely, and list every ambiguity you had to resolv…
2 copies · 1 likeUnblock a dependency upgrade that broke the build
A dependency upgrade broke my build. Upgrade: {{package, from version, to version}}. Errors: {{paste the first and last 30 lines of the failure}}. Lockfile or manifest: {{paste rel…
1 copyPlan a schema migration that runs under live traffic
I need to change a database schema while the app keeps serving traffic. Current shape: {{tables, columns, types, indexes, row counts}}. Target shape: {{what it should become}}. Sta…