chemistrywow31/Prompt Patterns

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 |