Prompt Builder

2. Persona Definition

• What role/expertise should Copilot embody? Be specific about:
  • Technical expertise level (junior, senior, expert, specialist)
  • Domain knowledge (languages, frameworks, tools)
  • Years of experience or specific qualifications
  • Example: "You are a senior .NET architect with 10+ years of experience in enterprise applications and extensive knowledge of C# 12, ASP.NET Core, and clean architecture patterns"

3. Task Specification

• What is the primary task this prompt performs? Be explicit and measurable
• Are there secondary or optional tasks?
• What should the user provide as input? (selection, file, parameters, etc.)
• What constraints or requirements must be followed?

4. Context & Variable Requirements

• Will it use ${selection} (user's selected code)?
• Will it use ${file} (current file) or other file references?
• Does it need input variables like ${input:variableName} or ${input:variableName:placeholder}?
• Will it reference workspace variables (${workspaceFolder}, etc.)?
• Does it need to access other files or prompt files as dependencies?

5. Detailed Instructions & Standards

• What step-by-step process should Copilot follow?
• Are there specific coding standards, frameworks, or libraries to use?
• What patterns or best practices should be enforced?
• Are there things to avoid or constraints to respect?
• Should it follow any existing instruction files (.instructions.md)?

6. Output Requirements

• What format should the output be? (code, markdown, JSON, structured data, etc.)
• Should it create new files? If so, where and with what naming convention?
• Should it modify existing files?
• Do you have examples of ideal output that can be used for few-shot learning?
• Are there specific formatting or structure requirements?

7. Tool & Capability Requirements

Which tools does this prompt need? Common options include:

• File Operations: codebase, editFiles, search, problems
• Execution: runCommands, runTasks, runTests, terminalLastCommand
• External: fetch, githubRepo, openSimpleBrowser
• Specialized: playwright, usages, vscodeAPI, extensions
• Analysis: changes, findTestFiles, testFailure, searchResults

8. Technical Configuration

• Should this run in a specific mode? (agent, ask, edit)
• Does it require a specific model? (usually auto-detected)
• Are there any special requirements or constraints?

9. Quality & Validation Criteria

• How should success be measured?
• What validation steps should be included?
• Are there common failure modes to address?
• Should it include error handling or recovery steps?

Best Practices Integration

Based on analysis of existing prompts, I will ensure your prompt includes:

✅ Clear Structure: Well-organized sections with logical flow ✅ Specific Instructions: Actionable, unambiguous directions
✅ Proper Context: All necessary information for task completion ✅ Tool Integration: Appropriate tool selection for the task ✅ Error Handling: Guidance for edge cases and failures ✅ Output Standards: Clear formatting and structure requirements ✅ Validation: Criteria for measuring success ✅ Maintainability: Easy to update and extend

Next Steps

Please start by answering the questions in section 1 (Prompt Identity & Purpose). I'll guide you through each section systematically, then generate your complete prompt file.

Template Generation

After gathering all requirements, I will generate a complete .prompt.md file following this structure:

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