# AI Coding Guild Starter Sample Prompts

Curated copy-paste starter prompts for non-software developers using AI coding tools. This is the smaller, safer first set before the full prompt library.

Starter page URL: https://aicodingguild.com/sample-prompts
Plain-text export: https://aicodingguild.com/sample-prompts/txt
Prompt count: 4

## 1. Safe Beginner Loop
Category: Safety
Path: Start Here — Build Safely With AI
Lesson: https://aicodingguild.com/learn/start-here/the-safe-vibe-coding-loop
Prompt page: https://aicodingguild.com/prompts/the-safe-vibe-coding-loop
Estimated minutes: 10
Tags: vibe-coding, workflow, beginners, safety
Summary: Use this before any implementation work when you want the agent to stay scoped, explain itself, and stop after one reviewable change.

Prompt:
"I want to work in a safe beginner loop.
Please do only this one task: [describe one tiny change].

Before making changes:
1. explain your plan in plain English
2. list the files you expect to change
3. do not add packages or change config unless absolutely necessary

After making changes:
4. tell me exactly what changed
5. tell me how to test it in one minute
6. stop so I can review before the next step"

## 2. Tighten My Coding Prompt
Category: Prompt Design
Path: Working With AI Tools
Lesson: https://aicodingguild.com/learn/ai-tools/anatomy-of-good-coding-prompt
Prompt page: https://aicodingguild.com/prompts/anatomy-of-good-coding-prompt
Estimated minutes: 12
Tags: ai-tools, prompt-engineering, best-practices
Summary: Use this when your current request feels vague and you want the agent to help shape a safer, sharper implementation prompt before files change.

Prompt:
**Use this with Cursor or Claude Code before you ask for implementation work:**
"Help me tighten this coding prompt before any files are changed.
Project context: [stack, app purpose, relevant data model]
Goal: [the feature or fix I want]
Rough prompt: [paste your current prompt]

Rewrite it using these sections:
1. Context
2. Task
3. Specifics
4. Constraints
5. Output

Keep the scope limited to one reviewable change.
Tell me which assumptions are still missing.
Tell me what I must verify manually before I let an agent write code."

## 3. Review The Diff
Category: Review
Path: Working With AI Tools
Lesson: https://aicodingguild.com/learn/ai-tools/code-review-with-ai
Prompt page: https://aicodingguild.com/prompts/code-review-with-ai
Estimated minutes: 12
Tags: ai-tools, workflows, code-review, quality
Summary: Use this after an AI-generated change lands so the reviewer focuses on correctness, security, edge cases, and misleading tests.

Prompt:
"Review the diff between my branch and `main`.
For every finding:
1. label it as must-fix, should-fix, consider, or optional
2. explain why it matters
3. point to the relevant file or code section
4. suggest a concrete fix

Prioritize bugs, security issues, missing edge cases, and misleading tests.
Do not waste time on style commentary unless it affects correctness or maintainability."

## 4. Pre-Flight Secrets Check
Category: Secrets Hygiene
Path: Start Here — Build Safely With AI
Lesson: https://aicodingguild.com/learn/start-here/before-you-share-anything
Prompt page: https://aicodingguild.com/prompts/before-you-share-anything
Estimated minutes: 10
Tags: beginners, safety, sharing, shipping
Summary: Run this before you paste configs, screenshots, or terminal output into an AI tool so you do not leak API keys, connection strings, or internal URLs.

Prompt:
"I am about to share this small app with another person for the first time.
Please give me a beginner-safe pre-share review.

Context:
- project: [describe project]
- who will see it: [friend/coworker/client/internal team]
- main flow: [describe flow]

Review it for:
1. obvious safety problems
2. anything sensitive I should not expose yet
3. the most likely embarrassing failure points
4. the smallest fixes that would make it safer to share

Do not suggest major rewrites. I want a practical pre-share checklist."