Resource
Agent Instruction Prompt Formatter
Formats fuzzy agent instructions into a structured prompt with objective, available tools, constraints, success criteria, and failure handling.
Developer Request Prompt Formatter
Turns scattered technical instructions into a coding prompt with a clear task, code context, constraints, and expected output.
Overview
Developer requests to AI coding assistants tend to pile up: refactor this but don't break that, add a test but keep the existing style, explain what changed but don't be too verbose. Individually reasonable. Together, hard to parse. This formatter separates the what, the how, the don't-touch list, and the expected output — so the assistant knows exactly where to focus.
How to use this resource
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Write the request as you normally would
Don't filter yourself. Write what you want done, what it applies to, and what must not change.
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Open in Prompt Formatter
Paste the request. The formatter separates task, context, constraints, and expected output.
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Review the constraints section
This is where coding prompts most often fail. Make sure the don't-touch list is explicit — the AI won't infer it.
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Paste into your coding assistant with the code
Use the structured prompt with the relevant code as context. Structured input reduces off-target changes.
Why This Works
- A dedicated constraints section is more reliable than embedding constraints inside the task description, where the AI may deprioritise them
- Separating expected output from requirements tells the AI whether to show its work or just deliver the result
- Explicit code context prevents the AI from applying a general solution to a specific codebase without the relevant details
Best for
- Requests that mix multiple concerns — refactoring, testing, documentation, explanation
- Technical instructions written quickly where the constraints are implied rather than stated
- Prompts where the AI has been producing output that broke something it shouldn't have
Not for
- Architecture or design decisions — those need a design doc format, not a task prompt
- Requests where the code context hasn't been decided yet
Use cases
- Formatting a refactoring request that mixed style preferences with logic requirements
- Cleaning up a quick message you typed in a PR comment into a proper coding prompt
- Turning notes from a code review into a structured fix request for an AI assistant
- Preparing a technical request before pasting it into a coding assistant context window
FAQ
What does the Developer Request Prompt Formatter output look like?
It returns your messy request rewritten into five labeled sections: ## Task holds a single clear instruction, ## Code Context names the function, file, or component, ## Constraints lists what the AI must not change or break, ## Requirements covers how to implement it, and ## Expected Output states whether to return code, an explanation, a diff, or a combination. Empty sections are omitted.
Where do I paste the formatted coding prompt after generating it?
Paste the structured prompt into your own AI coding assistant — ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — alongside the relevant code as context. The formatter only reorganizes your words; you run it. Scan the ## Constraints bullet list before you send it, because the formatter won't invent a don't-touch rule you never wrote, so anything missing there stays missing for the assistant.
Does the Developer Request Prompt Formatter write or run the code for me?
No — it reformats a scattered technical request into a clean prompt with Task, Code Context, Constraints, Requirements, and Expected Output separated, but it never writes, runs, or applies any code. It also preserves your original terminology instead of simplifying it, and it won't add constraints you didn't state or strongly imply. Your coding assistant does the actual implementation.
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Related tools
Tool
Prompt Formatter
Turn a messy, stream-of-consciousness prompt into a clean, structured one.
Guides for this resource
Guide
Keep AI From Building More Than You Asked
You ask for a one-line fix and get a sixty-line diff — a refactor, a fallback, some renames "while it's in there." Here's how to keep AI from building more than you asked: state the exact change, spell out the non-goals, cap the blast radius, and make it show a plan first.