Guidelines for creating and editing Coding Agent prompts (commands, agents, skills, context files).

Important: Always Read the detailed reference for the corresponding prompt type before starting work.

Prompt Type Quick Reference

Type Location Invocation Purpose Reference

Command .claude/commands/<name>.md

/command-name

Reusable tasks for users references/command.md

Agent .{.super-agent,.claude}/agents/<name>.md

@agent-name / Task tool Specialized subagents references/agent.md

Skill {.super-agent .claude .codex .github}/skills//SKILL.md

Context File .claude/CLAUDE.md etc. Auto-loaded Always-needed project context references/context-file.md

Document Any Manual reference Standalone prompts

Other references:

• references/orchestration.md

• Orchestrator design for calling subagents

• references/permission-syntax.md

• Permission syntax for allowed-tools

• references/hooks.md

• Lifecycle hook configuration

Core Principles

1. Single Responsibility

Each prompt has one clear purpose.

• ✅ Environment setup only / Code implementation only

2. Independence from Caller

Avoid references to "orchestrator" or "parent task"; focus on input/output contracts.

• ✅ "Analyze the provided code and identify issues..."

3. Conciseness

Only information necessary for execution. Remove verbose examples, hypothetical paths, and generic patterns.

4. Noise Avoidance

• Avoid examples in multiple languages (choose the primary language)

• Avoid hypothetical file paths (CONTRIBUTING.md, etc.)

• Omit detailed steps that the LLM can infer

Formatting Rules

• No h1 headings: Do not start with #

• Language: description in the project's primary language; body can also be in primary language

• XML tags: Use for structuring when there are multiple sections

Orchestration

When calling subagents:

• Invocation template required: Include complete Task tool usage example

• Responsibility separation: Subagents should be generic; task-specific details go in templates

Special Rules for Context Files

Be especially careful since they are always loaded:

• 80% rule: Only information needed by 80% of tasks

• Index-first: Reference details via pointers

• Scrutinize commands: Only commands the LLM will autonomously execute

• Target under 200 lines