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Richard Ketelsen
Richard Ketelsen

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Applying OOP Principles to AI Prompts: Inside the CRAFT Framework Architecture

#ai #programming #productivity #architecture

As developers, we solved the "write once, use everywhere" problem decades ago. Functions. Classes. Modules. Package managers. The entire modern software ecosystem exists because we realized copy-pasting code everywhere is insane.

So why are we doing exactly that with AI prompts?

CRAFT Framework applies object-oriented principles to AI conversations. Here's the architecture:

Core Components

Recipes (Functions)

A recipe is a parameterized prompt template. Define your prompt structure once with placeholders, then instantiate it with different parameters. Think function definitions with arguments:

create_blog_post(topic, tone, length, audience) → consistent output structure
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Cookbooks (Classes/Modules)

Related recipes grouped by domain. A ContentMarketing cookbook contains blog_post, social_media, email_sequence recipes. Namespacing for prompts.

PROJECT_VARIABLES (Constants/Config)

Persistent context referenced across sessions. Brand voice guidelines, target audience profiles, product specifications. Define once, reference by name. Like environment variables for AI conversations.

Handoffs (State Management)

AI conversations are stateless. Handoffs capture session state: what was accomplished, decisions made, next steps. Load the handoff, resume with full context. Serialized session state for conversation continuity.

Personas (Interfaces)

Communication style adapters. Same recipe, different persona, different output style. The MarketingStrategist persona produces different language than TechnicalWriter—without rewriting the recipe.

Why This Architecture?

The benefits mirror what OOP gives us in code:

  • Reusability — Define once, use everywhere
  • Encapsulation — Complex prompts hidden behind simple interfaces
  • Consistency — Same recipe, same output structure
  • Maintainability — Update a recipe once, changes propagate
  • Collaboration — Shared recipes and cookbooks across teams

Implementation Status

CRAFT Framework launches in public beta February 1, 2026. It's been battle-tested across 1,000+ prompts over 55+ weeks on Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other platforms.

Pre-Beta waitlist is open at CRAFTFramework.ai. Early adopters get Founding Chef recognition and direct input on the architecture as we build.

If you've ever wished prompt engineering felt more like software engineering, this is what we're building.

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