DEV Community

script kitty
script kitty

Posted on

10 Claude Code Prompts That Actually Ship Production Code (Not Toy Examples)

Claude Code just became the #1 AI coding tool in 2026. But here's the thing most developers get wrong: they type vague requests and get vague code back.

The difference between developers who ship with AI and those who fight it comes down to one thing — how they prompt.

I've spent months refining prompts that consistently produce production-quality output from Claude Code. Not "hello world" demos. Not "TODO: implement this" placeholders. Actual code that passes review, handles errors, and runs in production.

Here are 10 of my favorites, free. (If you want the full 50, grab the complete pack here.)

1. The full-stack scaffold

Instead of spending 2 hours setting up a project, try this:

Create a Next.js app with TypeScript, Tailwind for styling, and Prisma for database.
Include: auth pages (login, signup, forgot password), a dashboard layout with sidebar
navigation, and a kanban board with drag-and-drop columns. Set up the project structure
following best practices, include a working docker-compose.yml for local dev, and make
sure I can run it with one command.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The magic is in the specifics. "A kanban board with drag-and-drop columns" gets you actual working drag-and-drop. "A project management tool" gets you a TODO list.

Pro tip: Always include "make sure I can run it with one command." Claude Code will actually test the setup and fix any issues.

2. The error detective

When you're stuck on a bug, most people paste the error and say "fix this." Here's a prompt that gets to the root cause:

I'm getting this error: [paste full error + stack trace]. The relevant code is: [paste code].
This started happening after I upgraded React from 18 to 19. I've already tried clearing
node_modules and reinstalling. What's causing this and how do I fix it? Walk me through
the root cause, not just the fix.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The key additions: what changed before the error, what you've already tried, and explicitly asking for the root cause.

3. The performance profiler 

This API endpoint takes 3 seconds but should take under 200ms. Here's the code: [paste code].
It queries a Postgres table with 2 million rows. Profile it mentally: identify the bottleneck,
explain WHY it's slow (not just what to change), and give me an optimized version. Show me
how to measure the improvement.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Notice: data volume matters. "It's slow" is useless. "3 seconds on 2 million rows" tells Claude exactly where to look.

4. The TypeScript strictifier

This one is worth its weight in gold:

Convert this JavaScript to strict TypeScript: [paste code]. Use proper types (no 'any'
unless truly unavoidable, and explain why). Add: interfaces for all data shapes, proper
generics where it reduces duplication, discriminated unions for state objects, and Zod
schemas for runtime validation of external data.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

I've caught more bugs with this single prompt than with any linter.

5. The security auditor

Run this on every endpoint that handles user input:

Review this code for security vulnerabilities: [paste code]. Check for: SQL injection,
XSS, CSRF, insecure direct object references, hardcoded secrets, missing input validation,
excessive data exposure in API responses, missing rate limiting, and insecure dependencies.
For each issue found, show the fix and explain the attack it prevents.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

6. The test suite generator 

Write comprehensive tests for this code: [paste code]. Use pytest. Include: happy path
tests, edge cases (empty input, null, boundary values, Unicode), error cases (network
failure, invalid data, timeouts), and at least one integration test. Aim for meaningful
coverage, not 100% line coverage.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The "meaningful coverage, not 100% line coverage" instruction is crucial.

7. The CI/CD pipeline builder 

Create a complete CI/CD pipeline for my Python FastAPI project using GitHub Actions. Include:
lint + type check, run tests (with parallel execution), build Docker image, security scan
with Trivy, deploy to staging on PR merge, production on tag. Add: caching for pip
dependencies, Slack notification on failure, and a manual approval gate before production.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This saves a full day of YAML wrestling.

8. The Docker hardener 

Harden this Dockerfile for production: [paste Dockerfile]. Apply: multi-stage build,
non-root user, minimal base image (distroless or alpine), no secrets in the image,
proper .dockerignore, health check instruction, proper signal handling with tini,
layer caching optimization, and security scanning. Target final image under 100MB.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

I've seen this prompt shrink a 1.2GB Node.js image down to 89MB.

9. The incident runbook writer 

Create an incident response runbook for my e-commerce API. Cover: service is down,
database is unreachable, high error rate (>5%), high latency (p99 > 500ms), security
breach suspected. For each: detection method, immediate triage steps, escalation criteria,
resolution steps, and post-incident review template. Format as a checklist that someone
can follow at 3am while stressed.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The "3am while stressed" requirement forces clear, unambiguous steps.

10. The extract-and-publish 

I've been copy-pasting this code across multiple projects: [paste code]. Turn it into a
proper reusable npm package. Include: clean public API with TypeScript types, sensible
defaults with override options, README with usage examples, unit tests, and a build/publish
config. Make it something I'd be proud to open source.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The pattern behind great prompts

All 10 prompts share four elements:

  1. Specific context — not "make an app" but "a kanban board with drag-and-drop columns"
  2. Constraints — not "make it good" but "strict TypeScript, no 'any', Zod for runtime validation"
  3. Quality expectations — not "add tests" but "meaningful coverage, not 100% line coverage"
  4. Real-world requirements — not "deploy it" but "manual approval gate before production"

Want all 50?

These 10 are just the starting point. The full Claude Code Power Prompts pack includes 50 prompts across scaffolding, debugging, refactoring, testing, and DevOps.

Get the full 50-prompt pack here

Also check out:

If this helped, buy me a coffee.

Top comments (0)