CODING PROMPTS

Coding prompts your AI assistant can build from

AI coding assistants are fast and literal. They build what the prompt says and fill everything else with assumptions: the data model, the permissions, the edge cases. Describe the feature in plain words, and Mint Prompts writes a brief that states the outcome, what already exists, what must not change, how to test it and what done means.

Create a coding prompt Free to start. No account or card needed.

Updated

Why a coding assistant needs a brief

“Build a client portal” is a complete sentence and an incomplete instruction. The assistant has to decide who can see which records, whether to reuse your sign-in, what happens when a file is missing and how to prove it works. When the prompt leaves those decisions to the model, the result can look finished and still be wrong in ways a demo will not show.

A good brief makes the important decisions before the first line of code, and tells the assistant how to check its own work.

What a good coding prompt covers

  1. The outcome. What a user can do when the change is finished, in a sentence or two.
  2. What already exists. The framework, the files or modules involved, and the patterns to reuse, such as your existing sign-in.
  3. What must not change. Public behavior, stored data, interfaces and anything other code depends on.
  4. The rules. Who can see and change each record, and where those rules are enforced: on the server, not only in the interface.
  5. How to test it. The cases that matter, including the unhappy ones: the wrong user, missing data, a failed request.
  6. What done means. The checks to run, and a report of what was verified and what still needs review.

Before and after

Before
Build a client portal for my agency. Don’t break anything.
After
Goal: Add a client portal to our existing web app, where each client can see the status of their own projects and download the files we share with them.

What exists: The app uses [framework] with [database]. Staff already sign in through [existing sign-in]; reuse it for clients rather than adding a second sign-in system. Follow the patterns in [folder or module].

Must-haves: A client sees only their own projects and files. Staff see every client. Only staff can change a project’s status. File downloads check the same permissions as the pages.

Limits: Enforce every permission on the server, not only in the interface. Do not change existing staff pages, stored data or URLs. Ask before adding a dependency. Do not invent requirements; list open questions instead.

Format: Start with a short plan and the files you expect to change, then build in small steps.

Self-check: Test with two client accounts and one staff account. Confirm a client cannot open another client’s project or file by changing the address. Finish with what you verified and what still needs review.

An illustrative example, written by hand to show the shape of a coding brief. Replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

Using it with Cursor, Codex and other coding tools

The brief is plain text, so it works as a message in any coding assistant, including Cursor, Codex and Claude Code. When you create it, you can choose Cursor or Codex as the place you will use it.

Keep standing rules, such as your stack, test commands and code style, in the tool’s own instructions file rather than in every prompt. Cursor reads project rules and an AGENTS.md file; Codex reads AGENTS.md files from the repository root down to your working folder. Cursor’s advice is to add a rule only when the agent keeps making the same mistake. There is more in how to prompt ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.

Ask for a plan first

On anything bigger than a small fix, ask the assistant to propose a plan and the files it expects to change before it edits anything. Cursor and Codex both have a planning mode for this. A plan is quicker to review than a wrong implementation, and when a result is off, Cursor suggests reverting and refining the plan rather than patching it with follow-up prompts.

Questions

Does Mint Prompts write the code?

No. Mint Prompts writes the brief; your coding assistant writes and runs the code. You still review the plan, the changes and the tests.

Which coding tools does it work with?

Any tool that takes a text prompt, including Cursor, Codex and Claude Code. You can choose Cursor or Codex as the destination when you create the prompt.

Is it free?

Yes, to start. Without an account you can create 2 free Quick prompts; a free account gives you 10 Quick prompts and an Advanced prompt every week. Advanced asks about the gaps that would change the build before it writes the brief. Plus and Pro include far more, and Pro adds a deeper review for conflicting requirements, weak assumptions and edge cases.

What should I leave out?

Secrets. Do not paste API keys, passwords, access tokens or customer data; describe them instead, such as “the payment key is in an environment variable”.

Sources