Free prompts

Prompts that save boring minutes

17 prompts for everyday work. Each one says what AI does and what still needs you. Replace the [brackets] and paste.

New here? Start with the three under Everyone. They're the habits every agent on the team was built from.

• The 4-part prompt

  Everyone

  Act as [role, e.g. a senior backend reviewer].
  Context: [audience, constraints, background].
  Task: [exactly what you want back].
  Format: [e.g. 5 bullets, max 15 words each].
  Before you answer, list any assumptions you made.

  Still human: The last line catches most made-up answers. Read the assumptions first.

  Copy

• The 4-bucket audit

  Everyone

  Here are my recurring tasks this week. Sort each into Repeat, Draft, Research or Decide. Explain each choice in one line and flag any you're unsure about.
  
  [paste your task list]

  Still human: Anything in Decide stays with you. Keep client names out of the list.

  Copy

• 10-minute morning plan

  Everyone

  Here is my calendar and task list for today. Build a time-blocked plan. Flag conflicts and anything I could delegate. Then summarize the messages below into 3 action items.
  
  [paste calendar, tasks, overnight messages]

  Still human: You pick what actually matters today. AI only arranges it.

  Copy

• Explain legacy code

  Developers

  Explain this legacy function in plain language and list every side effect (I/O, global state, DB writes, external calls).
  
  [paste function]

  Still human: Verify the side-effect list against the code before you refactor.

  Copy

• SQL review

  Developers

  Review this SQL for N+1 queries, missing indexes and locking issues. For each problem, show the line and a fix.
  
  [paste query + table schema]

  Still human: Check the plan with EXPLAIN on real data. AI can't see your row counts.

  Copy

• Edge-case tests

  Developers

  Generate table-driven tests for this handler, including edge cases: nil, empty, max int, timeout. Name each case after the behavior it checks.
  
  [paste handler]

  Still human: AI tests can assert the wrong behavior. Read every assertion.

  Copy

• Stack trace to root cause

  Developers

  Given this stack trace and code, what are the 3 most likely causes? For each, give one check I can run to confirm or rule it out.
  
  [paste stack trace + relevant code]

  Still human: Run the checks yourself. Fix the cause, not the first guess.

  Copy

• PR description from a diff

  Developers

  Summarize this diff into a PR description: what changed, why, how to test it, and anything risky a reviewer should look at first.
  
  [paste diff]

  Still human: The why is yours. AI only sees what changed.

  Copy

• Meeting to action items

  Managers

  Extract decisions, action items, owners and deadlines from this transcript. Flag anything unclear or without an owner.
  
  [paste transcript]

  Still human: Fix the owners before you post. AI guesses wrong sometimes. Record only with consent.

  Copy

• Project risk review

  Managers

  Act as a skeptical senior PM. Here is my project plan. List the top 5 risks with likelihood, impact, and one mitigation each. Be blunt.
  
  [paste plan]

  Still human: You decide which risks are real for your team.

  Copy

• Weekly exec update

  Managers

  Write an exec update: wins, risks, asks. Max 120 words. Plain language.
  
  [paste sprint board export + your 3 bullet notes]

  Still human: Edit two lines to add your judgment. That's the part people read.

  Copy

• 1:1 prep

  Managers

  Here are my notes from my last three 1:1s with [name]. Summarize open threads, commitments I made, and topics I should follow up on.
  
  [paste notes]

  Still human: Feedback and hard conversations stay human. People deserve one.

  Copy

• Sprint goal check

  Managers

  Here are the tickets selected for this sprint. Write a one-sentence sprint goal that covers them. If you can't, say which tickets don't fit.
  
  [paste tickets]

  Still human: If it can't write one, your sprint has no focus. The team still commits.

  Copy

• Problem statement

  Product

  Rewrite this as a problem statement without a solution in it. Name who has the problem, when it happens, and what it costs them.
  
  [paste idea or request]

  Still human: Check it against real user evidence, not the AI's guess.

  Copy

• PRD critique

  Product

  Act as an engineering lead. What's unclear or risky in this PRD? List open questions in the order you'd ask them.
  
  [paste PRD]

  Still human: Use AI as the critic, not the author.

  Copy

• Review themes

  Product

  Group these user reviews into themes, count how often each appears, and quote 2 examples each. Then tell me which themes correlate with low ratings.
  
  [paste reviews]

  Still human: Spot-check the quotes against the source. Remove personal data first.

  Copy

• RICE first pass

  Product

  Score these feature requests with RICE. Show the table, explain the top 3, and list the assumptions behind each score.
  
  [paste list with reach + effort notes]

  Still human: Challenge the scores with your team. It's a starting point, not the answer.

  Copy

Before you paste: remove client names, personal data and secrets. If your company has an approved AI tool, use that one.