explaingit

lingyichen-ai/boris-prompts

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

59Audience · vibe coderComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

An agent skill that teaches coding assistants like Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex to write better prompts for other AI tools, based on a talk by Anthropic's Boris.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((boris-prompts))
    Inputs
      User question
      Project context files
    Outputs
      Compact prompt
      Clarifying questions
    Use Cases
      Improve Cursor prompts
      Stop ChatGPT going off track
      Drive Claude Code with tests
    Tech Stack
      SKILL.md
      Skills CLI
      Markdown
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Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Install the skill so your coding agent rewrites your vague requests into short, focused prompts.

USE CASE 2

Get short prompts that include a make-a-plan step and a feedback loop like tests or lint.

USE CASE 3

Learn the five Boris prompting principles by reading SKILL.md and using them yourself.

What is it built with?

MarkdownSkills-CLI

How does it compare?

lingyichen-ai/boris-promptschillymasterio/puttyaltcp-cp/liveedit
Stars595959
LanguageCPython
Setup difficultyeasyeasyhard
Complexity1/52/55/5
Audiencevibe coderops devopsresearcher

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Installs via the separate skills CLI with npx skills add, scoped globally or to one agent like Claude Code.

MIT license: use, modify, and redistribute for any purpose, including commercial, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

boris-prompts is what its README calls an agent skill: a small bundle of instructions you install into a coding assistant like Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Codex, so that the assistant becomes a tiny expert at writing prompts for other AI tools. The methodology comes from a talk by Boris, who works at Anthropic and is described as the creator of Claude Code, and the project packages his tips into something an agent can apply on demand. When you ask the assistant something like how should I prompt Cursor to add dark mode, or my ChatGPT prompt keeps going off the rails, the skill activates. If your request gives it enough information, it writes the prompt directly. If not, it asks up to three short clarifying questions first, using the agent's question tool, and then produces the prompt. The skill follows five principles, applied in order. The first is that short beats long, and that a two-sentence prompt usually outperforms a screenful of detail. The second is that adding the line make a plan first and run it by me is the highest-value addition you can make to almost any non-trivial prompt. The third is not to over-specify, instead, point the model at where to start, like saying look at how the existing middleware is structured. The fourth is that a feedback loop, tests or lint or screenshots, beats writing detailed step-by-step instructions. The fifth is that persistent context belongs in files like CLAUDE.md or .cursorrules, not stuffed into every prompt. The README walks through an example. If you say you want Claude to add JWT authentication to an Express app and you have tests, the skill produces a compact prompt that asks Claude to look at existing middleware, make a plan, get approval, then implement and run the tests until they pass. Installation uses a separate tool called the skills CLI, run with npx skills add followed by either the GitHub shorthand or the full URL, with flags for installing globally or scoping it to a single agent like Claude Code. The project layout follows that CLI's convention: a top-level skills folder with one subfolder per skill, each containing a SKILL.md file. The license is MIT.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Install boris-prompts in Claude Code and ask it to write a prompt that adds JWT auth to my Express app with tests.
Prompt 2
Use boris-prompts to turn this messy ChatGPT request into a two-sentence prompt with a plan-first instruction.
Prompt 3
Pull the five principles from boris-prompts SKILL.md and apply them to my current Cursor prompt about dark mode.
Prompt 4
Help me adapt boris-prompts so it also writes prompts targeted at Gemini and v0.

Frequently asked questions

What is boris-prompts?

An agent skill that teaches coding assistants like Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex to write better prompts for other AI tools, based on a talk by Anthropic's Boris.

What license does boris-prompts use?

MIT license: use, modify, and redistribute for any purpose, including commercial, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is boris-prompts to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is boris-prompts for?

Mainly vibe coder.

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