Prompt guide
What is an implementation prompt?
An implementation prompt is a bounded work unit. It gives a capable coding agent the approved context, scope, requirements, and verification expectations for one task.
Why prompts are files
A prompt file can be reviewed, versioned, linked, and executed one at a time. That makes it different from a loose chat message. It becomes part of the project brain, not a disappearing instruction in a model window.
Amistio prompts should be model-agnostic and runner-agnostic. They describe the task, not a specific model's hidden syntax or a batch script that hides sequencing.
What a prompt should contain
Goal
The outcome the agent should produce, written in product or engineering terms.
Required context
The ADR, plan, feature spec, memory, and files the agent must read before editing.
Scope boundaries
What is in scope, what is out of scope, and which product or source areas must not change.
Verification
The typecheck, tests, build, smoke checks, or manual checks that prove the task is complete.
Why Amistio chose model-agnostic prompts
- Teams can switch models or runners without rewriting the project brain.
- Prompts stay readable to humans during code review.
- Sequential execution stays explicit instead of hidden in shell loops.
- The local runner can claim approved work without guessing the intended scope.