30 Claude Prompts Every Developer Should Bookmark in 2026

How to use this list

Copy any prompt, paste your code (or repo context) where it says `[paste]`, and send. Most work in Claude Sonnet; the heavier ones benefit from Opus.

Code review and refactoring

1. Quick review: `Review this code. Flag bugs, smells, and security issues. Be terse. [paste]`
2. Style audit: `Does this code match the conventions in our repo? List divergences. [paste]`
3. Performance pass: `Identify the top three performance issues in this function and propose fixes. [paste]`
4. Refactor for testability: `Refactor this so it can be unit tested. Don't change behaviour. [paste]`
5. Find dead code: `Find unused exports, unreachable branches and unused imports. [paste]`

Debugging

6. Error trace: `Here's a stack trace and the relevant function. Tell me the most likely root cause. [paste]`
7. Reproduce locally: `Write a minimal repro of this bug as a single file I can run. [paste]`
8. Add logging: `Insert structured log statements at key decision points. Don't change behaviour. [paste]`
9. Bisect: `Here are two commits and a failing test. Tell me which commit is most likely responsible. [paste]`
10. Explain weird output: `This function returned X for input Y. I expected Z. Walk me through what's happening. [paste]`

Tests

11. Generate unit tests: `Write Jest unit tests for this function. Cover normal, edge and error cases. [paste]`
12. Property-based tests: `Write a fast-check property test for this pure function. [paste]`
13. Integration test: `Sketch an integration test for this endpoint that doesn't require mocking the DB. [paste]`
14. Test the test: `Review my test file. What cases am I missing? [paste]`

Documentation

15. Top-of-file doc: `Write a 5-line top-of-file comment that summarises this module's responsibility. [paste]`
16. Function docstrings: `Add JSDoc to every exported function. Use existing style. [paste]`
17. README section: `Write a README section explaining how to use this library. Include one example. [paste]`
18. Migration guide: `Write a migration guide from version A to version B based on these diffs. [paste]`

Architecture and design

19. API design review: `Review this REST API. What would I regret in 6 months? [paste]`
20. Schema check: `Look at this Prisma schema. Flag normalisation issues and missing indexes. [paste]`
21. Pick a library: `I need to do X. Compare three popular libraries with pros/cons.`
22. Should I split this: `This module is 800 lines. Should I split it? If yes, how?`

Languages and ports

23. Translate code: `Translate this Python function into idiomatic Go. [paste]`
24. TS to Rust: `Port this TypeScript function to Rust. Preserve behaviour. [paste]`
25. Modernise: `Modernise this JavaScript to use async/await, optional chaining and modern syntax. [paste]`

Git and shell

26. Commit message: `Write a conventional-commits message for this diff. [paste]`
27. Rebase plan: `Help me plan a clean rebase of this branch with these conflicting commits.`
28. Shell one-liner: `I want to do X in zsh. Give me one-liner plus a safer multi-line version.`

Communication

29. Standup: `Turn these git commits into three standup bullets. Past 24h. [paste]`
30. PR description: `Write a PR description from this diff. Include 'Why' and 'How tested' sections. [paste]`

Pro tips

- Save the most-used as Slash Commands in Claude Code or your editor — instant recall.
- For repo-wide work, use Claude Code or Cursor — they pull surrounding context automatically.
- Always review the output before pushing or merging.

Sources

- Post News editorial