# Prompt Guide

***

## Table of Contents

* [Overview](#overview)
* [The 12 Prompt Principles](#the-12-prompt-principles)
  * [1. Set Objectives](#1-set-objectives)
  * [2. Describe Outcomes](#2-describe-outcomes)
  * [3. Explain the Journey](#3-explain-the-journey)
  * [4. Break Down Ideas](#4-break-down-ideas)
  * [5. Connect Tools](#5-connect-tools)
  * [6. Set the Tone](#6-set-the-tone)
  * [7. Choose Look & Feel](#7-choose-look--feel)
  * [8. Define Access](#8-define-access)
  * [9. Iterate Easily](#9-iterate-easily)
  * [10. Reference](#10-reference)
  * [11. Provide Examples](#11-provide-examples)
  * [12. Experiment](#12-experiment)
* [Prompt Anatomy Quick Reference](#prompt-anatomy-quick-reference)
* [Common Mistakes to Avoid](#common-mistakes-to-avoid)
* [What's Next](#whats-next)

***

## Overview

AI prompts are the key to building exactly what you envision. A prompt is simply the description of what you want to build — think of it as explaining your app idea to a colleague who can build it for you. The clearer your explanation, the better your app turns out.

This guide covers **12 proven principles** for writing effective Genesis prompts.

> **Workspace DNA hint:** The better your prompts, the richer your workspace DNA becomes. Every app you build adds to your [Intelligence Score](https://docs.taskade.com/docs/taskade-genesis/how-genesis-works#workspace-intelligence-score) and makes future apps smarter.

***

## The 12 Prompt Principles

### 1. Set Objectives

**Explain who uses this and why it matters.**

| Principle            | What It Does                                |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Name the user        | Tells Genesis who the interface is for      |
| State the purpose    | Defines the core problem being solved       |
| Add business context | Helps Genesis make smarter design decisions |

**Examples:**

| Prompt                                                                                                                            | Audience         | Purpose                      |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------- |
| "My restaurant staff needs to track inventory daily and get alerts when we're running low on key ingredients."                    | Restaurant staff | Inventory management         |
| "My real estate team needs to track property leads and automatically follow up with prospects who haven't responded in 48 hours." | Sales team       | Lead management + automation |
| "Our consulting clients need a portal where they can access project deliverables, schedule meetings, and track billable hours."   | External clients | Client portal                |

***

### 2. Describe Outcomes

**Be specific about functionality. Vague requests get vague results.**

| Vague (Avoid)              | Specific (Use)                                                                                                                                 |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "Make a project tool"      | "Customers upload project files, see progress updates, message our team, and download final files. Everyone gets notifications for each step." |
| "Build an expense tracker" | "Employees submit expense reports with receipts, managers approve or reject, accounting gets notified, reimbursements tracked until payment."  |
| "Create a learning app"    | "Students watch course videos, complete quizzes, track progress, and receive certificates. Instructors see engagement analytics."              |

***

### 3. Explain the Journey

**Walk Genesis through how people will actually use your app.**

| Step           | Example User Journey                                                                |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Onboarding** | "New users sign up, answer questions about their needs, get matched with resources" |
| **Core Usage** | "Customers browse the service catalog, request quotes, upload requirements"         |
| **Completion** | "Review proposals, approve work, rate their experience afterward"                   |
| **Follow-up**  | "Receive weekly personalized updates based on usage patterns"                       |

***

### 4. Break Down Ideas

**For bigger projects, use numbered steps.**

| App Type            | Numbered Prompt                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Sales Dashboard** | "1. Show real-time sales on a dashboard 2. Let users filter by product type 3. Add export buttons for reports 4. Send alerts when sales drop"                                                                 |
| **Feedback System** | "1. Collect customer feedback through forms 2. Categorize by department 3. Route urgent issues to management 4. Generate monthly reports 5. Send follow-up surveys automatically"                             |
| **Booking App**     | "1. Display available appointment slots 2. Let clients book and pay online 3. Send confirmation emails and calendar invites 4. Allow rescheduling with 24-hour notice 5. Collect feedback after appointments" |

***

### 5. Connect Tools

**Tell Genesis what you already use so it can connect everything.**

Genesis supports 100+ integrations. Mention your tools and Genesis creates the automation flows automatically.

| Integration              | Example Prompt                                                                                                              |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Google Suite + Slack** | "Import customer data from Google Sheets and send email notifications via Gmail. Connect to Slack for team alerts."         |
| **WhatsApp + Database**  | "Connect to WhatsApp Business for client communication. Integrate with our existing project database for customer records." |
| **Multi-tool**           | "Pull inventory from Google Sheets, connect to accounting project for cost tracking, send low-stock alerts to Slack."       |

**Available integrations include:**

| Category      | Tools                                                          |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Communication | Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp Business, Twilio SMS |
| Email         | Gmail, Outlook, Mailchimp                                      |
| Productivity  | Google Sheets, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Forms, Calendly          |
| CRM           | HubSpot, Apollo                                                |
| Social        | Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit                 |
| Dev           | GitHub, HTTP/Webhooks                                          |
| Content       | WordPress, Webflow                                             |

***

### 6. Set the Tone

**Your app should sound like your business.**

| Tone                            | Prompt Example                                                                                                                 | Best For                    |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------- |
| **Professional & friendly**     | "Keep it professional but friendly, like talking to customers in person. Make error messages helpful, not technical."          | Customer-facing portals     |
| **Encouraging & supportive**    | "Use an encouraging, supportive tone like a personal fitness coach. Celebrate achievements and make setbacks feel manageable." | Wellness, education apps    |
| **Authoritative & trustworthy** | "Sound like a trusted financial advisor — authoritative but not intimidating. Simple language for complex topics."             | Finance, legal, healthcare  |
| **Casual & energetic**          | "Keep it casual and fun, like texting a friend. Use short sentences and emojis where appropriate."                             | Consumer apps, social tools |

***

### 7. Choose Look & Feel

**Tell Genesis how you want your app to look.**

| Visual Style         | Prompt Example                                                                                                          |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Brand-aligned**    | "Clean, modern design with our brand colors: navy blue headers and bright green accent buttons. Company logo top left." |
| **Warm & calming**   | "Warm design with soft colors — cream backgrounds and sage green accents. Rounded corners and gentle shadows."          |
| **Bold & energetic** | "Bold orange and black colors. Strong typography and high-contrast buttons that motivate action."                       |
| **Dark & premium**   | "Dark theme with neon accents, like a high-tech dashboard. Charcoal backgrounds with electric blue highlights."         |

> **Deep dive:** [Guide to App Styles](https://github.com/taskade/docs/blob/main/genesis-living-system-builder/space-apps-guide/app-styles.md) covers minimalist, glassmorphism, neumorphism, material design, and more.

***

### 8. Define Access

**Be clear about who can do what.**

| Role            | Prompt Example                                                                                                                            |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Multi-tier**  | "Staff view all projects and add updates. Clients only see their own projects and can't edit. Managers access everything plus analytics." |
| **Educational** | "Students access courses and submit assignments. Instructors grade and message. Administrators manage all users and see reports."         |
| **Corporate**   | "Employees log hours and submit requests. Department heads approve their team's requests. HR accesses all data and generates reports."    |

***

### 9. Iterate Easily

**Your app is never set in stone. Refine with follow-up prompts.**

| Iteration Type          | Example Prompt                                                                                    |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Add feature**         | "The form works great — add file upload after the description and make the submit button bigger." |
| **Move elements**       | "Love the dashboard, but move notifications to top right and make charts more colorful."          |
| **Add automation**      | "Add a text reminder 24 hours before appointments and let customers reschedule themselves."       |
| **Embed agent**         | "Add a chat widget powered by the support agent in the bottom right corner."                      |
| **Connect integration** | "When a new booking is made, create a Google Calendar event and send a Slack notification."       |

***

### 10. Reference

**Mention apps or websites with features you like.**

| Reference          | Prompt Example                                                                                                                       |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Stripe-style**   | "Dashboard layout similar to Stripe — clean cards with key metrics up top and detailed tables below. Simplify navigation."           |
| **Udemy-style**    | "Course layout like Udemy — video player left, course outline right, clean progress bar. More personal, less corporate."             |
| **Calendly-style** | "Booking interface like Calendly — simple date/time selection with instant confirmation. Add our branding and service descriptions." |

***

### 11. Provide Examples

**Demonstrate workflows by describing specific scenarios.**

| Scenario             | Workflow Example                                                                                                                             |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Customer inquiry** | "Contact form submitted → Create lead record → Send welcome email → Notify sales team → Set 3-day follow-up reminder"                        |
| **New employee**     | "HR creates profile → Send welcome email with login → Employee completes onboarding forms → Manager notified → Training modules assigned"    |
| **Order process**    | "Customer places order → Inventory updated → Payment processed → Shipping label created → Customer gets tracking → Follow-up review request" |

***

### 12. Experiment

**Genesis saves your work automatically. Try bold changes.**

| Experiment Type     | Example Prompt                                                                              |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Layout overhaul** | "Let's completely redesign the homepage layout"                                             |
| **Simplification**  | "Remove the pricing section and replace with a simple contact form"                         |
| **Paradigm shift**  | "Turn this form into a conversational chatbot experience"                                   |
| **Gamification**    | "Make this feel like a game with points and achievements instead of a boring business tool" |

> **Safety net:** Use [Genesis Version History](https://docs.taskade.com/docs/taskade-genesis/genesis/version-history) to restore any previous version if an experiment doesn't work out.

***

## Prompt Anatomy Quick Reference

Use this cheat sheet when building:

| Category        | Phrases                                                                                                                      |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Starting**    | "Build a simple...", "Create an app that...", "I need a system for...", "Design a tool to..."                                |
| **Context**     | "I run a \[business type] and need...", "My team of \[N] people needs to...", "Our customers often ask for..."               |
| **Changes**     | "Change the \[element] to...", "Add a feature that...", "Remove \[feature] and replace with...", "Make it more \[adjective]" |
| **Connections** | "When \[trigger], then \[action]", "Sync this with...", "Export data to...", "Import from..."                                |
| **Agents**      | "Create an agent that...", "Train the agent on...", "Embed the agent in...", "Make the agent respond like..."                |
| **Automations** | "Automate \[process]...", "When \[event] happens, send...", "Schedule \[action] every...", "Connect to \[tool]..."           |

***

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

| Mistake                       | Problem                                     | Better Approach                                                            |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "Make me an app"              | Too vague — Genesis can't read your mind    | "Build a customer feedback form with star ratings and email notifications" |
| Asking for everything at once | Overloaded prompt produces confused results | Start simple, iterate with follow-ups                                      |
| Ignoring integrations         | Misses the power of 100+ connected tools    | Always mention your existing tools                                         |
| Not testing iteratively       | Bugs compound if you don't catch them early | Test after every change                                                    |
| Forgetting about agents       | Misses the intelligence pillar entirely     | Consider: "Who would I hire to manage this?" — that's your agent           |
| Skipping permissions          | Everyone sees everything                    | Define roles and access levels                                             |

***

## What's Next

| Guide                                                                                                                         | What You'll Learn                            |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| [App Starter Prompts](https://docs.taskade.com/docs/taskade-genesis/space-apps-guide/genesis-prompt-library)                  | Copy-ready prompts for common app types      |
| [Guide to App Styles](https://github.com/taskade/docs/blob/main/genesis-living-system-builder/space-apps-guide/app-styles.md) | Visual style families with practical prompts |
| [Adding Genesis Context](https://docs.taskade.com/docs/taskade-genesis/genesis/adding-context)                                | Upload reference files for richer apps       |
| [Prompt Templates Library](https://github.com/taskade/docs/blob/main/genesis-living-system-builder/genesis/templates.md)      | Browse the full prompt template collection   |