Claude Code Prompts: 25 Templates and 5 Workflows (2026)

The Claude Code prompts that work best name the goal, point to the files to use, set the limits, say what the finished output looks like, and ask Claude to prove the work is done. Below are 25 templates grouped by goal and five multi-step workflows that chain them together. Replace the [BRACKETS], paste the prompt, and use the "Check" line to review the result before you trust it.

The anatomy of a prompt that works

Every template below follows the same pattern. Once you see it, you can write your own:

The "Check" part matters most. Anthropic's Claude Code best practices put it first: give Claude a way to verify its own work, and ask for the evidence rather than a claim of success.

Templates to get oriented

Use these first in any folder you haven't worked in before.

Give me a tour of this folder: what's in it, what each file seems to be for, and anything that looks duplicated, outdated or broken. Don't change anything.

Check: every file it names actually exists, and nothing was edited.

Explain @[FILE] to someone who has never seen it: what it does, what it relies on, and what would break if I deleted it. Use plain words.

Check: anything it says the file relies on can be found in the folder.

Find every place in this folder where [TOPIC, PRICE OR NAME] appears. Put the file, the line and the sentence around it in a table.

Check: open two of the results and confirm the lines.

I want to [GOAL]. Before you do anything, interview me one question at a time until you understand what I need. Then write the plan to PLAN.md and wait for my OK.

Check: the plan includes every constraint you gave, in your words. Here is how the start of that conversation tends to look:

Templates for writing and editing

These keep your facts intact while Claude handles the wording.

Turn @[NOTES FILE] into a [DOCUMENT TYPE] for [AUDIENCE]. Keep every fact exactly as written, mark gaps as TBD, and don't add claims of your own.

Check: compare names, numbers and dates with the notes.

Rewrite @[FILE] to follow @[STYLE GUIDE]. Then show a table of each change and the rule behind it.

Check: the meaning of every sentence is unchanged.

Cut @[FILE] to about [NUMBER] words. Keep every number, name and date, and list what you removed.

Check: search the short version for each number from the original.

Compare @[DOCUMENT A] and @[DOCUMENT B]. List every contradiction in prices, dates, names or promises, quoting both documents.

Check: each item quotes both sides, so you can verify it in seconds.

Write an FAQ from @[FILE] using only questions the file answers. Under each answer, name the section it came from.

Check: no answer goes beyond what the file says.

Templates for data and spreadsheets

The rule for all five: Claude calculates with a script and shows its work, never by eye.

Describe @[FILE.CSV]: columns, number of rows, date range, empty cells, duplicate rows and odd values. Don't change the file.

Check: the row count matches what your spreadsheet app shows.

Make a cleaned copy of @[FILE.CSV] called [NAME]-clean.csv: trim spaces, write dates as YYYY-MM-DD, and merge duplicates by [KEY COLUMN]. Leave the original untouched and log every change.

Check: the original is unchanged, and the counts in the log add up.

Using a script, answer this from @[FILE]: [QUESTION]. Show me the script and its output, not just the answer.

Check: ask for the script to run again. The answer should not change.

Match the rows in @[LIST A] and @[LIST B] by [EMAIL OR ID]. Output three files (matched, only in A, only in B) and the count for each.

Check: the three counts add up to the totals of both lists.

From @[FILE], make one chart of [METRIC] by [WEEK OR MONTH] as a single HTML file. The title should state the takeaway in plain words.

Check: the axis labels and units are right, and the title matches what the chart shows.

Templates for web pages and small tools

Single-file pages need no hosting to try: you open them straight from the folder.

Build a single index.html for [PURPOSE]: mobile friendly, readable fonts, no external libraries. Open it in my browser when it's done.

Check: narrow the browser window to phone width and try every link and button.

[PASTE A SCREENSHOT] On mobile, [DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM]. Fix it and tell me exactly what you changed.

Check: test the fix at the same screen size as the screenshot. In the terminal, paste an image with Ctrl+V, or Alt+V on Windows.

Build a one-file tool that calculates [WHAT] from [INPUTS]. Include three test cases with known answers and show me that they pass.

Check: try one case of your own that you can work out by hand.

Review @[FILE.HTML] for basic accessibility problems: missing image descriptions, low-contrast text, headings out of order, buttons without labels. Fix them and list each fix.

Check: run the same prompt again. It should find nothing new.

Templates for research

Claude Code can search the web and read pages, which makes sources easy to demand.

Research [QUESTION]. Use only official or primary sources, give the URL for every claim, and write "not found" when you can't verify something.

Check: open three of the links and confirm they say what Claude says they do.

Compare [OPTION A], [OPTION B] and [OPTION C] for [MY SITUATION] on [CRITERIA]. Use a table, then recommend one and say what would change your mind.

Check: confirm any price on the vendor's own pricing page.

Read @[PLAN FILE]. List the five weakest assumptions, how each could fail, and a cheap way to test each one this week.

Check: every test is something you could actually do within a day.

Templates to automate and maintain

These turn one good session into something you can repeat safely.

Rename the files in @[FOLDER] to the pattern [PATTERN]. First show a table of old and new names and wait for my OK. Then rename them and save a log.

Check: the log matches the table, and the number of files is the same before and after.

Turn what we just did into a skill at ~/.claude/skills/[NAME]/SKILL.md, with a description that says when to use it. Show me the file before saving it.

Check: start a new session and ask for the task in different words. How to create a Claude skill covers the details, and the Claude Skills directory shows ones others have built.

Set this up as a scheduled task that runs every [DAY AND TIME] in this folder and saves the result to [FILE]. Tell me how to pause it.

Check: in the Claude desktop app, the task appears under Routines in the Code tab. Send this one from a session in the desktop app.

Before we finish: list every file you created, edited, moved or deleted in this session, and every command you ran. Flag anything I should double-check.

Check: compare the list with the folder, especially moves and deletions. Rewinding restores Claude's file edits, but per Anthropic's checkpointing docs, not changes made by commands it ran.

Five multi-step workflows

Single prompts handle single jobs. These chains handle the work that takes a whole session.

1. Plan, build, verify

For anything bigger than one file, such as a new page or a reorganized folder.

Check: the evidence matches the "done means" line in your original prompt.

2. Research to decision memo

For choosing a tool, a supplier or an approach.

Check: every flagged claim is fixed or removed before you decide.

3. Messy data to a report you can trust

For any spreadsheet you didn't create yourself.

Check: the final totals match the source system the export came from.

4. One-off task to reusable skill

For anything you expect to do again next week.

Check: both phrasings load the skill and give the same structure.

5. Writer and reviewer

For anything going to a client: one session writes, a fresh one reviews.

Check: the reviewer reports only problems against the checklist, not matters of taste. A fresh session judges the work without the reasoning that produced it, so it isn't biased toward its own draft.

What to do next

Copy template 1 into Claude Code in a folder you use every week, and follow it with template 10 on any spreadsheet inside. Keep the three or four templates you reach for most in a note, and turn the one you use daily into a skill.

When you want bigger projects to practice on, the Claude Code project ideas each start with a first prompt, and the Claude Code cheat sheet keeps the shortcuts close. For a structured path from first prompt to real projects, the Claude Code course teaches prompting as a full module.