Prompt Engineering Guide
Welcome to the Cline Prompting Guide! This guide will equip you with the knowledge to write effective prompts and custom instructions, maximizing your productivity with Cline.
.clineignore File Guide
Overview
The .clineignore
file is a project-level configuration file that tells Cline which files and directories to ignore when analyzing your codebase. Similar to .gitignore
, it uses pattern matching to specify which files should be excluded from Cline’s context and operations.
Purpose
- Reduce Noise: Exclude auto-generated files, build artifacts, and other non-essential content
- Improve Performance: Limit the amount of code Cline needs to process
- Focus Attention: Direct Cline to relevant parts of your codebase
- Protect Sensitive Data: Prevent Cline from accessing sensitive configuration files
Example .clineignore File
Prompting Cline 💬
Prompting is how you communicate your needs for a given task in the back-and-forth chat with Cline. Cline understands natural language, so write conversationally.
Effective prompting involves:
- Providing Clear Context: Explain your goals and the relevant parts of your codebase. Use
@
to reference files or folders. - Breaking Down Complexity: Divide large tasks into smaller steps.
- Asking Specific Questions: Guide Cline toward the desired outcome.
- Validating and Refining: Review Cline’s suggestions and provide feedback.
Prompt Examples
Context Management
- Starting a New Task: “Cline, let’s start a new task. Create
user-authentication.js
. We need to implement user login with JWT tokens. Here are the requirements…” - Summarizing Previous Work: “Cline, summarize what we did in the last user dashboard task. I want to capture the main features and outstanding issues. Save this to
cline_docs/user-dashboard-summary.md
.”
Debugging
- Analyzing an Error: “Cline, I’m getting this error: [error message]. It seems to be from [code section]. Analyze this error and suggest a fix.”
- Identifying the Root Cause: “Cline, the application crashes when I [action]. The issue might be in [problem areas]. Help me find the root cause and propose a solution.”
Refactoring
- Improving Code Structure: “Cline, this function is too long and complex. Refactor it into smaller functions.”
- Simplifying Logic: “Cline, this code is hard to understand. Simplify the logic and make it more readable.”
Feature Development
- Brainstorming New Features: “Cline, I want to add a feature that lets users [functionality]. Brainstorm some ideas and consider implementation challenges.”
- Generating Code: “Cline, create a component that displays user profiles. The list should be sortable and filterable. Generate the code for this component.”
Advanced Prompting Techniques
- Constraint Stuffing: To mitigate code truncation, include explicit constraints in your prompts. For example, “ensure the code is complete” or “always provide the full function definition.”
- Confidence Checks: Ask Cline to rate its confidence (e.g., “on a scale of 1-10, how confident are you in this solution?”)
- Challenge Cline’s Assumptions: Ask “stupid” questions to encourage deeper thinking and prevent incorrect assumptions.
Here are some prompting tips that users have found helpful for working with Cline:
Our Community’s Favorite Prompts 🌟
Memory and Confidence Checks 🧠
-
Memory Check - pacnpal
A fun way to verify Cline stays on track during complex tasks. Try “HO HO HO” for a festive twist!
-
Confidence Scoring - pacnpal
Encourages critical thinking and makes decision-making transparent.
Code Quality Prompts 💻
-
Prevent Code Truncation
Alternative phrases: “full code only” or “ensure the code is complete”
-
Custom Instructions Reminder
Reinforces adherence to your settings dial ⚙️ configuration.
Code Organization 📋
-
Large File Refactoring - icklebil
Helps manage complex files through strategic decomposition.
-
Documentation Maintenance - icklebil
Ensures documentation stays in sync with code changes.
Analysis and Planning 🔍
-
Structured Development - yellow_bat_coffee
Promotes organized, well-planned development.
-
Thorough Analysis - yellow_bat_coffee
Prevents premature coding and encourages complete understanding.
-
Assumptions Check - yellow_bat_coffee
Identifies potential issues early in development.
Thoughtful Development 🤔
-
Pause and Reflect - nickbaumann98
Promotes careful consideration before taking action.
-
Complete Analysis - yellow_bat_coffee
Ensures thorough problem exploration.
-
Continuous Confidence Check - pacnpal
Maintains quality through self-assessment.
Best Practices 🎯
-
Project Structure - kvs007
Maintains project integrity.
-
Critical Thinking - chinesesoup
Challenges assumptions and uncovers better solutions.
-
Code Style - yellow_bat_coffee
May influence code organization and clarity.
-
Setting Expectations - steventcramer
(A humorous reminder to provide clear requirements and constructive feedback)