The Promptcraft Grimoire

You've built things. You've shipped things. You've developed a prompting signature and a sense for session management. Now it's time to go deeper.

This module is about expanding your range — new patterns, new tools, new kinds of projects. The things that separate someone who can vibe code from someone who can build anything with vibe coding.

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Named patterns are powerful because they're portable. Once you can name a technique, you can choose it deliberately instead of stumbling into it. Here are five patterns that advanced vibe coders reach for constantly.

The Scaffold

"Build me the skeleton of [X]. No styling, no data, just the structure and navigation. Every page should exist with placeholder content."

You start with structure, then fill in content. This is the opposite of how most people work (starting with the homepage and building out). The Scaffold gives you a complete map of your project before you've committed to any details.

When to use it: Large projects with multiple pages or sections. When you need to see the whole shape before investing in any one piece.

Example:

Build a recipe sharing site. I need: homepage, recipe detail page,
submit recipe page, user profile page, and search results page.
Just the skeleton — nav, layout, placeholder text on each page.
No real data, no styling beyond basic readability.

The Rubber Duck

"I'm going to describe what I want. Don't build anything yet — just ask me clarifying questions until you fully understand the vision."

Named after rubber duck debugging. You use Claude as a thinking partner, not a builder. The conversation surfaces assumptions you didn't know you had.

When to use it: When your idea is fuzzy and you need to sharpen it before building. When you've tried building twice and both times it came out wrong — the problem is probably in the vision, not the execution.

Example:

I want to build something that helps me track my reading.
Don't build anything yet. Ask me questions about what I actually need
and what would make this different from Goodreads.

The Inversion

"Show me the worst version of [X]. Every anti-pattern, every UX mistake, every bad decision. Then we'll do the opposite."

Defining what you don't want is sometimes easier than defining what you do want. The Inversion makes your preferences explicit by contrast.

When to use it: When you can't articulate what "good" looks like but you know it when you see it. When you're stuck in a rut and everything feels generic.

Example:

Show me the most corporate, soul-crushing version of a personal website.
Every bad pattern: stock photos, buzzwords, "synergy", meaningless
testimonials. I want to see everything I want to avoid.

The Constraint Box

"Build [X] but with [unusual constraint]."

Constraints breed creativity. Limiting the solution space forces novel approaches. This is how you break out of Claude's default patterns.

When to use it: When Claude keeps giving you generic solutions. When you want something distinctive. When you're exploring an idea and want to see different angles.

Example:

Build a portfolio site, but it can only use one color (plus black and white).
No images. Typography and spacing only.

The Time Machine

"Fast-forward: it's 6 months from now and this project was a huge success. What does it look like? What features matter most? What did we get right from day one?"

Future-casting forces you to think about what actually matters versus what seems urgent now. It reveals your real priorities.

When to use it: At the start of an ambitious project. When you're drowning in feature ideas and need to prioritize. When you need to distinguish "nice to have" from "essential."

Example:

Imagine it's 6 months from now and this habit tracker has 500 daily users.
What are the 3 features they use every day?
What did we build in week 1 that made everything else possible?