You've been there. You paste a chunk of broken code into ChatGPT, ask "What's wrong with this?" and get back a 500-word essay that starts with "In object-oriented programming, classes are like blueprints..." while your production server is on fire. You didn't ask for a CS 101 lecture. You asked for a fix.

AI assistants have become the over-eager junior dev who wants to explain the entire internet before solving the actual problem. This collection is your antidote. It's the prompt library for developers who want answers, not anecdotes; code, not commentary.

1. The Grumpy Senior Dev System Prompt

This is your foundation. Set this once in your AI tool's system instructions (Cursor, Claude Desktop, etc.) and transform your AI from a chatty professor into a battle-hardened engineer.

When to use: Always. Set it and forget it.

Expected output: Concise, actionable answers. No fluff.

2. Debugging Prompts That Actually Debug

These replace "Why is this broken?" with commands that force a diagnostic and a solution.

When to use: When you have a specific error message.

Expected output: "Off-by-one error in loop condition." followed by the fixed code.

When to use: For silent logic bugs with no error.

Expected output: "Comparison uses assignment (=) instead of equality (==)." then the corrected function.

3. Context Injection for Legacy Code

AI fails on legacy code because it lacks context. Dump the context first, then ask your question.

When to use: Before asking any question about an old, undocumented codebase.

Expected output: An optimized query that respects the archaic tech stack, not a suggestion to use an ORM.

4. The "Shut Up and Code" Modifier

Append this to any prompt when you just want the artifact, not the journey.

When to use: When you're iterating quickly and understand the problem.

Expected output: Pure code. Glorious silence.

5. Prompt Chains for Complex Refactoring

Break down big tasks. Chain these prompts in sequence.

When to use: For refactoring tasks where you need to preserve functionality.

Expected output: A safe, incremental refactor instead of a broken rewrite.

Pro Tips: Work Smarter, Not Harder

• Prime the Pump: Start a new chat with a context dump and the grumpy system prompt. It sets the tone for the entire session.
• Be a Director, Not a Participant: Give AI a role and constraints. "You are a systems architect reviewing this AWS setup. Identify the two biggest cost inefficiencies."
• Demand Specificity: Instead of "make it faster," say "reduce the time complexity from O(n²) to O(n log n)." AI meets you at the level of detail you provide.
• Use the "Mute Button": If an explanation slips through, reply with just "Code only." It usually complies.
• Iterate, Don't Debate: If the first code fix is wrong, don't argue. Paste it back with "This fails when input is null. Fix."

Conclusion: Your Time is Too Valuable

The goal isn't to have a conversation with the AI. The goal is to offload the tedious parts of your job to it. These prompts turn your AI from a talkative intern into a silent, hyper-competent pair programmer who works at 3 AM without complaint.

Copy them. Save them. Build your own library. Stop reading AI-generated essays about for-loops and start shipping code. The next time you're tempted to type "explain this," remember: you're the senior dev. Tell it what to do.

Your Action: Copy the Grumpy Senior Dev system prompt at the top of this article. Paste it into your primary AI tool's system instructions right now. That single change will save you hours of scrolling this week.