Write prompts that get good results
Six habits that make any AI, especially a free one, build what you meant on the first or second try.
Updated November 8, 2026
The AI is only as good as the request. These habits matter more than which model you use.
1. Ask for a plan first
End big requests with "Show me the plan before making changes." You read the plan, fix misunderstandings in plain words, and only then let it touch files. It is the single most useful habit.
2. One feature at a time
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| "Make a full tycoon game with shops, pets, rebirths, and a leaderboard." | "Add a dropper that spawns a part every 2 seconds worth 1 coin." |
Small requests are faster, cheaper on free plans, easier to review, and easy to undo if they go wrong.
3. Describe what the player sees
Say what should happen in the game, not how to code it.
When a player touches the red part, they lose 20 health and the part flashes white for half a second.
4. Name where it goes
If you know which script or object is involved, say so: "in the CoinService script" or "on the parts inside the Stage3 folder." It saves the AI searching and stops it editing the wrong thing.
5. Paste the exact error
When something breaks, copy the red text from Studio's Output window and paste it in full:
I get this error when I touch a checkpoint: (paste the error). Find the cause and fix it. Show me the diff first.
If Studio's MCP server is on, you can simply say "playtest and read the Output" instead.
6. Test after every change
Approve, press F5, try it, then ask for the next thing. When a step breaks something, you know exactly which one.
Prompts worth stealing
- Explain: "Explain how the round system works in this game, in plain English. Don't change anything."
- Review: "Look for bugs or exploits in the shop script, like players buying things they can't afford. List them before fixing."
- Clean up: "This script got long. Split it into smaller modules without changing behavior. Plan first."
- Learn: "Walk me through the change you just made, line by line, like I'm new to Luau."
If the AI goes in circles on the same bug twice, stop. Undo back to the last version that worked, then describe the problem fresh with the error text. A clean start beats a fourth patch.
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