Concepts

System Prompt

Hidden instructions given to an AI model that define its behavior, personality, and constraints.

The Full Picture

The system prompt is a set of instructions sent to the AI before any user interaction. It tells the model how to behave ("You are a senior React developer"), what constraints to follow ("Always use TypeScript"), and what to avoid. In vibe coding tools, the system prompt is what makes the AI understand it should generate code rather than just chat.

Tools like Cursor and Claude Code use carefully crafted system prompts to produce better code output.

Related Terms

Prompt Engineering

The skill of writing effective instructions for AI models to get the output you actually want.

Context Window

The maximum amount of text (code, conversation, files) an AI model can process at once.

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