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When building with Bolt, the quality of your results will often depend less on how well you know code and more on how clearly and effectively you can express your ideas through prompts. Learning to prompt well is like learning a new language: the better you get at it, the more powerful and precise your builds will become. This article will help you understand how to approach prompting so you can unlock the full potential of your projects.

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Plan your app, and your first prompt

When you start with a clear, well-structured prompt, you set yourself up for success. Think of your prompt as a blueprint. The clearer your blueprint, the smoother the build process will be and the less likely you’ll need to rework things down the line. Not sure where to begin? Our guide on Planning your app walks you through practical ways to organize your ideas and start with a powerful first prompt.

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Automatically improve your prompt

Bolt has a built-in feature to help you create better prompts: Screencapture of how to enhance prompts in Bolt
  1. Write your prompt in the chatbox.
  2. In the bottom-left corner of the chatbox, click the plus icon, then click Enhance prompt.
  3. Bolt generates a recommended prompt, which you can then edit.

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Comparing original and enhanced prompt results

The image below compares two websites created with the same prompt. The version on the right was built with a simple prompt, while the version on the left was enhanced to produce a more engaging homepage and additional pages.
Screenshot of DNS records management screen within Cloud settings.

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Prompting quick tips

  • Start with the application architecture, including your choice of tools, frameworks, and so on.
  • Clear context regularly, so long as you’re sure Bolt doesn’t need to remember anything short-term.
  • Add individual components and features, one by one.
  • Add in details in each component with small, specific prompts. Avoid overwhelming the LLM with too many instructions and requirements at once.
  • Be explicit about what should and shouldn’t change. You can tell Bolt to change or not change specific files. When possible, refer to specific elements, classes, or functions to guide Bolt to the exact place where you want the changes made.
  • Don’t expect the LLM to have common sense.

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Guide Bolt’s focus

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Troubleshooting prompting

If Bolt doesn’t respond exactly as you expect, try these steps to work through common issues.

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Bolt didn’t complete everything you asked for

Break your request into smaller parts. Ask Bolt to make one change at a time.
  1. Make one change.
  2. Check that the change works.
  3. Move on to the next update or feature.

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Bolt forgets what you told it earlier in the same chat

Bolt’s ability to remember your chat history isn’t infinite. A way to preserve information while keeping the chat history window small is to ask Bolt to summarize your conversations far, then reset your chat history by duplicating your project. See Reset your chat history for instructions.

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Customize the project and system prompts

Project and system prompts are extra instructions sent to Bolt. They tell it how to behave and provide helpful context. You can use them to guide Bolt’s tone, focus, or behavior every time it responds. Project versus system prompts:
  • The project prompt is specific to your current project.
  • The system prompt applies to every project.
To update project and system knowledge, follow these steps:
  1. Click the gear icon in the top center of your screen, then click All project settings.
  2. Click one of the two Knowledge options. (Project-specific or system.)
    To update a specific project’s Project knowledge, you must have that project open, and Bolt must not be in the process of building.
  3. Update the Project Prompt or Global System Prompt.
  4. Click Save prompt. Bolt will confirm whether the prompt updated successfully.
Here’s an example, from Bolt’s Vite React starter project: 
For all designs I ask you to make, have them be beautiful, not cookie cutter. Make webpages that are fully featured and worthy for production.

By default, this template supports JSX syntax with Tailwind CSS classes, the shadcn/ui library, React hooks, and Lucide React for icons. Do not install other packages for UI themes, icons, etc unless absolutely necessary or I request them.

Use icons from lucide-react for logos.

Use stock photos from unsplash where appropriate.

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Tips for the project or system prompts

  • Include instructions to Bolt to only change relevant code.