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The quality of your prompt directly affects the quality of your app. This guide covers how to write prompts that get the best results from Bilt’s AI.

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Start with the big picture

Begin with a clear description of what the app does and who it’s for. The AI uses this to make architecture and design decisions. 
A meal planning app for busy parents. Users can browse weekly meal plans,
save favorites, generate a grocery list from selected meals, and set
reminders for meal prep. Clean, modern design with a warm color palette.

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Be specific about features

List the features you want. The more specific you are, the closer the result matches your vision. 
Features:
- Home screen with a weekly calendar view showing planned meals
- Recipe detail screen with ingredients, steps, and prep time
- Grocery list that auto-generates from selected recipes
- Favorites list with swipe-to-remove
- Settings page with dietary preferences (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.)

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Describe the user experience

Tell the AI what happens when someone uses the app. This helps it build the right navigation and flow. 
When a user opens the app, they see this week's meal plan. They can tap
any day to see the recipe. From the recipe, they can add it to favorites
or add its ingredients to the grocery list. The grocery list groups items
by category (produce, dairy, etc.) and lets users check off items as they shop.

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Specify design preferences

If you have a visual direction in mind, describe it. Otherwise, the AI picks a clean default. 
Design: minimal and modern. White background, soft rounded corners,
teal accent color (#2DD4BF). Use SF Pro font. Bottom tab navigation
with icons for Home, Recipes, Grocery List, and Profile.
You can also attach a screenshot of a design you want to match.

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Iterate in small steps

Don’t try to build everything in one message. Start with the core flow, then add features incrementally.
1

Core structure

“Build a meal planning app with a weekly calendar view and recipe detail screen”
2

Add features

“Add a grocery list that generates from selected recipes”
3

Refine design

“Change the color scheme to teal and white, add bottom tab navigation”
4

Connect data

“Connect to Supabase so users can save their meal plans and favorites”

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Reference what exists

When iterating, reference specific screens or elements so the AI knows what to change. 
On the recipe detail screen, add a "Add to grocery list" button below the ingredients

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Common prompt patterns

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Starting a new app

Build a [type of app] for [audience]. The main features are:
1. [Feature one]
2. [Feature two]
3. [Feature three]

Design: [style preferences]

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Adding a feature

On the [screen name], add [feature description].
When the user [action], it should [behavior].

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Fixing an issue

On the [screen name], [describe what's wrong].
It should [describe expected behavior] instead.

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Changing design

Change [element] to [new style].

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Connecting a backend

Connect to Supabase. Add [auth/database feature].
When a user [action], save/load [data] from the database.

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What to avoid

  • Don’t give conflicting instructions in the same message
  • Don’t describe implementation details (specific code, file structures) unless you need a very specific approach — the AI handles architecture decisions
  • Don’t overload a single message — break complex features into steps
  • Don’t assume context from previous conversations — each project session has its own history, but be explicit about what you want