Prompts
Patterns & advanced
Real-world examples, organization, type safety, best practices, and conditional registration.
Use Cases
Prompts are particularly useful for:
1. Setup and Onboarding
Help new developers or AI assistants understand how to work with your codebase:
server/mcp/prompts/setup-guide.ts
import { defineMcpPrompt } from '@nuxtjs/mcp-toolkit/server'
export default defineMcpPrompt({
description: 'Provide complete setup instructions for this project',
handler: async () => `You are setting up this Nuxt project. Here's what you need to know:
1. Install dependencies: \`pnpm install\`
2. Start dev server: \`pnpm dev\`
3. Project structure follows Nuxt conventions
4. MCP tools are available in server/mcp/
Ask me what you'd like to build!`,
})
2. Code Review Standards
Ensure consistent code review criteria:
server/mcp/prompts/review-standards.ts
import { z } from 'zod'
import { defineMcpPrompt } from '@nuxtjs/mcp-toolkit/server'
export default defineMcpPrompt({
description: 'Apply team code review standards',
inputSchema: {
focus: z.enum(['security', 'performance', 'maintainability', 'all']).default('all'),
},
handler: async ({ focus }) => `You are a code reviewer following our team standards. Focus on: ${focus}.
Review the code I provide, checking for best practices and potential issues.`,
})
3. Documentation Generation
Standardize documentation format:
server/mcp/prompts/generate-docs.ts
import { z } from 'zod'
import { defineMcpPrompt } from '@nuxtjs/mcp-toolkit/server'
export default defineMcpPrompt({
description: 'Generate documentation in team format',
inputSchema: {
type: z.enum(['api', 'component', 'function']).describe('What to document'),
},
handler: async ({ type }) => {
const templates = {
api: 'Document this API endpoint with: endpoint, method, parameters, response format, and examples.',
component: 'Document this Vue component with: props, emits, slots, and usage examples.',
function: 'Document this function with: parameters, return value, and usage examples.',
}
return templates[type]
},
})
4. Troubleshooting Workflows
Guide debugging for common issues:
server/mcp/prompts/debug-helper.ts
import { z } from 'zod'
import { defineMcpPrompt } from '@nuxtjs/mcp-toolkit/server'
export default defineMcpPrompt({
description: 'Help debug common issues',
inputSchema: {
area: z.enum(['api', 'auth', 'database', 'frontend']).describe('Area of the issue'),
},
handler: async ({ area }) => `You are debugging a ${area} issue. Ask clarifying questions and suggest diagnostic steps.`,
})
Groups and Tags
Organize your prompts with group and tags for categorization. These fields work the same way as for tools.
server/mcp/prompts/onboarding/setup-guide.ts
import { defineMcpPrompt } from '@nuxtjs/mcp-toolkit/server'
export default defineMcpPrompt({
tags: ['getting-started'],
description: 'Help new developers set up the project',
handler: async () => 'You are setting up this project...',
})
Placing the file in prompts/onboarding/ auto-infers group: 'onboarding'.
Prompt
group and tags are stored on the definition objects but are not yet included in prompts/list protocol responses. This will be supported when SEP-1300 is adopted by the MCP SDK.File Organization
Organize your prompts in the server/mcp/prompts/ directory. Both flat and nested layouts are supported:
server/
└── mcp/
└── prompts/
├── greeting.ts
├── summarize.ts
├── onboarding/
│ └── setup-guide.ts
└── debugging/
└── troubleshoot.ts
Each file should export a default prompt definition. Subdirectories automatically set the group.
Type Safety
The module provides full TypeScript type inference:
// Argument types are inferred from inputSchema
handler: async ({ text, maxLength }) => {
// text is typed as string
// maxLength is typed as string | undefined
}
Best Practices
1. Design for AI Understanding
Write prompts that give the AI clear context and expectations:
// Good: Clear context and instructions
handler: async ({ code }) =>
`You are a senior developer reviewing code for a Nuxt application.
Review this code for Vue 3 best practices:\n\n${code}`
// Less effective: Vague instructions
handler: async ({ code }) => code
2. Use Descriptive Arguments
Always use .describe() on Zod fields to help both users and AI understand what's expected:
inputSchema: {
// Good: Clear descriptions
language: z.enum(['typescript', 'javascript']).describe('Programming language of the code'),
strict: z.boolean().default(true).describe('Whether to enforce strict TypeScript rules'),
// Less helpful: No descriptions
lang: z.string(),
s: z.boolean(),
}
3. Use Conversation Flow
Use user and assistant messages to guide the AI:
// Effective: User provides context, assistant acknowledges
messages: [
{ role: 'user', content: { type: 'text', text: 'You are an expert in accessibility. Review this HTML for a11y issues.' } },
{ role: 'assistant', content: { type: 'text', text: 'I\'ll analyze the HTML for accessibility issues.' } },
]
4. Keep Prompts Focused
Each prompt should have a single, clear purpose. Create multiple prompts instead of one complex one:
// Good: Separate focused prompts
// server/mcp/prompts/review-security.ts
// server/mcp/prompts/review-performance.ts
// server/mcp/prompts/review-style.ts
// Less maintainable: One complex prompt trying to do everything
5. Provide Default Values
Use .default() for optional arguments to improve usability:
inputSchema: {
format: z.enum(['brief', 'detailed']).default('detailed').describe('Output format'),
language: z.string().default('en').describe('Response language'),
}
6. Include Examples in Complex Prompts
For prompts that need specific output formats, include examples:
handler: async () => `Generate a commit message following this format:
type(scope): description
Example:
feat(auth): add OAuth2 login support
Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore`
Conditional Registration
You can control whether a prompt is visible to clients using the enabled guard:
server/mcp/prompts/admin-prompt.ts
export default defineMcpPrompt({
name: 'admin-prompt',
description: 'Admin-only prompt',
enabled: event => event.context.user?.role === 'admin',
handler: async () => 'Admin instructions...',
})
See the Dynamic Definitions guide for detailed documentation on auth-based filtering.
Next Steps
- Prompt Examples - See advanced prompt examples
- Tools - Create tools to perform actions
- Resources - Create resources to expose data
- Handlers - Create custom MCP endpoints
- Dynamic Definitions - Conditionally register definitions