Context Engineering Template

A comprehensive template for getting started with Context Engineering - the discipline of engineering context for AI coding assistants so they have the information necessary to get the job done end to end.

一份用于上手上下文工程的综合模板——上下文工程这门功夫，是为 AI 编程助手设计上下文，让它们掌握必要信息、端到端把活干完。

Context Engineering is 10x better than prompt engineering and 100x better than vibe coding.

上下文工程比提示词工程强 10 倍，比 vibe coding 强 100 倍。

🚀 Quick Start

bash

# 1. Clone this template
git clone https://github.com/coleam00/Context-Engineering-Intro.git
cd Context-Engineering-Intro

# 2. Set up your project rules (optional - template provided)
# Edit CLAUDE.md to add your project-specific guidelines

# 3. Add examples (highly recommended)
# Place relevant code examples in the examples/ folder

# 4. Create your initial feature request
# Edit INITIAL.md with your feature requirements

# 5. Generate a comprehensive PRP (Product Requirements Prompt)
# In Claude Code, run:
/generate-prp INITIAL.md

# 6. Execute the PRP to implement your feature
# In Claude Code, run:
/execute-prp PRPs/your-feature-name.md

什么是上下文工程？· 模板结构 · 分步指南 · 如何写好 INITIAL.md · PRP 工作流 · 如何有效使用示例 · 最佳实践。

What is Context Engineering?

Context Engineering represents a paradigm shift from traditional prompt engineering:

上下文工程代表着一次从传统提示词工程出发的范式转变：

Prompt Engineering vs Context Engineering

Prompt Engineering:

Focuses on clever wording and specific phrasing
Limited to how you phrase a task
Like giving someone a sticky note

提示词工程：关注措辞是否巧妙、表达是否精准；局限于你如何描述一项任务；就像给别人递一张便利贴。

Context Engineering:

A complete system for providing comprehensive context
Includes documentation, examples, rules, patterns, and validation
Like writing a full screenplay with all the details

上下文工程：一套提供完整上下文的完整体系；包含文档、示例、规则、模式和验证；就像写出带全部细节的完整剧本。

Why Context Engineering Matters

Reduces AI Failures: Most agent failures aren't model failures - they're context failures
Ensures Consistency: AI follows your project patterns and conventions
Enables Complex Features: AI can handle multi-step implementations with proper context
Self-Correcting: Validation loops allow AI to fix its own mistakes

1）减少 AI 失败：大多数 agent 的失败不是模型失败，而是上下文失败；2）保证一致性：AI 会遵循你项目的模式与约定；3）支撑复杂功能：有了恰当的上下文，AI 能处理多步实现；4）自我纠正：验证闭环让 AI 能自己修错。

Template Structure

context-engineering-intro/
├── .claude/
│   ├── commands/
│   │   ├── generate-prp.md    # Generates comprehensive PRPs
│   │   └── execute-prp.md     # Executes PRPs to implement features
│   └── settings.local.json    # Claude Code permissions
├── PRPs/
│   ├── templates/
│   │   └── prp_base.md       # Base template for PRPs
│   └── EXAMPLE_multi_agent_prp.md  # Example of a complete PRP
├── examples/                  # Your code examples (critical!)
├── CLAUDE.md                 # Global rules for AI assistant
├── INITIAL.md               # Template for feature requests
├── INITIAL_EXAMPLE.md       # Example feature request
└── README.md                # This file

This template doesn't focus on RAG and tools with context engineering because I have a LOT more in store for that soon. 😉

这份模板没有聚焦 RAG 与工具在上下文工程中的用法，因为我很快还会拿出多得多的东西。;)

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Set Up Global Rules (CLAUDE.md)

The CLAUDE.md file contains project-wide rules that the AI assistant will follow in every conversation. The template includes:

CLAUDE.md 文件包含项目级规则，AI 助手会在每次对话中遵循。模板里包含：

Project awareness: Reading planning docs, checking tasks
Code structure: File size limits, module organization
Testing requirements: Unit test patterns, coverage expectations
Style conventions: Language preferences, formatting rules
Documentation standards: Docstring formats, commenting practices

项目感知：读取规划文档、检查任务；代码结构：文件大小限制、模块组织；测试要求：单元测试模式、覆盖率预期；风格约定：语言偏好、格式规则；文档标准：docstring 格式、注释习惯。

You can use the provided template as-is or customize it for your project.

你可以直接使用提供的模板，也可以针对自己的项目做定制。

2. Create Your Initial Feature Request

Edit INITIAL.md to describe what you want to build:

编辑 INITIAL.md，描述你想构建什么：

markdown

## FEATURE:
[Describe what you want to build - be specific about functionality and requirements]

## EXAMPLES:
[List any example files in the examples/ folder and explain how they should be used]

## DOCUMENTATION:
[Include links to relevant documentation, APIs, or MCP server resources]

## OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
[Mention any gotchas, specific requirements, or things AI assistants commonly miss]

See INITIAL_EXAMPLE.md for a complete example.

完整示例见 INITIAL_EXAMPLE.md。

3. Generate the PRP

PRPs (Product Requirements Prompts) are comprehensive implementation blueprints that include:

PRP（产品需求提示，Product Requirements Prompts）是综合性的实现蓝图，包含：

Complete context and documentation
Implementation steps with validation
Error handling patterns
Test requirements

完整的上下文与文档；带验证的实现步骤；错误处理模式；测试要求。

They are similar to PRDs (Product Requirements Documents) but are crafted more specifically to instruct an AI coding assistant.

它们类似 PRD（产品需求文档），但写法更专门，用来指示 AI 编程助手。

Run in Claude Code:

在 Claude Code 中运行：

bash

/generate-prp INITIAL.md

Note: The slash commands are custom commands defined in .claude/commands/. You can view their implementation:

.claude/commands/generate-prp.md - See how it researches and creates PRPs
.claude/commands/execute-prp.md - See how it implements features from PRPs

注意：这些斜杠命令是在 .claude/commands/ 里自定义的。你可以查看它们的实现：.claude/commands/generate-prp.md——看它如何做调研并生成 PRP；.claude/commands/execute-prp.md——看它如何依据 PRP 实现功能。

The $ARGUMENTS variable in these commands receives whatever you pass after the command name (e.g., INITIAL.md or PRPs/your-feature.md).

这些命令里的 $ARGUMENTS 变量会接收你在命令名之后传入的内容（例如 INITIAL.md 或 PRPs/your-feature.md）。

This command will:

Read your feature request
Research the codebase for patterns
Search for relevant documentation
Create a comprehensive PRP in PRPs/your-feature-name.md

这条命令会：1）读取你的功能需求；2）在代码库里调研可用的模式；3）检索相关文档；4）在 PRPs/你的功能名.md 中生成一份完整的 PRP。

4. Execute the PRP

Once generated, execute the PRP to implement your feature:

生成之后，执行该 PRP 来实现你的功能：

bash

/execute-prp PRPs/your-feature-name.md

The AI coding assistant will:

Read all context from the PRP
Create a detailed implementation plan
Execute each step with validation
Run tests and fix any issues
Ensure all success criteria are met

AI 编程助手会：1）读取 PRP 中的全部上下文；2）制定详细的实现计划；3）逐步执行并做验证；4）运行测试并修复问题；5）确认所有成功标准都满足。

Writing Effective INITIAL.md Files

Key Sections Explained

FEATURE: Be specific and comprehensive

❌ "Build a web scraper"
✅ "Build an async web scraper using BeautifulSoup that extracts product data from e-commerce sites, handles rate limiting, and stores results in PostgreSQL"

功能：要具体、要全面。❌「做一个网页爬虫」；✅「用 BeautifulSoup 做一个异步网页爬虫，从电商站点抽取商品数据，处理限流，并把结果存入 PostgreSQL」。

EXAMPLES: Leverage the examples/ folder

Place relevant code patterns in examples/
Reference specific files and patterns to follow
Explain what aspects should be mimicked

示例：善用 examples/ 目录。把相关的代码模式放进 examples/；引用具体的文件与要遵循的模式；说明哪些地方需要照搬。

DOCUMENTATION: Include all relevant resources

API documentation URLs
Library guides
MCP server documentation
Database schemas

文档：把所有相关资源都带上。API 文档 URL；库的使用指南；MCP 服务器文档；数据库 schema。

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Capture important details

Authentication requirements
Rate limits or quotas
Common pitfalls
Performance requirements

其他考量：把重要细节写清楚。认证要求；速率限制或配额；常见坑；性能要求。

The PRP Workflow

How /generate-prp Works

The command follows this process:

这条命令遵循以下流程：

Research Phase
- Analyzes your codebase for patterns
- Searches for similar implementations
- Identifies conventions to follow

1）调研阶段：分析你的代码库找出模式；搜索类似实现；识别应当遵循的约定。

Documentation Gathering
- Fetches relevant API docs
- Includes library documentation
- Adds gotchas and quirks

2）收集文档：抓取相关 API 文档；纳入库的文档；补充各种坑与古怪之处。

Blueprint Creation
- Creates step-by-step implementation plan
- Includes validation gates
- Adds test requirements

3）生成蓝图：制定分步实现计划；加入验证关卡；补充测试要求。

Quality Check
- Scores confidence level (1-10)
- Ensures all context is included

4）质量检查：给置信度打分（1–10）；确保所有上下文都已包含。

How /execute-prp Works

Load Context: Reads the entire PRP
Plan: Creates detailed task list using TodoWrite
Execute: Implements each component
Validate: Runs tests and linting
Iterate: Fixes any issues found
Complete: Ensures all requirements met

1）加载上下文：读完整个 PRP；2）规划：用 TodoWrite 生成详细任务清单；3）逐个实现各组件；4）验证：运行测试与 lint；5）迭代：修复发现的问题；6）完成：确保所有要求都满足。

See PRPs/EXAMPLE_multi_agent_prp.md for a complete example of what gets generated.

生成结果长什么样，完整示例见 PRPs/EXAMPLE_multi_agent_prp.md。

Using Examples Effectively

The examples/ folder is critical for success. AI coding assistants perform much better when they can see patterns to follow.

examples/ 目录对成功至关重要。当 AI 编程助手能看到可以照搬的模式时，表现会好得多。

What to Include in Examples

Code Structure Patterns
- How you organize modules
- Import conventions
- Class/function patterns

1）代码结构模式：你如何组织模块；import 约定；类与函数的写法。

Testing Patterns
- Test file structure
- Mocking approaches
- Assertion styles

2）测试模式：测试文件结构；mock 的做法；断言风格。

Integration Patterns
- API client implementations
- Database connections
- Authentication flows

3）集成模式：API 客户端的实现；数据库连接；认证流程。

CLI Patterns
- Argument parsing
- Output formatting
- Error handling

4）CLI 模式：参数解析；输出格式；错误处理。

Example Structure

examples/
├── README.md           # Explains what each example demonstrates
├── cli.py             # CLI implementation pattern
├── agent/             # Agent architecture patterns
│   ├── agent.py      # Agent creation pattern
│   ├── tools.py      # Tool implementation pattern
│   └── providers.py  # Multi-provider pattern
└── tests/            # Testing patterns
    ├── test_agent.py # Unit test patterns
    └── conftest.py   # Pytest configuration

Best Practices

1. Be Explicit in INITIAL.md

Don't assume the AI knows your preferences
Include specific requirements and constraints
Reference examples liberally

2. Provide Comprehensive Examples

More examples = better implementations
Show both what to do AND what not to do
Include error handling patterns

3. Use Validation Gates

PRPs include test commands that must pass
AI will iterate until all validations succeed
This ensures working code on first try

4. Leverage Documentation

Include official API docs
Add MCP server resources
Reference specific documentation sections

5. Customize CLAUDE.md

Add your conventions
Include project-specific rules
Define coding standards

Resources

延伸阅读：Claude Code 文档；上下文工程最佳实践。

Context Engineering Template ​

🚀 Quick Start ​

📚 Table of Contents ​

What is Context Engineering? ​

Prompt Engineering vs Context Engineering ​

Why Context Engineering Matters ​

Template Structure ​

Step-by-Step Guide ​

1. Set Up Global Rules (CLAUDE.md) ​

2. Create Your Initial Feature Request ​

3. Generate the PRP ​

4. Execute the PRP ​

Writing Effective INITIAL.md Files ​

Key Sections Explained ​

The PRP Workflow ​

How /generate-prp Works ​

How /execute-prp Works ​

Using Examples Effectively ​

What to Include in Examples ​

Example Structure ​

Best Practices ​

1. Be Explicit in INITIAL.md ​

2. Provide Comprehensive Examples ​

3. Use Validation Gates ​

4. Leverage Documentation ​

5. Customize CLAUDE.md ​

Resources ​

Context Engineering Template

🚀 Quick Start

📚 Table of Contents

What is Context Engineering?

Prompt Engineering vs Context Engineering

Why Context Engineering Matters

Template Structure

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Set Up Global Rules (CLAUDE.md)

2. Create Your Initial Feature Request

3. Generate the PRP

4. Execute the PRP

Writing Effective INITIAL.md Files

Key Sections Explained

The PRP Workflow

How /generate-prp Works

How /execute-prp Works

Using Examples Effectively

What to Include in Examples

Example Structure

Best Practices

1. Be Explicit in INITIAL.md

2. Provide Comprehensive Examples

3. Use Validation Gates

4. Leverage Documentation

5. Customize CLAUDE.md

Resources