Prompting for Build

The better you describe what you want, the closer Rocket gets on the first try. This guide covers how to write Build prompts for new apps, features, iterations, and redesigns - with concrete examples of what works and what doesn’t.

Principles of effective Build prompts

Be specific about what, not how

Tell Rocket what you want the app to do and look like. Don’t tell it which CSS properties to use or how to structure the component tree - that’s Rocket’s job.

Good prompt
Weak prompt

Build a task manager with a Kanban board. Three columns: To Do, In Progress, Done. Users can drag tasks between columns. Each task card shows the title, assignee avatar, and due date. Use a dark theme with purple accents.

Why it works: Describes the user experience clearly - layout, interaction, and visual style - without dictating implementation details.

Build a task manager. Use React DnD for drag-and-drop. Create a KanbanColumn component that maps over tasks and renders TaskCard components. Use flex-wrap with gap-4.

Why it’s weak: Over-specifies implementation. Rocket already knows the best way to build a Kanban board. Describing the desired UX is more effective than prescribing code.

Include the full picture in your first prompt

The more context you give upfront, the better the initial generation. Include:

App type - web app, mobile app, landing page, dashboard
Key features - the 3-5 most important things the app does
User flow - what happens when someone uses the app (first, second, third)
Design direction - color scheme, mood, reference sites, specific aesthetic
Data model - what data exists and how it relates (users, projects, tasks)

Comprehensive prompt
Sparse prompt

Build a freelancer invoicing app. Features: create invoices with line items (description, quantity, rate), add client details (name, email, address), calculate totals with tax, send invoices by email, and track payment status (draft, sent, paid, overdue). Dashboard shows: total outstanding, total paid this month, and overdue count. Design: clean and professional, white background with blue accents, similar to FreshBooks. Include authentication - each freelancer only sees their own invoices.

Build an invoicing app.

The comprehensive prompt generates a near-complete app in one shot. The sparse prompt generates something generic that needs many iterations to become useful.

Describe the experience from the user’s perspective

Frame your prompt as if you’re describing the app to a new user - what they see, what they do, what happens.

When a user opens the app, they see a dashboard with their active projects. Clicking a project opens a detail page with a timeline of milestones and a list of tasks. They can add a new task with a title, description, and due date. Tasks can be marked complete with a checkbox. Completed tasks show with a strikethrough and move to the bottom.

Prompts for new apps

Simple app

Build a habit tracker app. Users can add habits (e.g., "Drink 8 glasses of water," "Read for 30 minutes"). Each day shows a checklist of habits to complete. Track streaks - show the current streak count next to each habit. Include a weekly view that shows completion rates as a heatmap calendar. Use a warm, motivational color scheme (orange and cream). Mobile-responsive.

Complex app

Build a project management tool for small teams. Include:
- Authentication with team workspaces (invite by email)
- A project list on the left sidebar
- Inside each project: a Kanban board with customizable columns
- Task cards with: title, description, assignee, due date, priority (low/medium/high), and labels
- A calendar view showing tasks by due date
- Team member profiles with role badges (admin, member)
- Activity feed showing recent actions across the workspace
- Settings page for workspace name, member management, and billing
Use Supabase for auth and database. Design: clean, professional, Notion-inspired aesthetic with a white and gray palette.

Mobile app

Build a mobile fitness tracking app with Flutter. Screens: home dashboard (today's workout, calories, steps), workout library (categorized by muscle group), workout player (exercise name, timer, rep counter, rest intervals), progress tracker (charts showing weight/reps over time), and profile/settings. Use a dark theme with neon green accents. Include smooth transitions between screens and animated progress rings on the dashboard.

Prompts for features and iterations

When iterating on an existing app, be specific about what to change and what to keep.

Adding a feature

Add a notification system. Users should see a bell icon in the header with an unread count badge. Clicking it opens a dropdown showing recent notifications (task assigned, comment added, due date approaching). Each notification has a timestamp and a link to the relevant item. Add a "Mark all as read" button. Store notifications in Supabase and mark them as read when viewed.

Changing design

Switch the entire app to a dark theme. Background: #0F0F0F. Card backgrounds: #1A1A1A. Text: #E5E5E5. Accent color: keep the existing blue (#3B82F6) but brighten it slightly for dark backgrounds. Update all borders to a subtle #2A2A2A. Make sure charts and graphs remain readable on the dark background.

Fixing a specific issue

The mobile navigation menu overlaps the page content when open. Fix it so the menu slides in from the left as an overlay with a semi-transparent backdrop. Tapping the backdrop should close the menu. Also, the menu items are too small to tap on mobile - increase the tap target height to at least 48px.

Prompts for Redesign

Redesign prompts work differently from new builds. You’re transforming something that exists, so describe what to keep and what to change.

Full visual refresh

Redesign my website at [url]. Keep all existing content, page structure, and navigation. Transform the visual design: update from the current serif typography to a modern sans-serif (DM Sans for headings, Inter for body), replace the muted color palette with a vibrant one (primary: #6366F1, accents: #EC4899), add more whitespace between sections, modernize the card components with subtle shadows and rounded corners, and improve the mobile layout so the hamburger menu has smooth animation.

Conversion-focused redesign

Redesign the landing page at [url] to improve signups. Changes needed: move the email capture form above the fold, make the headline larger and benefit-focused, add a demo video below the hero, replace the generic stock photos with illustrations, add social proof (logos of companies, user count, testimonials) immediately after the hero, simplify the pricing section to reduce decision fatigue, and add a sticky CTA bar that appears on scroll.

Brand-aligned redesign

Redesign the website at [url] to match our new brand identity. New brand guidelines: primary color #1E40AF, secondary #F59E0B, font family "Plus Jakarta Sans" for all text. The tone should feel modern and confident, not playful. Replace rounded corners with sharper edges. Use more structured grid layouts instead of the current free-flowing design. Keep all existing content.

Iteration strategies

Small, focused prompts work best

Instead of one massive prompt with 10 changes, make 2-3 changes at a time. This lets you see the impact of each change and catch issues early.

Use visual edit for fine-tuning

For pixel-level adjustments - spacing, font sizes, specific colors - visual edit is faster than writing a prompt. Click the element, make the change, done.

Reference what Rocket already built

When iterating, reference existing elements: “Make the sidebar navigation look like the header - same font weight and hover style” or “Apply the same card style from the dashboard to the settings page.”

Common mistakes

Over-specifying implementation

“Use a useState hook with useEffect to fetch data on mount” - Rocket handles the implementation. Describe what you want the user to experience instead.

Vague design direction

“Make it look good” gives Rocket no direction. Instead: “Clean and minimal, similar to Linear’s aesthetic - monochrome with one accent color, lots of whitespace, sharp typography.”

Forgetting about states

Apps have loading states, empty states, error states, and success states. Mention them: “Show a skeleton loader while data loads, a friendly empty state with an illustration when there are no items, and a toast notification on successful save.”

Changing too much at once

“Redesign the whole app, add 5 new features, and change the color scheme” in one prompt makes it hard to evaluate the result. Break it into focused iterations.

For iteration patterns, complexity management, and testing strategies for Build tasks, see Build best practices.

Quick reference: prompt template

Use this template as a starting point for any Build prompt:

Build a [app type] for [target user].

Features:
- [Feature 1 - describe what the user can do]
- [Feature 2]
- [Feature 3]

User flow: [describe the main path a user takes through the app]

Design: [color scheme, aesthetic reference, mood - e.g., "dark theme, Stripe-inspired, professional"]

Data: [what data exists - users, projects, tasks, orders - and how it connects]

Integrations: [Supabase, Stripe, external APIs, if any]

What’s next?

Prompting for Solve

Frame strategic research questions effectively.

Configure Intelligence

Describe monitoring needs for Intelligence.

Build overview

Explore everything Build can create.

Prompt starters

Copy-paste prompts organized by role.

LEARN

TUTORIALS

PROMPT STARTERS

TEMPLATES

WORKFLOWS

RECIPES

GUIDES

EXAMPLES & VIDEOS

Principles of effective Build prompts

Be specific about what, not how

Include the full picture in your first prompt

Describe the experience from the user’s perspective

Prompts for new apps

Simple app

Complex app

Mobile app

Prompts for features and iterations

Adding a feature

Changing design

Fixing a specific issue

Prompts for Redesign

Full visual refresh

Conversion-focused redesign

Brand-aligned redesign

Iteration strategies

Small, focused prompts work best

Use visual edit for fine-tuning

Reference what Rocket already built

Common mistakes

Quick reference: prompt template

What’s next?

Prompting for Solve

Configure Intelligence

Build overview

Prompt starters

​Principles of effective Build prompts

​Be specific about what, not how

​Include the full picture in your first prompt

​Describe the experience from the user’s perspective

​Prompts for new apps

​Simple app

​Complex app

​Mobile app

​Prompts for features and iterations

​Adding a feature

​Changing design

​Fixing a specific issue

​Prompts for Redesign

​Full visual refresh

​Conversion-focused redesign

​Brand-aligned redesign

​Iteration strategies

​Small, focused prompts work best

​Use visual edit for fine-tuning

​Reference what Rocket already built

​Common mistakes

​Quick reference: prompt template

​What’s next?

Prompting for Solve

Configure Intelligence

Build overview

Prompt starters

Principles of effective Build prompts

Be specific about what, not how

Include the full picture in your first prompt

Describe the experience from the user’s perspective

Prompts for new apps

Simple app

Complex app

Mobile app

Prompts for features and iterations

Adding a feature

Changing design

Fixing a specific issue

Prompts for Redesign

Full visual refresh

Conversion-focused redesign

Brand-aligned redesign

Iteration strategies

Small, focused prompts work best

Use visual edit for fine-tuning

Reference what Rocket already built

Common mistakes

Quick reference: prompt template

What’s next?