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Writing clear, actionable prompts is key to getting great results from Tembo. Following these guidelines will help ensure successful outcomes.

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When to Tag @tembo

Tag required:
  • Pull Request comments - Request changes or provide feedback
  • GitHub Issues - Start work on features or fixes
  • Slack messages - Trigger tasks in channels or DMs
No tag needed:
  • Tembo Dashboard tasks
  • Linear/Jira issues assigned to Tembo
  • Initial task creation in any context
Tagging ensures Tembo responds to your feedback while ignoring internal team discussions.

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Anatomy of a Great Prompt

A well-structured prompt includes: clear objective (what needs to be done), context (why it matters), acceptance criteria (when it’s complete), and technical details (requirements/constraints).

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Examples

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Bug Fix

Title: Fix memory leak in background job processor

Description:
The background job processor in workers/job-processor.ts accumulates memory
and crashes after ~6 hours. Heap grows from 512MB to 4GB before crash.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Memory stable over 24+ hours
- No queued jobs lost
- Add memory monitoring

Technical Details:
See Sentry #12345. Issue likely in cleanup logic around line 156.
Why it works: Specific file location, reproduction context, measurable criteria, linked error tracking, and technical hypothesis.

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Feature Implementation

Title: Add email validation to user registration form

Requirements:
- RFC 5322 compliant format checking
- Block disposable email domains
- Real-time UI validation with specific error messages
- Client and server-side validation
- Unit tests for edge cases

Technical Notes:
Frontend: components/auth/RegistrationForm.tsx
Backend: services/user-service.ts
Use zod for validation. Blocklist: github.com/disposable/disposable-email-domains
Why it works: Clear requirements, file locations, existing patterns referenced, external dependencies identified.

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Refactoring

Title: Refactor authentication middleware to async/await

Description:
Modernize middleware/auth.js from callback-based patterns to async/await.

Scope:
- Convert callbacks to async/await
- Add try/catch error handling
- Add TypeScript types
- Maintain backward compatibility

Acceptance Criteria:
- All tests pass without modification
- No breaking changes to API consumers

Context: Part of Node.js modernization (TEM-1234).
Why it works: Clear scope, backward compatibility requirements, links to related work.

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API Endpoint

Title: Add pagination to GET /api/users endpoint

Requirements:
- Cursor-based pagination (not offset-based)
- Default 50 users, max 200 per request
- Backward compatible for existing clients

Response Format:
{
  "data": [...],
  "pagination": {
    "next_cursor": "abc123",
    "has_more": true,
    "total_count": 1500
  }
}

Technical Details:
Endpoint: routes/api/users.ts
Use utils/pagination.ts. Add index on users.created_at.
Update openapi.yml.
Why it works: Specific approach, example response format, backward compatibility addressed.

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Less Effective Prompts

TypeExampleProblem
Too Vague”Fix the bug” / “The app is broken”No specific issue, context, or verification criteria
Missing Context”Improve performance” / “Make it faster”No metrics, target, or scope defined
Overly Broad”Update the app and add new features”Multiple unrelated tasks—break into smaller issues

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Tips by Issue Type

TypeInclude
BugSteps to reproduce, expected vs actual, error messages, environment, error tracking links
FeatureUser story, mockups, success metrics, edge cases, dependencies
RefactorCurrent problems, desired state, constraints, specific files, related tech debt
DocsWhat/why, audience, existing docs to reference, examples, format preferences

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Working with Jira and Linear

Labels: Use type labels (bug, feature, refactor), priority labels, and scope labels (frontend, backend). Link Related Issues: Set parent/child relationships, mark blocking dependencies, connect issues in same epic. Attachments: Screenshots, recordings, error logs, design files, external documentation. Metadata: Priority, story points, component/team, sprint/milestone, due dates.

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Common Patterns

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Multi-Repository Tasks

Title: Add user authentication to frontend and backend

Frontend (webapp repo):
- Login/signup forms with JWT storage
- Auth context provider
- Protected route wrapper

Backend (api repo):
- /auth/login and /auth/signup endpoints
- JWT generation and validation middleware
- Refresh token rotation

Note: Requires changes to both repositories. Ensure implementations are compatible.

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Database Migrations

Title: Add indexes to improve orders table performance

Indexes:
- (user_id, created_at) for order history
- (status, updated_at) for admin filtering
- (store_id, created_at) for store dashboards

Acceptance Criteria:
- Migration with up/down scripts
- Test in staging first
- Measure with EXPLAIN (target: <500ms)
- Document in MIGRATIONS.md

Context: Dashboard queries taking 3-5s on 2M+ rows.

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Getting the Best Results

Be specific with file paths, line numbers, and function names. Explain the why, not just the what. Define measurable success criteria. Include example inputs/outputs. Link to relevant resources. Break large tasks into focused issues. Iterate based on results.

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Questions?

Start with three questions: What needs to change? Why? How will we know it’s done? Then add technical details and context as needed.