promptcmd

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Quick Start ​

This guide will help you create your first prompt and start using promptcmd.

INFO

Before starting, make sure you have: you have successfully installed promptcmd.

Minimal Configuration ​

There are multiple ways to configure promptcmd. For this tutorial we will use a configuration file. Start by edit your configuration file via the following:

shell
promptctl config edit

This will load a sample configuration in your text editor with all options commented out.

INFO

You can select a different text editor through the EDITOR environment variable. You can also manually create/edit this file. Use promptctl config ls to determine its location.

A minimal configuration (e.g., for anthropic) should contain something like:

toml
[providers.anthropic]
api_key = "your-key"

Create Your First Prompt ​

Let's create a simple prompt that summarizes text:

bash
promptctl create summarize

Define the Prompt Template ​

Add the following content to the prompt file:

yaml
---
model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
input:
  schema:
    words?: integer, Summary length
---
Summarize the following text{{#if words}} in {{words}} words{{/if}}:

{{STDIN}}

Save and close the editor.

Use Your New Command ​

Now you can execute your summarize command like any other CLI tool:

$ summarize --help

Usage: summarize [OPTIONS]

Prompt inputs:
      --words <words>   Summary length
bash
# Summarize a file
cat article.txt | summarize

# Summarize with a specific length
echo "Long text here..." | summarize --words 10

Understanding the Prompt Structure ​

Let's break down what we just created:

Frontmatter (YAML Header) ​

yaml
---
model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
input:
  schema:
    words?: integer, Summary length
---
  • model: Specifies which AI model to use
  • input.schema: Defines command-line arguments
  • words?: integer: Creates an optional --words argument that accepts integers.

Template Body ​

Summarize the following text{{#if words}} in {{words}} words{{/if}}:

{{STDIN}}
  • {{#if words}}...{{/if}}: Conditional logic using Handlebars
  • {{words}}: Inserts the value of the --words argument
  • {{STDIN}}: Where piped input is inserted

Test Without API Calls ​

Use dry-run mode to test your prompts without making API calls:

bash
echo "Test text" | summarize --dry

This shows what would be sent to the AI provider without actually sending it.

Next Steps ​

Now that you've created your first prompt, explore: