Most people prompt Claude. Andrej Karpathy designs cognition. Here...
Suryansh Tiwari@Suryanshti777
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Mar 26, 2026
~2 min read
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1
Most people prompt Claude.
Andrej Karpathy designs cognition.
Here are 7 Andrej-style prompts that turn Claude into a researcher, engineer, and thinking partner — not just a chatbot.
These are structured for real work: building, debugging, learning, and shipping faster.
Bookmark this. You’ll reuse them every day.
Andrej Karpathy designs cognition.
Here are 7 Andrej-style prompts that turn Claude into a researcher, engineer, and thinking partner — not just a chatbot.
These are structured for real work: building, debugging, learning, and shipping faster.
Bookmark this. You’ll reuse them every day.
2
1. The Karpathy Decomposition Prompt — make Claude think before answering
Use when you're facing a complex idea, product, or technical problem.
Prompt:
"Approach this like a systems thinker.
1. Define the core problem clearly
2. Identify assumptions
3. List constraints and unknowns
4. Break into sub-problems
5. Propose 3 different approaches
6. Compare tradeoffs
7. Choose best approach
8. Give step-by-step execution
9. Highlight failure points
10. Suggest improvements after v1
Problem: [paste]"
This forces structured reasoning instead of shallow answers.
Use when you're facing a complex idea, product, or technical problem.
Prompt:
"Approach this like a systems thinker.
1. Define the core problem clearly
2. Identify assumptions
3. List constraints and unknowns
4. Break into sub-problems
5. Propose 3 different approaches
6. Compare tradeoffs
7. Choose best approach
8. Give step-by-step execution
9. Highlight failure points
10. Suggest improvements after v1
Problem: [paste]"
This forces structured reasoning instead of shallow answers.
3
2. First Principles Builder — deep understanding instead of summaries
Prompt:
"Explain this from first principles.
Start with the most fundamental concepts.
Build upward layer by layer.
Avoid analogies initially.
Define terminology clearly.
Show how each layer connects.
Then provide mental model.
Then show real-world application.
Then give common misconceptions.
Then summarize in 5 bullet points.
Topic: [insert]"
Perfect for:
AI
LLMs
system design
infra
math concepts
Prompt:
"Explain this from first principles.
Start with the most fundamental concepts.
Build upward layer by layer.
Avoid analogies initially.
Define terminology clearly.
Show how each layer connects.
Then provide mental model.
Then show real-world application.
Then give common misconceptions.
Then summarize in 5 bullet points.
Topic: [insert]"
Perfect for:
AI
LLMs
system design
infra
math concepts
4
3. Research Brief Generator — instant landscape mapping
Prompt:
"Create a high-quality research brief on this topic.
Include:
• overview of space
• key players
• current approaches
• what's working
• what's failing
• gaps in the market
• emerging trends
• contrarian insights
• opportunities to build
• actionable takeaways
Topic: [insert]"
This turns Claude into a research analyst.
Prompt:
"Create a high-quality research brief on this topic.
Include:
• overview of space
• key players
• current approaches
• what's working
• what's failing
• gaps in the market
• emerging trends
• contrarian insights
• opportunities to build
• actionable takeaways
Topic: [insert]"
This turns Claude into a research analyst.
5
4. Build Architecture Prompt — from idea to execution
Prompt:
"I want to build this. Design the implementation.
Give:
• simplest possible version
• architecture diagram (text)
• components
• data flow
• tech stack
• step-by-step build order
• edge cases
• scaling strategy
• possible bottlenecks
• v2 improvements
Idea: [insert]"
This removes guessing during building.
Prompt:
"I want to build this. Design the implementation.
Give:
• simplest possible version
• architecture diagram (text)
• components
• data flow
• tech stack
• step-by-step build order
• edge cases
• scaling strategy
• possible bottlenecks
• v2 improvements
Idea: [insert]"
This removes guessing during building.
6
5. Meta Prompt Optimizer — upgrade every prompt you write
Prompt:
"Rewrite this prompt to maximize output quality.
Improve:
• clarity
• structure
• constraints
• output format
• reasoning depth
• specificity
Return:
1. optimized prompt
2. why it's better
3. when to use it
Prompt: [paste]"
This compounds prompt quality over time.
Prompt:
"Rewrite this prompt to maximize output quality.
Improve:
• clarity
• structure
• constraints
• output format
• reasoning depth
• specificity
Return:
1. optimized prompt
2. why it's better
3. when to use it
Prompt: [paste]"
This compounds prompt quality over time.
7
6. Expert Mode Switch — force high-level answers
Prompt:
"Answer as a senior engineer explaining to another engineer.
Avoid beginner explanations.
Be concise but technical.
Focus on implementation.
Mention tradeoffs.
Include pitfalls.
Include best practices.
Question: [insert]"
Claude shifts from teacher → practitioner
Prompt:
"Answer as a senior engineer explaining to another engineer.
Avoid beginner explanations.
Be concise but technical.
Focus on implementation.
Mention tradeoffs.
Include pitfalls.
Include best practices.
Question: [insert]"
Claude shifts from teacher → practitioner
8
7. Thinking Partner Prompt — challenge your ideas
Prompt:
"Act as a critical thinking partner.
Do not agree blindly.
Challenge assumptions.
Point out weak logic.
Suggest alternatives.
Identify risks.
Improve the idea.
Propose better direction.
Idea: [paste]"
This is where Claude becomes a real collaborator.
Prompt:
"Act as a critical thinking partner.
Do not agree blindly.
Challenge assumptions.
Point out weak logic.
Suggest alternatives.
Identify risks.
Improve the idea.
Propose better direction.
Idea: [paste]"
This is where Claude becomes a real collaborator.
9
The difference isn't the model.
It's how you structure thinking.
RT to help others
Bookmark to reuse later
It's how you structure thinking.
RT to help others
Bookmark to reuse later
