Explainer Documentation - PromptAsCode

Overview

The Explainer automatically analyzes and documents prompts, breaking them down into clear sections with explanations. Understand what each part of a prompt does, get improvement suggestions, and generate documentation for your prompt library.

Section Breakdown

Role, task, format & more

Improvements

Actionable suggestions

Beginner Mode

Learn while you work

How to Use

1
Paste Your Prompt - Enter the prompt you want to understand or document.
2
Select Mode - Choose Standard mode for efficient explanations or Beginner mode for learning.
3
Click Explain - The tool analyzes your prompt and generates comprehensive documentation.
4
Review Sections - See your prompt broken down into identified sections with explanations.
5
Check Improvements - Review suggested improvements for each section.
6
Export Documentation - Copy or download the generated documentation for your records.

Explanation Sections

The Explainer identifies and explains these prompt components:

Role Definition

Who or what the AI should act as. Sets the persona, expertise level, and behavioral baseline.

Task Description

What the AI should accomplish. The core objective or action to perform.

Input Specification

What data or information the AI will receive and how it's formatted.

Output Format

How the response should be structured (JSON, markdown, etc.).

Constraints

Limitations and boundaries on AI behavior. What it should NOT do.

Examples

Few-shot demonstrations showing expected input/output patterns.

Guardrails

Safety instructions and content policies to follow.

Context

Background information and situational context for the task.

Explanation Modes

Standard Mode

Concise, professional explanations suitable for documentation and team communication.

Example Output

**Role**: Technical support agent
- Expertise: Product troubleshooting
- Tone: Professional, empathetic

**Task**: Diagnose user issues and provide solutions
- Primary: Resolve technical problems
- Secondary: Escalate when needed

Beginner Mode

Detailed explanations with educational context. Perfect for learning prompt engineering.

Example Output

**Role Definition** (What's this?)
A role tells the AI who to "be" when responding.
Think of it like casting an actor in a specific part.

In this prompt, the role is: "Technical support agent"

Why this matters: By specifying expertise in product
troubleshooting, the AI will prioritize solutions
over general advice. The empathetic tone instruction
ensures responses feel supportive, not robotic.

Tip: Strong role definitions improve response
quality by 20-30% in most use cases.

Improvement Suggestions

Types of Suggestions

Missing sections: Identify components that should be added
Clarity improvements: Ways to make instructions clearer
Structure enhancements: Better organization options
Best practices: Industry-standard patterns to apply
Security suggestions: Guardrails and constraints to add

Example Suggestions

Suggested Improvements:

1. Add Output Format [HIGH PRIORITY]
   Your prompt doesn't specify response format.
   Add: "Respond in JSON with keys: diagnosis,
   solution, confidence_level"

2. Add Constraints [MEDIUM]
   Consider adding: "Do not recommend solutions
   that require admin access without verification"

3. Add Examples [OPTIONAL]
   A few-shot example would improve consistency
   for edge cases.

AI Expert Use Cases

Prompt Documentation

Generate consistent documentation for your prompt library. The Explainer ensures all prompts are documented in the same format for easy reference.

Onboarding & Training

Use Beginner mode to help new team members understand existing prompts. The educational explanations accelerate learning.

Code Review

During prompt reviews, use the Explainer to break down changes and ensure reviewers understand what each section does.

Gap Analysis

Quickly identify what's missing from a prompt by reviewing the improvement suggestions. Ensures prompts are complete before deployment.

Reverse Engineering

When working with prompts you didn't write, use the Explainer to understand their structure and intent before making modifications.

Tips & Best Practices

Pro Tips

Run Explainer before making changes to unfamiliar prompts
Use Beginner mode when learning new prompt patterns
Export explanations as part of your prompt documentation
Address high-priority suggestions before deployment
Combine with Linter for comprehensive prompt analysis

Documentation Workflow

Write or receive prompt
Run through Explainer
Review improvement suggestions
Make improvements
Re-run Explainer
Export documentation
Save to version control with docs