Code ReviewBeginner

Ask Claude to Find Bugs (Not Just Review)

Separate your code review asks. Instead of a vague 'review this', ask specifically for security vulnerabilities, logical errors, or race conditions.

securitycode-reviewbugs

The Strategy

A single 'review this code' prompt gets you a mix of style notes and actual bugs. Focused prompts with explicit review criteria yield actionable, prioritized findings.

prompt.txt

<role>
You are a security-focused code reviewer.
</role>

<task>
Analyze the following code for security vulnerabilities only.
Do NOT suggest style improvements or refactors.
</task>

<focus_areas>
- SQL/NoSQL injection
- Authentication bypasses
- Insecure deserialization
- Exposed secrets
- Path traversal
</focus_areas>

<code>
[Paste code here]
</code>

<output_format>
For each vulnerability found:
1. Severity: Critical | High | Medium | Low
2. Location: line number and function name
3. Issue: one sentence description
4. Fix: minimal code patch
</output_format>

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Code ReviewIntermediate

Structure Refactoring Requests

Good refactoring prompts specify goals (readability, performance, testability), preserve behavior explicitly, and constrain scope.

refactoringreadabilitytestability

View snippet

PromptingBeginner

Specify Output Format Explicitly

Tell Claude exactly what structure you want: JSON, Markdown, TypeScript types, numbered lists—avoid post-processing by baking format into the prompt.

jsonformatstructured-output

View snippet