How to Prompt Tufty

Practical tips for prompting Tufty in Squirrel365: work in small steps, be specific, add context, and course-correct to get the results you want.

Getting good results from Tufty is mostly about how you ask. Tufty is built to work with you in small, clear steps, so the more focused your requests, the better it can help. These tips will help you get the most out of it.

The single best habit with Tufty: ask for one small change, check the result, then ask for the next. Small steps are easier to get right and easy to undo.

Work in small steps

Rather than describing a whole app in one long message, ask for one change at a time. Give Tufty a focused request, see the result, then move on to the next change. Building this way keeps things predictable and makes it easy to spot if something is not quite right.

Be specific

Say clearly what you want and where. Naming the component and the change you have in mind gives Tufty the detail it needs. For example, "change the amount input to a slider" is easier to act on than "make this nicer".

Give Tufty context

You can attach images and documents to your message to give Tufty more to work with. A screenshot can show the look you are after, and a document can hold instructions for Tufty to follow. Adding this kind of context often gets you closer to what you want first time.

Course-correct as you go

If a change is not right, tell Tufty what to adjust in your next message. You can also edit anything manually at any time. Every change Tufty makes can be undone, so you can experiment freely without worrying about breaking your app.

Ask for what Tufty can do well

Tufty is honest about its limits. If you ask for something it cannot do reliably, it will tell you and suggest a better approach rather than guessing. If you are not sure whether something is possible, it is fine to just ask.