A categorized catalog of 142 prompt engineering patterns — extracted from 500+ real-world AI agent plugins. Not theory. Every pattern has a name, a problem it solves, and a concrete prompt snippet.

Why This Exists

Most “awesome prompt” collections target ChatGPT users writing one-off queries. This catalog targets developers building AI agents and multi-step plugins — where prompt stability, inter-skill coordination, and defensive patterns matter.

The patterns were extracted by analyzing 500+ production plugins across categories: DevOps automation, security analysis, code migration, incident response, deployment orchestration, and more. Each pattern appeared in at least 3 independent plugins before inclusion.

Catalog Structure

catalog/
├── catalog-index.md              ← Master index (all 142 patterns)
├── categories/                   ← Patterns grouped by function
│   ├── patterns-structural-scaffolding.md
│   ├── patterns-input-output-contracts.md
│   ├── patterns-execution-control.md
│   ├── patterns-knowledge-and-context.md
│   ├── patterns-agent-orchestration.md
│   ├── patterns-safety-and-trust.md
│   ├── patterns-quality-and-feedback.md
│   └── ... (18 files total)
├── techniques/                   ← Deep-dive guides
│   ├── token-level-techniques.md    ← 9 techniques grounded in entropy theory
│   ├── anti-laziness.md             ← 8 strategies to prevent agent shortcutting
│   ├── skill-architecture.md        ← Skill packaging and composition
│   ├── branching-stability.md       ← Branch logic reliability
│   ├── reference-skip-playbook.md   ← Force agents to read references
│   └── good-vs-bad-template.md      ← Side-by-side prompt comparison
└── standards/                    ← Review frameworks
    ├── quality-standards.md         ← P0/P1/P2 severity grading
    └── review-checklist.md          ← 9-dimension prompt review

The 12 Pattern Categories

# Category Patterns What It Covers
1 Structural Scaffolding 15 Phase gates, decision trees, boundary tags
2 Input/Output Contracts 12 Schema enforcement, format locks, validation
3 Execution Control 14 Attempt limits, stop conditions, retry logic
4 Knowledge & Context 12 SSOT registries, on-demand loading, cache layers
5 Agent Orchestration 11 Sub-agent dispatch, parallel execution, handoffs
6 Safety & Trust 10 Guardrails, prohibited actions, escalation gates
7 Quality & Feedback 9 Self-review, evidence gates, confidence scoring
8 Advanced I/O & Domain 10 Domain routing, multi-modal, schema evolution
9 Advanced Orchestration 8 DAG execution, consensus, swarm patterns
10 Advanced Quality 7 Regression detection, drift monitoring
11 Advanced Safety 8 Data classification, audit trails, compliance
12 Advanced Workflow 10 Deployment gates, rollback, state machines

Plus supplementary categories: Karpathy behavioral patterns, Claude Code platform patterns, open-source skill patterns, and gap-fill patterns.

Example: Pattern 23 — Attempt-Capped Repair Loop

Problem: An AI agent fixing build errors might loop forever or give up too early.

Pattern:

## Stop Conditions (Exhaustive)

The repair loop stops ONLY when ONE of these is met:

| Condition | Action |
|-----------|--------|
| (a) Build succeeds | Return success |
| (b) Attempt counter reaches N | Return failed with remaining errors |
| (c) Session dies | Return session_dead |

No other condition justifies stopping. Not "too many errors",
not "beyond scope", not "unfixable."

Why it works: Eliminates the agent’s natural tendency to rationalize early exit. The exhaustive table leaves no ambiguity — the agent cannot invent a 4th stop condition.

Example: Pattern 45 — Directive-Based Pre-Write Review

Problem: Agent writes incorrect config changes that break production behavior.

Pattern:

Before EVERY edit, evaluate each guardrail:

| # | Check | PASS | FAIL |
|---|-------|------|------|
| G1 | Is suppression scoped? | On specific item | Blanket scope |
| G2 | Is override needed? | Default insufficient | Default works fine |
| G3 | Is companion created? | Paired files exist | Orphaned condition |

If ANY guardrail returns FAIL → do NOT write. Revise first.

Why it works: Forces a mandatory pause between “decide what to do” and “do it.” The table format means each check is independently evaluable — the agent can’t skip one by flowing past it in prose.

Techniques Highlights

Token-Level Techniques (9 techniques)

Grounded in how LLMs actually process tokens — not intuition. Example: Decision trees beat prose for branching logic because tree structure concentrates attention on one path, while prose spreads attention across all conditions simultaneously.

Anti-Laziness Strategies (8 strategies)

Agents skip reference reads, collapse multi-step procedures into shortcuts, and “remember” instead of re-reading. The anti-laziness guide documents 8 systematic defenses, from mandatory read gates to progressive disclosure.

Prompt Review Framework

A structured review process with 9 dimensions (clarity, determinism, safety, testability…) and P0/P1/P2 severity grading. Designed for peer review of agent prompts — not just self-review.

How to Use

  1. Building a new skill? Scan the catalog index for patterns that match your problem
  2. Debugging unstable behavior? Check execution control and anti-laziness
  3. Reviewing someone’s prompt? Use the review checklist
  4. Learning prompt engineering? Start with token-level techniques

License

MIT. Use these patterns in your own agents, plugins, and projects.