Building in 3B is quick to pick up and, like anything, a little quicker still once you’ve got a few habits in your back pocket. That’s what this series is: a set of short reads on getting more out of 3B, covering how to plan what you’re building, ask for it clearly, refine what comes back, and keep the whole thing secure.
Each one stands on its own, so there’s no wrong way in. If you’ve landed here from a search and only need the one piece, grab it and go, it’ll make sense without the others.
If you’d rather take the scenic route, the pieces move through four stages, and each one builds a little on the last. Here’s the full set, grouped by theme.
Plan and scope: think before you build
- Your first prompt matters most: why a clear outcome saves you the most time, and how to pin one down before you type.
- Mirror your manual steps: not sure what to tell 3B? Do the task by hand first, then describe what you did.
Prompt effectively: communicate clearly with 3B
- Anatomy of a good prompt: the four things that separate the prompts that work from the ones that don’t.
- Breaking complex tasks into steps: how to cut a big ask down to a size 3B can build cleanly.
- Common prompting mistakes: the habits that trip people up, with before-and-after fixes.
Iterate and troubleshoot: refine your results
- How to give effective feedback: course-correct within a conversation instead of starting over.
- Iterate, restart, or let 3B fix it: telling a build that needs a nudge from one that needs a reset.
- Reading results critically: checking whether a build actually meets your outcome, not just whether it looks right.
Secure your build: protect what matters
- Connector scoping as a skill: giving a build exactly the access it needs, and nothing more.
- Understanding blast radius: thinking through the worst case of what you’re granting.
- Recognizing risky prompts: spotting when an instruction is about to reach further than you meant.
- Scoping for different use cases: least privilege applied to the everyday tasks you’ll build.
New here and not sure where to jump in? Your first prompt matters most is the natural place to begin.