Writing better prompts
Get the app you want on the first try. Patterns, examples, and pitfalls.
The prompt is the most important thing you write in Layout. A good prompt saves you three rounds of corrections. This guide shows what works, what doesn't, and why.
Start with one clear outcome
Describe the app in one sentence, then add constraints. The AI builds faster and more accurately when the goal is unambiguous.
A habit tracker where users log daily habits and see a weekly heatmap.Not:
Something like a habit tracker but also maybe a journal,
with some stats and also a calendar view, you know, productivity stuff.Be concrete about data
Name the entities and fields you care about. Vague nouns produce vague schemas.
Each habit has a name, a color, a target frequency (daily or weekly),
and a list of completions with timestamps.If you skip this, Layout will pick reasonable defaults. You can always ask it to restructure later — but the first build is cheaper than the second.
Specify the audience and tone
UI choices flow from who the app is for. Tell Layout.
Audience: busy professionals on mobile.
Tone: calm, minimal, dark mode by default.Ask for one change at a time
Once the first version exists, keep follow-up prompts small. One change per message is faster than five mixed changes.
Good: "Move the streak counter to the top of the home screen."
Noisy: "Move the streak counter, add a settings page, change the font, and also add notifications."Reference the UI you see
Point at things by their visible label. Layout knows the current state of the preview.
The "Add habit" button should open a modal instead of a new page.Paste screenshots for design
If you have a reference, attach an image. Layout reads screenshots and Figma exports. Describe what to take from them.
Match the card layout in the attached screenshot. Ignore the colors —
keep the existing dark theme.Common pitfalls
Pick a theme from the toolbar
The palette icon below the prompt input opens a theme picker (currently in Beta). Picking a theme attaches it to the message so the first build uses that color and font palette instead of Layout's defaults.
- Pick a theme before sending the first prompt for the cleanest result — the AI lays out the UI around those colors and fonts from the start
- After the first build you can still pick a theme on a follow-up prompt; the AI will retheme the existing components
- Hover a theme name to see a live preview card. On mobile, tap a swatch to load it into the preview at the top of the drawer
If you have a specific palette in mind that is not in the list, describe it in the prompt instead. Themes are presets, not a constraint — your written instructions still win.
A full first-prompt template
Use this shape when you want a strong first build.
Build a {one-line description}.
Audience: {who uses this}
Core flow: {what the main user does, step by step}
Data: {entities and fields}
Design: {tone, dark/light, any references}
Out of scope: {what NOT to build yet}