mcp/docs/SYSTEM_PROMPTS.md

System Prompts Guide

Hanzo MCP uses system prompts to guide AI assistants in helping with software engineering tasks. This document explains the system prompts available and how to use them.

Available System Prompts

Hanzo MCP includes several system prompts optimized for different use cases:

1. Standard MCP Prompt (prompts/mcp_system_prompt.txt)

   • Main system prompt for general usage
   • Comprehensive tool usage guidance
   • Complete workflow for software engineering tasks

2. IDE Integration Prompt (prompts/ide_system_prompt.txt)

   • Specialized for IDE integration scenarios
   • Focuses on code suggestions rather than direct modifications
   • Formatted for IDE-friendly display

Key Components of System Prompts

Each system prompt is divided into several sections:

1. Goal and Project Info

<goal>
I hope you can assist me with the project.
- {project_path}
</goal>

<project_info>
repo: {repo name}
owner: {git user name}
</project_info>

2. Standard Workflow

<standard_flow>
1. Plan: Propose a solution strategy with rationale and expected outcomes
2. Confirm: Describe your plan to the user and obtain permission before executing any tool
3. Implement: Execute the plan with appropriate tooling
4. Validate: Verify changes achieve the intended outcome
5. Learn: Document insights for future reference
</standard_flow>

3. Knowledge Continuity

Guidelines for maintaining context across sessions using the LLM.md file.

4. Tool Documentation

Detailed documentation for each available tool, including:

• Think tool
• Run command
• File operations
• Dispatch agent
• grep_ast (code structure search)

5. Special Guides

• Problem patterns
• Tool approaches
• Git workflows
• Design principles

Using System Prompts

To use a specific system prompt:

hanzo-mcp --system-prompt /path/to/prompt/file.txt --allow-path /path/to/your/project

When integrating with Claude Desktop or other MCP clients, specify the system prompt file in the configuration settings.

Customizing System Prompts

The system prompts can be customized to better fit your specific project needs:

1. Replace Placeholders:

   • {project_path}: Your project's absolute path
   • {repo name}: Your repository name
   • {git user name}: Your Git username

2. Add Project-Specific Guidance:

   • Coding standards
   • Architecture principles
   • Team workflows

3. Modify Tool Guidelines:

   • Adjust tool usage recommendations
   • Add custom tool documentation

For more detailed information, see the README in the prompts/ directory.