5 Claude Code Prompts Every React Developer Should Know Today

Why Prompts Matter More Than You Think

I have been building React applications for years, and when I first started using Claude Code in my terminal workflow, I treated it like a fancy autocomplete. Copy code in, get code out. The results were mediocre at best.

Then I started writing better prompts — specific, contextual, opinionated prompts — and everything changed. Claude Code went from a novelty to the most productive tool in my daily workflow. I now use it on every client project, and it saves me hours every single week.

Here are the five prompts I use most often, with real examples and the reasoning behind each one.

Prompt 1: The Context-Rich Component Generator

Most developers type something like "create a React component for a user profile." That gives you generic garbage. Here is what I actually type:

I'm building a SaaS dashboard with Next.js 14 App Router, TypeScript strict mode,
Tailwind CSS, and shadcn/ui. The design system uses 4px spacing increments and
the brand color is slate-800.

Create a UserProfileCard component that:
- Accepts props: user (with name, email, avatarUrl, role, lastActive)
- Shows a skeleton loader when isLoading is true
- Has an "Edit" button that calls onEdit callback
- Uses shadcn Card, Avatar, Badge, and Button components
- Follows the compound component pattern
- Includes proper TypeScript interfaces (no "any")

The component should be in src/components/users/UserProfileCard.tsx

The key is front-loading your tech stack, design constraints, and file location. Claude Code reads your codebase, but telling it exactly what conventions to follow eliminates 90% of the back-and-forth.

Prompt 2: The Bug Detective

When I hit a bug I cannot figure out in 10 minutes, I hand it to Claude Code with full context:

I have a bug in my React Query setup. When I navigate from /dashboard to
/settings and back, the dashboard data refetches even though it should be
cached for 5 minutes.

Here is my query configuration in src/hooks/useDashboardData.ts.
The staleTime is set to 5 * 60 * 1000.

Possible causes I've already ruled out:
- The query key is stable (verified with React Query DevTools)
- The component does not unmount/remount (verified with useEffect logs)

Read my QueryClient configuration in src/lib/queryClient.ts and my
useDashboardData hook. Find the root cause and suggest a fix.

The magic is in "possible causes I've already ruled out." This tells Claude Code not to waste time on the obvious answers and to dig deeper. Nine times out of ten, it finds the issue — usually something I overlooked in the QueryClient defaults or a key serialization problem.

Prompt 3: The Refactoring Strategist

This is the prompt I use when I inherit messy code from a client:

Read src/components/Dashboard.tsx. This component is 400+ lines and does too much.
It handles data fetching, state management, form logic, and rendering.

Propose a refactoring plan that:
1. Extracts data fetching into a custom hook (useDashboardData)
2. Extracts form logic into a separate hook (useDashboardForm)
3. Splits the UI into at least 3 smaller components
4. Maintains all existing functionality (zero behavior changes)
5. Keeps backward compatibility with current props API

Do NOT implement yet. Just give me the plan with file names,
responsibilities for each file, and the order to refactor in.

I always ask for the plan first, never the implementation. This lets me review the approach, adjust it, and then say "implement step 1" one piece at a time. Asking Claude Code to refactor a 400-line component in one shot usually produces bugs. Doing it step by step with a plan is reliable.

Prompt 4: The Test Writer with Business Context

Generic test prompts produce generic tests. Here is how I get tests that actually catch real bugs:

Read src/services/subscriptionService.ts.

Write unit tests using Vitest that cover:
1. Happy path: user upgrades from free to pro plan
2. Edge case: user tries to upgrade but payment fails mid-transaction
3. Edge case: user's subscription expired 1 day ago vs 30 days ago
4. Race condition: two upgrade requests arrive simultaneously
5. Boundary: user is on the last day of their trial period

For each test, add a comment explaining WHAT REAL BUG this test would catch.
Mock external dependencies (Stripe, database) but test the actual business logic.
Use descriptive test names that read like specifications.

The numbered scenarios force Claude Code to think about edge cases it would never generate on its own. The "what real bug would this catch" instruction produces tests with actual value instead of trivial assertions.

Prompt 5: The Code Review Partner

Before I submit a PR on client projects, I run this:

Review the changes in my current git diff. Act as a senior frontend architect
doing a code review. Focus on:

1. TypeScript: any use of "any", missing types, incorrect generics
2. Performance: unnecessary re-renders, missing memoization, large bundle imports
3. Security: XSS vectors, unsanitized inputs, exposed secrets
4. Accessibility: missing ARIA labels, keyboard navigation gaps
5. Edge cases: what happens with empty data, null values, slow networks

Format your review as:
🔴 Must fix (blocks merge)
🟡 Should fix (important but not blocking)
🟢 Nice to have (suggestions)

Be specific. Reference exact line numbers and file names.

This prompt has caught real issues on production codebases — things like importing all of lodash instead of a single function, missing error boundaries, and accessibility gaps that would fail WCAG audits.

How to Get Started

You do not need to memorize these prompts. Save them as snippets in your editor or as shell aliases. The pattern is always the same:

1. State your tech stack and constraints
2. Describe the specific task with concrete details
3. List what you have already tried (for debugging)
4. Define the output format you want
5. Ask for a plan before implementation on complex tasks

The developers who get the most out of AI tools are not the ones who type the shortest prompts. They are the ones who invest 30 extra seconds writing a prompt that saves 30 minutes of iteration.

Start with one of these five prompts tomorrow. Adapt it to your project. You will never go back to vague one-liners again.