# Context Is Everything — AI Coding Assistants: Use Them Well and Review Them Hard

Source: https://www.geekswithgeeks.com/en/ai-coding-assistants/prompt-context

> Give the assistant the files, errors and conventions it needs, and nothing it does not.

## It only knows what it sees

The assistant cannot see your whole mind or your whole project. Attach or reference the **relevant files**, paste the **exact error message**, mention the **framework and versions**, and point to an **existing example** of the style you want. Too little context produces generic code; too much buries the important part and costs tokens, so be selective.

## Context, request, check

A good request names the goal, gives the right context, states constraints and says how success is checked.

![Four parts: goal, context, constraints, check.](assets/figures/ai-coding-assistants/section-2-map.svg) — Figure 2.1 — Goal, context, constraints and check.

## Weak vs strong request

The strong version names files, the exact failure and a pattern to follow, so the first answer is much closer to usable.

```text
Weak:
  "fix my login bug"

Strong:
  "Login returns 401 for valid users since I upgraded to Express 5.
   Files: src/routes/auth.js, src/middleware/session.js.
   Error: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'user')
   at session.js:14. Follow the error-handling style in src/routes/users.js.
   Do not change the database schema."
```

## Paste errors, do not paraphrase

"It crashes on login" gives the assistant little to work with. The exact message with file and line number often leads straight to the cause.

**Quiz:** Which detail most improves a bug-fix request?

- [ ] Saying "please" three times
- [x] The exact error message and the relevant files
- [ ] A longer greeting
- [ ] Capital letters

*Answer:* The exact error message and the relevant files. Concrete evidence lets the assistant reason about the real problem instead of guessing.