A good AI app builder prompt names the app, says what the first screen shows, lists the tabs, states the rules, says where data lives, names any native features and describes the look — in about a paragraph. That is seven ingredients. You do not need all of them every time, but each one you leave out is a question the builder must ask or a guess it must make.
The formula
Written out for a real app:
The seven ingredients, and why each matters
1. Who it is for, or its name
"For my barber shop" tells the builder the vocabulary (services, slots), the likely tabs and the tone. A name gets used in the header and the manifest immediately, which makes the preview feel like yours.
2. Tabs
Naming the tabs is the single highest-leverage sentence. It fixes the structure, prevents the builder inventing a Dashboard you do not want, and removes a round of questions. Three to five tabs; more than five is a sign the app is trying to be two apps.
3. The first screen
What appears on open. A list? Cards? A big button? A feed? If you say nothing, you get a dashboard with stat tiles, which is right for almost no one.
4. Rules
Anything with numbers or conditions: opening hours, slot lengths, points per stamp, questions per round, price formulas. This is where the AI does real work for you — write the rule in English and it writes the function.
5. Data
Three honest options: saved on the phone (personal apps), loaded from a Google Sheet (content you update), sent by WhatsApp / email / form (orders, bookings, enquiries). Say which. Apps whose data story is unclear are the ones that "lose" things.
6. Native features
Reminders, camera, location, fingerprint lock, barcode scanning, vibration. Name them and the builder declares the capability, asks for the permission at the right moment and writes the code. See the native features guide.
7. Look
Two colours and a mood word: "navy and white, clean", "warm brown and cream", "dark, electric green accent, playful". Hex codes work if you have them. Fonts are optional.
What not to put in a prompt
- Every future feature. Build the three screens that matter; add the rest as follow-ups.
- Technology words. "Use React", "make it a PWA", "with a Node backend" — the builder has its own stack and these confuse it.
- Marketing adjectives. "Revolutionary", "seamless", "world-class" contain no instructions.
- Pixel positions. "Button 24px from the bottom" is not how this works; say "big confirm button at the bottom".
Follow-up prompts
After the first generation, the rule changes: one specific change per message. Good follow-ups name the screen and the change: "On the Menu screen, add a search bar above the categories." "In Stats, show the streak in a big number at the top." Bad follow-ups: "make it better", "redesign the whole app", "add all the missing stuff". Our guide on iterating on an AI-generated app has a full playbook.
Twelve prompts you can paste
- Café — A café app called Bean & Co. Tabs: Menu, Order, Loyalty, Profile. Menu grouped by category with photos and prices. Order builds a basket and sends it by WhatsApp. Loyalty is a 10-stamp card staff add to via a hidden PIN button. Notify 15 minutes after ordering. Warm brown and cream.
- Gym class timetable — An app for CoreHouse gym. Tabs: Timetable, Classes, Trainers, Info. Timetable by day with today highlighted; tap a class to see details and add a reminder 30 minutes before. Loaded from a Google Sheet. Black and lime.
- Plant care — A plant care app. Home lists my plants with a photo and "water in N days". Add plant with camera photo, name, watering interval. Reminder notification when due. Saved on the phone. Soft green and cream.
- Language flashcards — A Spanish flashcard app. Decks by topic; card shows the word, tap to flip, swipe right for known, left for again. Daily review of due cards with spaced repetition. Stats tab with words learned. Loaded from a CSV I edit. Bright, clean.
- Car maintenance log — A car log app. Home shows my vehicles; tap one for a timeline of services, fuel and expenses with a monthly cost chart. Add entry with photo of receipt. Reminder for next service by date or km. Saved on the phone. Dark grey and orange.
- Neighbourhood watch — An app for Elm Street residents. Tabs: Notices, Report, Contacts, Events. Report is a form with category, description, photo and location that sends by WhatsApp to the coordinator. Notices from a Google Sheet with notification on new post. Calm blue.
- Recipe box — A family recipe app. Home is a grid of recipe cards with photo; tap for ingredients, steps with a keep-screen-on toggle, and a servings scaler. Search and tags. Add recipe with photo. Saved on the phone with export to a file. Cream and terracotta.
- Inventory scanner — A stock count app for my shop. Scan a barcode with the camera, show the product and current count, buttons for +1, −1 and set. Products from a Google Sheet; counts saved on the phone and exportable as CSV. Fast, minimal, white.
- Tutor — An app for Priya Maths Tuition. Tabs: Notices, Homework, Resources, Book. Book shows my weekly free slots and sends a request by WhatsApp. Homework with due dates and a done checkbox saved on the phone, reminder the evening before. Purple and white.
- Prayer times — A prayer times app. Home shows today's five times with the next one highlighted and a countdown, based on the phone's location. Notifications at each time with a toggle per prayer. Monthly view. Qibla direction using the compass. Deep green and gold.
- Wedding — An app for Sara & Omar's wedding. Tabs: Schedule, Venue, RSVP, Photos. Schedule of the day; Venue with map and parking; RSVP form with meal choice sent by email; Photos tab with a shared album link. Blush and gold, elegant serif.
- Expense splitter — A trip expense app. Create a trip, add people, add expenses with who paid and who shares. Balances screen showing who owes whom with a Settle button. Saved on the phone. Share a summary as text. Clean, blue and white.
Every one of these produces a working first version. Change the names and rules to yours.