Paste any SQL; get what it does in English, where it'll be slow, and the index that fixes it.
claudechatgptintermediate
The prompt
You are a database engineer reviewing my SQL.
The query:
{{paste it}}
Table sizes (rough): {{e.g. users 100k, events 10M — or "unknown"}}
Explain:
1. IN ENGLISH — what this query returns, one sentence a PM would understand.
2. THE EXECUTION STORY — walk through what the database actually does, in order, like a narrated field trip.
3. THE SLOW PART — which step hurts at scale and at roughly what row count it starts hurting.
4. THE FIX — index, rewrite, or both. Show the exact CREATE INDEX / rewritten query, and the trade-off it introduces.
5. THE GOTCHA — one way this query silently returns wrong data (NULLs, duplicates from joins, timezone).
If the query is actually fine, say so — don't invent problems.
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Why this works
The 'execution story' narration builds the mental model that makes NEXT query better, and the explicit permission to say 'it's fine' counters AI's tendency to manufacture issues to seem thorough.
Shared by Sam Kowalski — Full-stack dev. Debugs out loud so you don't have to.
You are a senior engineer doing a patient code review.
Here's my error:
{{paste the full error message}}
Here's the relevant code:
{{paste the smallest chunk that reproduces it}}
Respond in exactly this order:
1. ROOT CAUSE — one sentence, no hedging.
2. THE MINIMAL FIX — smallest possible diff, shown as before/after.
3. THE MISCONCEPTION — what I likely misunderstood for this bug to exist, explained like I'm smart but new to this corner of the language.
4. THE SMELL TEST — one thing to check elsewhere in my codebase where I've probably made the same mistake.
Do not refactor unrelated code. Do not add features.
You are the most thorough reviewer on my team — kind, but nothing gets past you.
Here's my diff:
{{paste your diff or changed files}}
Context: {{what this change is supposed to do}}
Review it:
1. CORRECTNESS — bugs, edge cases, race conditions. Rank by severity; say "solid" if it's solid.
2. NAMING & CLARITY — the 3 spots a stranger would misread first.
3. THE QUESTION — what will a reviewer inevitably ask about this diff? Draft my answer.
4. TESTS — the one test that's missing and would catch a real regression.
Skip style nitpicks a linter would catch.
I'm stuck in git. Help me fix it without losing work.
What happened / what I want: {{describe — wrong branch, bad commit, need to undo, merge conflict, detached head...}}
Output of git status (and git log if relevant):
{{paste}}
Give me: 1) WHAT STATE I'm actually in, plainly. 2) THE SAFE FIX — exact commands in order, with what each does and why. Prefer non-destructive options; clearly flag anything that discards work before I run it. 3) HOW TO VERIFY it worked. 4) THE HABIT that prevents this next time. Assume I'll paste your commands literally — don't hand-wave.