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AI Best Practices

Effective Prompting

Be Specific

# Bad
"Fix this code"

# Good
"This React component re-renders too often.
How can I optimize it using useMemo and useCallback?"

Provide Context

# Bad
"How do I handle errors?"

# Good
"In this Express.js API endpoint, how should I handle
database connection errors and return appropriate HTTP status codes?"

Iterate and Refine

1. "What's the best way to implement caching?"
2. "For a Node.js API with Redis, what strategies work best?"
3. "Show me cache invalidation for user data updates"

Code Quality

Use AI for Reviews

<leader>ar  # Before committing
# Address suggestions before commit

Validate AI Suggestions

  • Don't blindly accept AI code
  • Test thoroughly
  • Understand the suggestions
  • Adapt to your specific context

Security Considerations

Review AI-Generated Code

<leader>ar  # AI security review
# Check for:
# - Input validation
# - SQL injection prevention
# - Authentication checks

Don't Share Sensitive Data

# Bad: Paste actual API keys
# Good: Use placeholders like "API_KEY"

Troubleshooting

AI Not Responding

# Check API keys
echo $OPENAI_API_KEY
:Copilot status

# Test connectivity
curl -I https://api.openai.com
curl -I https://copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com

Rate Limiting

  • Reduce request frequency
  • Use different AI tools alternately
  • Consider upgrading API plans

Slow Responses

  • Be more specific in prompts
  • Reduce context size
  • Use shorter code snippets

Productivity Tips

Keyboard Shortcuts Mastery

<leader>ac  # Quick AI chat
<leader>aa  # AI actions menu
<leader>ar  # Code review
<leader>af  # Quick fixes

Context Switching

  • Copilot: Real-time coding
  • CodeCompanion: Complex problems
  • Database AI: SQL queries

Learning from AI

"Why did you suggest this approach?"
"What are the trade-offs?"
"Are there alternative approaches?"

Daily AI Habits

  1. Morning: Plan features with AI
  2. Coding: Use completion tools
  3. Review: AI code review
  4. Evening: Document with AI help