Get a beginner-friendly code review of my first project
A ranked set of the five improvements that matter most, explained simply, plus what you did well and what to learn next.
The prompt
Review the code for my first project in a way that helps a beginner improve.
Language: [LANGUAGE AND VERSION]
What the program does: [DESCRIPTION, or paste the plan from step 2]
My code: [PASTE - remove any passwords, API keys, or personal data first]
My experience level: [e.g. "8 weeks of learning"]
Anything I'm unsure about: [e.g. "my functions feel too long"]
Review for:
1. Correctness: does it do what it should? Which inputs or edge cases would break it (empty input, wrong type, missing file)?
2. Readability: names of variables and functions, comments that explain why rather than what.
3. Repetition that could become a function or loop.
4. Structure: is the code organized so I could add a feature without breaking others?
5. Safety basics: hard-coded secrets, unchecked user input, files or connections not closed.
6. Conventions for this language (e.g. naming style) at a beginner-appropriate level.
Return:
- What I did well (be specific, 2-3 items).
- The top 5 improvements, ranked by impact. For each: what to change, why it matters, and a small before/after snippet.
- Things that are fine for now and can wait until I'm more experienced.
- One concept to learn next, based on what my code shows.
Don't overwhelm me with every possible nitpick. This is step 4 of the "Learn to code by building your first project" pack. It works on its own for any beginner's code.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Software Development prompts
What to fill in
- LANGUAGE AND VERSION
- DESCRIPTION, or paste the plan from step 2
- e.g. "8 weeks of learning"
- e.g. "my functions feel too long"
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
Related prompts
- Audit the developer experience of my software package or APIA structured review of your docs, onboarding, community signals, and competitor position, with a prioritized list of developer-experience fixes.
- Audit a codebase for bugs, risks, and tech debtA systematic review of a repository with prioritized findings and a remediation plan.
- Analyze security threats and vulnerabilitiesIdentifies vulnerabilities and threats and builds a prioritized remediation plan.
- Learn a programming language or conceptA patient coding tutor that explains concepts, gives exercises, and reviews your solutions.