---
name: write-tech-tutorial-prompt
description: A prompt that turns rough notes and steps into a clear, friendly technical tutorial or how-to guide for beginners - who it is for, what they need first, numbered steps with expected results, screenshot markers, common problems and next steps. Use when the user wants to write a tutorial, a how-to post, a getting-started guide or a blog post that teaches a tool.
license: CC0-1.0
metadata:
  category: writing-prompts
  tags: "writing,docs"
  author: johnny-bravo
  version: "1.0"
  updated: "2026-11-02"
  status: published
  aliases: "how-to guide, tutorial, step by step guide, technical article"
  source_url: "https://github.com/f/prompts.chat/blob/b09880e229d2f091ffa2254bc187532fb8980f9b/prompts.csv"
  source_license: CC0-1.0
  copyright: "Public domain (CC0 1.0) - prompt contributed to prompts.chat by lucagonzalez"
  original_author: "lucagonzalez (prompts.chat, 'Tech Writer')"
  modified: "Adapted by TheSkillVault: expanded the tech-writer role prompt into a fill-in prompt with audience, prerequisites, expected-result checks and troubleshooting; added steps, adapt notes, safety and done-when."
  imported_on: "2026-11-02"
---

# Write a tech tutorial (prompt)

Give it your rough steps; get back a tutorial a beginner can follow without getting stuck.

## When to use
- You want to publish a how-to or getting-started guide for your app or tool.
- Your notes make sense to you but not to a newcomer.
- You are writing a teaching blog post.

## When not to use
- You need a project's README. Use write-readme-prompt.

## Steps
1. Write the rough steps, in order, even as fragments.
2. Fill in {{AUDIENCE}} and {{GOAL}} (what the reader will have at the end).
3. Paste the prompt, then follow the tutorial yourself, exactly as written, on a clean setup.
4. Add the screenshots where it marked them, and fix any step that failed.

## Prompt
```text
Turn my rough steps into a clear technical tutorial.

Audience: {{AUDIENCE}}
Goal (what they will have at the end): {{GOAL}}

Structure:
1. Title that says what they will achieve.
2. One-paragraph intro: who it is for and what they will build or do.
3. Before you start: accounts, tools and versions they need.
4. Numbered steps. Each step: one action, the exact command or click path, and "You should see:" with the expected result. Mark where a screenshot helps with [screenshot: what it shows].
5. Common problems: 3-5 likely errors and how to fix each.
6. Next steps: where to go after this.

Style: friendly and direct, short sentences, second person ("you"). Explain jargon once. Do not skip steps that feel obvious.

MY STEPS:
{{ROUGH STEPS}}
```

## How to adapt
- Video script instead? Ask for spoken lines plus on-screen actions per step.
- Experienced readers? Change the audience and drop the "Before you start" detail.

## Gotchas
- Replace real API keys, passwords and personal details in examples with obvious placeholders.
- Tutorials break when tools update. Note the version you tested with.

## Portability
Works for any tool, language or platform, with any chat AI. No tool lock-in.

## Done when
- Someone new can finish the tutorial without asking you a question.
- Every step has an expected result, and you tested it end to end.

## Example prompt
"Turn these notes into a beginner tutorial for deploying a Next.js app to Vercel for the first time."

---
Based on the "Tech Writer" prompt by lucagonzalez on prompts.chat (CC0 1.0, public domain).