Chapter 12: Domain-Specific Prompting - Cursor Rules

Chapter Context

This chapter teaches domain-specific prompting - embedding industry knowledge, terminology, and workflows into prompts. Students learn to create expert personas and build specialized AI systems for specific domains.

Key Concepts

1. Generic vs. Domain-Specific

• Generic: general knowledge, surface-level
• Domain-specific: expert knowledge, deep insights
• Context and terminology matter
• Domain workflows important

2. Expert Personas

• Define expert role and experience
• Specialization areas
• Domain knowledge
• Professional tone
• Industry standards

3. Domain Documentation

• Technical documentation
• API documentation
• User guides
• Domain-specific formats
• Industry standards

4. Domain Code Generation

• Industry patterns
• Best practices
• Domain constraints
• Code standards
• Framework conventions

5. Domain Code Review

• Domain-specific checks
• Industry standards
• Security considerations
• Performance requirements
• Compliance requirements

Important Code Patterns

Domain Expert Persona

domain_expert = """
You are a senior IoT engineer with 15 years of experience in 
industrial automation. You specialize in:
- Predictive maintenance systems
- Sensor calibration and diagnostics
- Network protocols (MQTT, CoAP, LoRaWAN)
- Safety-critical systems (IEC 61508)

When analyzing issues, consider:
- Safety implications first
- Production uptime impact
- Cost-effectiveness
- Harsh operating environments
"""

Domain-Specific Analysis

prompt = f"""
As {domain_expert}, analyze this IoT issue:

{problem_description}

Provide analysis focusing on:
- Industry-specific KPIs
- Safety and regulatory implications
- Operational efficiency
- Actionable insights for IoT context
"""

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Too generic: Always add domain context
2. Wrong persona: Match expert to task
3. Missing terminology: Use domain language
4. No workflows: Include domain processes
5. Ignoring standards: Follow industry standards

Integration Points

• Chapters 9-11: Applies prompting strategies to domains
• Chapter 13: Agents can be domain-specific
• Chapter 17: Web apps for domain use cases

Related Chapters

• Chapters 9-11: Prompting strategies (applied to domains)
• Chapter 13: Agents (can be domain-specific)
• Chapter 17: Web applications (domain interfaces)