Prompting guidelines and examples for App Builder

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The App Builder leverages natural language processing (NLP) to interpret user prompts and transform them into actionable app components. To maximize the effectiveness of this tool, it's important to provide clear and precise prompts. This article outlines key guidelines for crafting effective prompts for communicating your needs effectively to the App Builder. It also includes some examples of how to use the App Builder prompt framework to help you narrow in on what you’re working towards.

By following these guidelines and framework example, you can ensure that the LLM understands your requests accurately, resulting in a smoother app development process and better outcomes.

This article includes these sections:

Best practices for effective prompting

Guidelines for App Builder prompts

Framework for App Builder prompts

Prompt examples, using MAPS principles

Customer-built app examples

Best practices for effective prompting

Following these best practices will help you minimize the number of prompts needed while generating more accurate and efficient results from App Builder.

Focus prompts on building your app: App Builder is optimized to help you design and refine your apps, connect APIs, and set up integrations. It provides high-level assistance for app construction but is not a replacement for step-by-step setup instructions. For specific tasks like finding API credentials or connecting third-party systems via API Key or OAuth, use official documentation or trusted resources such as Google Search or ChatGPT. This frees up your App Builder prompts for the actual app logic and feature building.

Know when to seek additional help: If you’ve tried troubleshooting the same error several times (for example, after three or four prompt attempts) and are still unable to move forward, contact Zendesk Customer support with your error details.

Clearly describe errors and expectations: When your app encounters an error during testing, explain exactly what went wrong and what you expected to happen. Detailed feedback helps the AI address the issue more efficiently.

Share debugging details for unresolved issues: If repeated fixes are unsuccessful, clearly state this in your prompt. Ask the AI to generate extensive debugging information in the console, then reproduce the error and paste the output back into the conversation.

Batch cosmetic and simple changes: To optimize prompt usage, group minor adjustments (such as layout tweaks, button styles, or tab order) into a single prompt instead of sending multiple separate requests.

Customize test mode with ticket search: Use the ticket search in Agent Workspace to change tickets while testing your app. This enables quick scenario validation without extra prompts.

Provide examples for private or unknown APIs: If you’re using an API that App Builder doesn’t recognize, include both a sample API request and the expected response. This improves the AI’s accuracy and reduces wasted iterations.

Test in both light and dark mode: If any agents use dark mode, be sure to test your app in both themes to catch and resolve visual issues early.

Save your blueprint before deleting conversations: Before deleting a conversation, save the blueprint.md file from the Code tab. It contains your app’s design summary and is important for future revisions.

Adjust app name and icon via Settings: Update your app’s name and icon directly in the Settings tab rather than through prompts.

Apps run inside Agent Workspace: App Builder apps operate within the Agent Workspace environment and run only while that workspace is open. If you need background or persistent workflows, use Action Builder, ZIS, or external tools like Workato, Zapier, AWS Lambda, or Heroku.

Plan requirements before building: Outline your app’s goal, workflow, data requirements, and preferences before you start. This helps the AI deliver a strong first version and often results in a faster build than filing a support ticket.

Guidelines for App Builder prompts

Best practices for writing prompts when using the Zendesk App Builder, include:

Use clear and simple language

Write prompts in natural, straightforward sentences as if explaining your needs to a colleague.

Avoid technical jargon or programming terms that you do not explain or that users wouldn’t know.

Be direct about what the app should do.

Be specific about desired functionality

Clearly state what data sources the app should use (for example, Google, Jira, internal database).

Specify the core features or actions the app should have (such as display order status, submit escalation form).

Include any critical data points or outputs you want visible.

Include the user context or role
This helps the App Builder tailor the interface and functionality accordingly.

Mention the primary users of the app (for example, agents, supervisors).

Describe the context in which they will use the app (for example, while handling support tickets).

Break down complex requests
This reduces errors and helps you better understand each feature.

If the app needs multiple functions, try splitting requests into smaller parts and build iteratively.

Start with a basic app prompt, then refine by adding features or details step-by-step.

Use examples and visual expectations

If possible, describe how you want the app’s output to look (list, button, graph).

Referencing tangible elements helps the builder create intuitive interfaces.

Request iterative improvements
An iterative cycle allows you to test and improve the app one feature at a time instead of all at once, leading to better final apps without coding.

After the first version is generated, review and provide feedback: what works, what doesn’t.

Use natural language to specify changes (for example, “Add a button to refresh data” or “Show only open tickets”).

Focus on practical benefits
This keeps the app focused on delivering value, which ensures relevance and usability.

Frame prompts around the problems to solve or tasks to simplify for agents.

Avoid ambiguity

Don’t leave vague terms like “show relevant info” without explaining what “relevant” means.

Ambiguity can lead to apps that don’t meet your expectations.

By following these best practices, users without coding experience can write effective prompts to create useful, custom support apps.

Framework for App Builder prompts

When writing a prompt, you’re giving the App Builder instructions in a way that’s similar to giving instructions to a developer to create an app for you. It’s helpful to have a plan for what you want to accomplish. The following framework lets you and the App Builder know what you’re expecting, which helps you focus on what you’re working towards more effectively.

Without this type of direction, App Builder will build an app, but it may not meet your needs. App Builder will try, even if your prompt is Build an app. However, if you need a particular app, the more you guide the App Builder, the more likely you’ll be to get what you need.

When writing prompts, consider these MAPS principles: Mission, Action, Parts, Scope

Mission: What the app is meant to do. Consider the current need and context.

Action: What the AI should generate. Consider core functionality and workflows.

Parts: What the UI or structural parts are. Consider the look and feel components.

Scope: Who or what it’s for. Consider constraints and audience.

By using MAPS principles, if you’re not sure or don’t like something, you can change the action, scope, or parts without changing the other sections.

Prompt examples, using MAPS principles

Here are some prompt examples using MAPS principles:

Example 1: My Recent Satisfaction Comments app

Mission: This app is built for agent satisfaction and allows a feedback loop for agents so that they have insight into the customer's satisfaction history to guide interactions and improve service quality.

Action: Create a side panel app that retrieves and displays the five most recent ticket satisfaction comments and trends covering the last six months.

Parts: Don’t display the date and satisfaction score. Display the five most recent ticket satisfaction comments in a table and 6-month trends in a compact line chart. Include tabs to switch between individual ticket satisfaction comments and trends. Make the comment column the full width of the app. Give the background of each container a slight, faded shade of green if the satisfaction rating was good, and a slight, faded shade of red if the satisfaction rating was bad.

Scope: This app is for agents viewing support tickets. Display ticket satisfaction comments for only the current requester and only tickets with the same brand or organization.

Example 2: Customer 360 app

Mission: This app is designed to boost agent efficiency by displaying key customer information directly within the ticket view, giving agents quick access to the details they need to resolve issues without navigating away.

Action: Create an app that retrieves and displays the customer information, purchase history, and customer loyalty information from our internal CRM database.

Parts: Display customer information, purchase history, and customer loyalty information in 3 separate tabs. Visually indicate the tab that is currently viewed. Highlight information in yellow if the customer loyalty is low. Add a button to refresh the displayed data to reflect the latest changes.

Scope: This app is for agents viewing support tickets. Display this information for only the current requester and only tickets with the same brand or organization.

Customer-built app examples

Here are some examples of apps created by Zendesk customers:

Assignee Change Tracket app: An app that captures all the ticket assignment changes in a table and shows the total number of ticket assignments that happened. This is available for admins and team leads to use. It took an admin less than 30 minutes to build this app.

Prompts

Create an app that tracks changes on an assignee on a given ticket. Make sure to display assignee names of previous assignees and new assignees. Also display the total number of changes in assignment of the ticket.

Add a button to refresh the displayed data to reflect the latest changes. Add another button to export data to excel. Make both buttons small and next to each other.

Resulting app

My Recent Satisfaction Comments app: An app that displays the five most recent CSAT comments on a ticket. They are intending to use this app as a replacement for the CSAT comments that used to be displayed at the top of the ticket, which was removed from the conversation log when they updated to the newer version of Zendesk’s built-in CSAT tool. It took an admin one hour to build this app and deploy it to production. This app is built for agent satisfaction and allows a feedback loop for agents so that they know how customers are feeling after each interaction.

Prompts

Create an app that shows the five most recent ticket satisfaction comments.

Update the app to only show ticket satisfaction comments for the current user.

The app is still showing the five most recent ticket satisfaction comments across all users rather than just the current user.

Remove the date and score columns. And make the comment column the full with of the app.

Give the background of each container a slight, faded shade of green if the satisfaction rating was good, and a slight, faded shade of red if the satisfaction rating was bad.

Resulting app

User Data app: An app that displays the requester’s ticket data, full ticket history, and ticket attachments.

Prompts

Create a Knowledge or Explore report of the user’s ticket data where created date, closed date, and ticket ID are provided. The button for the report should create the report first, then set it as downloadable.

See the customer’s ticket history where all ticket statuses are shown in the order of New>Open>Pending>Solved>Closed.

Download all files sent as attachments in the ticket.

Resulting app

My Insight app: An app that allows agent visibility into the top five ticket topics or categories they’ve solved within the last six months.

Prompts

Create an app for an agent to see their top five topics or categories they’ve solved tickets in within the last six months, based on the number of tickets within the last six months as well as based on the number of tickets by ticket forms and what the CSAT is for each. Make the category names reflect a B2C retail and ecommerce use case and just make up mock data. There should be no N/A% or 100% CSAT scores. Add a column for AHT and Average Full Resolution Time.

Add a filter that allows the agent to slice and dice the data by period and also add an agent assignee count to each category.

Reassignments must be average, not total number, within each category. Also, add a column of how the Avg. Resolution time compares to the team benchmark using the green, yellow, and red traffic light system tag.

Resulting app

User & Org Details app: An app that displays user and org details including custom user fields and custom organization fields with collapsible sections.

Prompts

Create an app that shows user and org details including all the custom user fields and all the custom org fields.

Thanks. Would you please get the name of custom user and org fields rather than the key? Also, let’s rename the app User & Org details.

Resulting app

Ticket Pulse app: An app that displays the requester’s recent activity, specifically the five most recent tickets with their associated information.

Prompts

Create an app that displays the latest five tickets for the current ticket requester. I want to display the number of the ticket and subject and link that can be redirected to open it in new tab.

Can ticket be opened in a new tab inside Zendesk?

Can you make the UI more user friendly?

Give it another cooler name.

Resulting app

Salesforce Account Details app: An app that displays the Salesforce account details for the ticket requester.

Prompts

Use the Zendesk API to reach out to the Salesforce API and retrieve the Salesforce account details for the ticket requester.

Now, for testing purposes to show how the app would look, have the app return mock test values for each of the Salesforce fields without actually reaching out to the Salesforce API.

Resulting app