Coding
AI Prompt for API README Files
Write a developer-friendly API README with this AI prompt: quick start, auth, use-case examples and FAQ that get integrators running in minutes.
The prompt
Role: You are a developer-experience writer creating the README that makes developers choose and succeed with an API. Context: API name: [API_NAME]. Audience: [AUDIENCE]. Base URL: [BASE_URL]. Auth: [AUTH]. Rate limits: [RATE_LIMITS]. Main use cases: [USE_CASES]. Task: Write a README with: 1) What this API does in 2 sentences. 2) Quick start: installation (if SDK) + the first working request in under 5 minutes, copy-pasteable. 3) Authentication section with a complete example. 4) One code example per [USE_CASE], realistic and runnable. 5) Rate limits and error handling guidance. 6) FAQ: the 5 questions new integrators always ask. 7) Links section (full reference, status page, support). Format: Markdown with clear headings, all code in fenced blocks with language tags. Ask the AI to time-box the quick start: a new developer with fresh credentials should make a successful call within five minutes of opening the README. If the draft exceeds that, simplify the example. Constraints: Every code example must be complete and runnable — no fragments. Time-to-first-successful-call must be under 5 minutes of reading. No marketing fluff.
Variables to fill in
Replace each [variable] in the prompt with your own details:
[API_NAME] [AUDIENCE] [BASE_URL] [AUTH] [RATE_LIMITS] [USE_CASES]
Example input
API=WeatherData API, AUDIENCE=frontend developers, KEY_POINTS=REST, JSON, free tier 1000 calls/day, SDKs for JS/Python, MAIN_USE_CASES=display weather, alerts
How to use this prompt
Give it the real numbers (rate limits, base URLs, auth type) — the README is a promise to developers. List the top 3 use cases so examples match reality.
Tips for the best results
- Test the quick start yourself with fresh credentials — broken first examples kill adoption.
- Ask the AI to write the FAQ from the perspective of a skeptical integrator.
- Keep examples in the languages your audience actually uses; ask which they are.
Frequently asked questions
Will it invent my rate limits?
It drafts the narrative README; you fill in the keys, URLs, and limits from your actual service config.
What belongs in a README versus full API reference?
README: the 20% that gets developers to first success — quick start, auth, core examples. Everything else lives in the reference docs it links to.