Build up Reusable Claude Code Workflows with Dynamic Prompt Templating using Gomplate

Managing complex prompts for command-line AI tools can be clunky. You either write monolithic prompt files or manually copy and paste code and other context into the terminal. This approach isn't scalable or reusable.

This lesson introduces a powerful solution: gomplate. It's a flexible command-line tool for rendering templates, which we can leverage to build a sophisticated, composable prompt system directly in the terminal.

The Basic Concept

At its core, gomplate can process a file and replace placeholders with content. We'll use its file.Read function to dynamically inline the contents of any file into our prompt.

For example, you can create a prompt.txt file that asks an AI to analyze your package.json:

Please analyze this package.json file:

{{ file.Read "package.json" }}

What are the main dependencies and what is this project about?

By running a simple command, gomplate renders this template, replacing the placeholder with the actual content of package.json. We can then pipe this fully-formed prompt directly into an AI tool like the Claude CLI.

gomplate -f prompt.txt | claude -p

Building a Composable Prompt Library

The real power comes from creating a library of reusable prompt snippets. You can break down common instructions—like setting a tone or defining an output format—into separate files.

For example, you could create a prompts/ directory with files like:

prompts/tone.txt

<TONE>
Please speak in the tone of a British butler.
</TONE>

prompts/steps.txt

<STEPS>
Please break this down into a series of steps that a junior developer could easily follow.
</STEPS>

You can then compose these snippets into your main prompt, creating a modular and highly reusable system. Your prompt.txt can now be assembled from these pieces:

{{ file.Read "prompts/tone.txt" }}
{{ file.Read "prompts/steps.txt" }}

Please analyze this package.json file:

{{ file.Read "package.json" }}

What are the main dependencies and what is this project about?

This workflow gives you precise control over your AI prompts, allowing you to easily build, reuse, and share complex instructions without the manual effort.