$ ls -la drwxr-xr-x docs/ $ run script
◆ Bash

Avoid common scripting mistakes

This is real work, not a feature someone invented — it comes from real job ads and real questions people asked. Below are four ready AI prompts: get it done, make it easy for the next person to say yes to, work out the right move when you are stuck, and stop it coming back.

4prompts
See the prompt↓All Bash tasks

The same task, four prompts

today's deadline · the next reviewer · the stuck moment · the pattern
AExecute — do the immediate taskAdd a check to `process_new_users.sh` that verifies if the user 'johndoe' already exists before…+
Add a check to `process_new_users.sh` that verifies if the user 'johndoe' already exists before trying to create them. If they do, just log a warning to `/var/log/user_creation.log` and skip to the next user in the input file.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
BImprove — make it easier to acceptMy `delete_old_accounts.sh` script is too aggressive and sometimes removes accounts that are…+
My `delete_old_accounts.sh` script is too aggressive and sometimes removes accounts that are just inactive, not truly obsolete. Make it safer. Add a confirmation prompt before any deletion, list the accounts it's about to delete, and ensure it only targets accounts older than 180 days that haven't logged in.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
CDecide — diagnose the stuck momentI'm trying to update user 'sarah.jones' with a new department in `update_user_info.sh`, but it…+
I'm trying to update user 'sarah.jones' but the update script keeps failing with a 'user not found' error, even though I see her in the system.
I'm trying to update user 'sarah.jones' with a new department in `update_user_info.sh`, but it keeps returning 'user not found'. I'm positive she's in the LDAP system, but I'm not sure if the script is looking in the right place or if there's a case sensitivity issue. The HR team needs this updated by end of day. What's the best way to debug why the script can't find her without accidentally modifying other users?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternI'm constantly getting bitten by subtle issues in my shell scripts – unquoted variables…+
I frequently make mistakes with variable scoping or quoting in my shell scripts, leading to unexpected behavior.
I'm constantly getting bitten by subtle issues in my shell scripts – unquoted variables expanding unexpectedly, or local variables not behaving as I expect. It leads to wasted hours debugging seemingly simple logic. What's one fundamental habit I can adopt to consistently write more predictable and secure shell scripts, especially when dealing with user input or file paths?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?

Questions people actually ask

honest answers, no sign-up

Every task here was seen in the real world. Someone doing the job named it, a real job ad asked for it, or a lot of people asked about it online.

If nothing real showed a task, it is not on the page. That is the whole rule.

They are the same job approached four ways, because what you need depends on where you are.

Get it done today. Make it easy for the next person to say yes to. Work out the right move when you are stuck. Learn the pattern so the job stops coming back.

For most of these jobs it can carry the heavy thinking - draft it, sort it, check it, rehearse it with you.

It cannot sit in your chair, take the blame when a number is wrong, or notice what nobody wrote down. Let it do the first 80%. Keep the last 20% that is truly yours.

No. Copy any prompt and paste it into the AI you already use. No account, no score, no wall in the way.

Any of them. The prompts describe the work rather than naming a product, so they are not tied to one assistant.

That is also why they keep working when you switch.

Change it freely. Every prompt is a starting line, not a rule.

Put in your real numbers, your real names and your real deadline. The more you make it yours, the better the answer comes back.

The tasks come from real job ads, published job data and the questions people ask in public forums.

The steps come from Bash's own documentation, with practitioner sources for the traps the manual does not mention.

Push once. Ask it to sharpen the weakest part and to say what it assumed.

Most wrong answers come from a missing detail rather than a bad prompt - tell it the thing it could not know.