Prompt templates are reusable prompts you can save and insert into the active agent or terminal input. Examples include repeated review checklists, refactor briefs, commit instructions, and handoff notes. They support placeholders, so the same template can be filled with different values each time.
Global and project templates
Every template lives in one of two scopes:
| Scope | Where it appears |
|---|---|
| Global | Available in every project |
| Project | Stored in a primary project's shared template pool, including its linked checkouts |
Both scopes appear in the template picker. A template's scope can be changed from its editor — see Creating and editing templates.
Removing a primary project deletes its project-scoped templates by default. Supported project-deletion APIs can instead convert them to global templates. Removing a linked checkout leaves the primary project's shared template pool unchanged.
Where to find them
There are two ways to work with templates:
- The template picker — the current Use prompt template binding is shown in Settings > Hotkeys. Its default is Cmd+Shift+P on macOS and Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux, and it can be rebound or disabled. Invoke it from the main UI or while another palette is topmost; a modal or pane overlay above it blocks the command. See Using templates.
- The template library — a management view for browsing, creating, and editing templates. Open the command palette or quick jump and choose Prompt templates, either the application-level entry for the global library or a project's entry for that context. Their current bindings are shown in Settings > Hotkeys; defaults are Cmd+K / Ctrl+K and Cmd+E / Ctrl+E, respectively, and either can be rebound or disabled.
The library view
The library lists every template across all projects plus global templates. When present, project templates appear in Project for one item or Projects for multiple items; Global follows when global templates are present. Each row shows:
- An ID badge padded to at least three digits, such as #004.
- The template name and its scope (a project name or Global).
- A preview line — the description when one is set, otherwise the first words of the template body.
- When the template was last updated.
A summary line at the top shows how many templates there are, and switches to Showing X of Y while you're searching or a filter is hiding templates.
Search, filters, and sorting
Type in the search box to filter templates. Search matches the name, description, body, and literal scope kind (global or project); it does not match displayed project names. Every word you type must match somewhere in those fields.
The filter toggle reveals two controls:
- Scope — a checklist of Global plus each project, so you can narrow the list to one or more scopes.
- Sort — order templates by Last used (the default; it matches the empty-query picker's last-used order within each scope group, while the library keeps Project/Projects before Global), Recently updated, Name, or Recently created.
Reset filters clears the scope filter and returns to the default sort.
Agent access through MCP
Agents can list, create, update, delete, and export prompt templates through Solo's MCP tools when the Prompt template MCP tools setting is enabled. Templates stay fully available in the app either way. See Prompt template tools.
For complete prompts worth saving, see the opening briefs in Build, review, and land one change, Run an independent review panel, and Hand off long-running work.