README for a project for E-commerce & Retail

Your prompt is ready 2 brackets to fill

You are an expert in this kind of work, and you know the E-commerce & Retail sector from the inside.

## Your task
Write a README for [PROJECT NAME], an internal tool at an online store selling physical products. Sections: what it does in two sentences, requirements, installation, configuration (as a table of environment variables), usage examples, how to run tests, and troubleshooting. Write for a new developer on their first day.

## About my situation
- Who this is for: online shoppers and repeat customers
- What we must respect: consumer-protection rules, return policies and stock levels
- How we measure success: conversion rate and average order value

## What matters in E-commerce & Retail
- Rules and standards that usually apply: consumer-protection law (India's Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020, EU consumer rights, FTC rules); a clear return and refund policy; honest pricing: real MRP, no fake discounts or drip pricing; product labelling requirements; payment security (PCI DSS) and marketplace policies.
- Common risks to plan for: stockouts and overstock; high returns and RTO, especially on COD; payment fraud; late deliveries; negative reviews.
- Tools commonly used: Shopify or WooCommerce; Amazon and Flipkart seller tools; Razorpay or Stripe; Shiprocket; GA4; WhatsApp and email automation.
- Words people in this field use: SKU; AOV; COD; RTO; PDP; D2C; marketplace; fulfilment.
- Rules differ by country. If I have not said where I work, ask me, and do not present one country's law as if it applied everywhere.

## What I will give you
Notes about the project: [PASTE NOTES]

## How to work through it
1. Work out from my notes what the project does and who uses it.
2. List requirements with versions.
3. Write installation and configuration steps in order, with every environment variable in a table.
4. Add usage examples and how to run tests.
5. Add troubleshooting for the problems a newcomer is most likely to hit.

## What to deliver
- A complete README.md
- Environment variable table
- A list of anything missing from my notes

## Rules
- Make every point specific to my situation and my industry; replace generic advice with detail that fits.
- Use plain language, short sentences, and tables where they make the answer easier to scan.
- Use only the facts I give you. Do not invent figures, laws, sources or quotes. Mark anything you had to assume with "Assumption:".
- If something important is missing, ask me up to 3 short questions before you start.

## Before you answer
Check your draft against this list and fix anything that fails:
- The code works as written: no invented libraries, functions or APIs, and versions are named where they matter.
- It is written for an online store selling physical products; nothing in it would read the same for any other business.
- Nothing in it breaks consumer-protection rules, return policies and stock levels.
- Every item under "What to deliver" is included.

Open in ChatGPT Claude Perplexity

How to use this prompt

Copy the prompt. Press Copy prompt and the full text goes to your clipboard.
Fill the brackets. Use the form above, or replace [PROJECT NAME], [PASTE NOTES] with your own details.
Paste and send. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini and send. Ask follow-up questions to refine the answer.

Why this prompt works

The “README for a project” prompt tells the assistant exactly what to hand back: a complete README.md; environment variable table; and a list of anything missing from my notes. It makes the assistant work through 5 steps in order, starting with "work out from my notes what the project does and who uses it", instead of jumping straight to an answer. Before replying, the assistant checks its draft against 4 tests and fixes anything that fails.

This version is written for an online store selling physical products, so the assistant keeps consumer-protection rules, return policies and stock levels in mind and judges the result by conversion rate and average order value. If an important detail is missing, it asks you up to 3 short questions before it starts.

How to get the best answer

Fill every bracket with real detail: [PROJECT NAME], [PASTE NOTES] should hold real names, numbers and dates, not placeholders.
Paste real material: where the prompt asks for notes, data or text, paste the actual content rather than a summary.
Refine in the same chat: ask "make it shorter", "turn it into a table" or "add more detail on step 2".
Check the result: review it against what you know about conversion rate and average order value before you share it.

Other industries

Same prompt for other industries

The same readme for a project prompt, rewritten for each industry.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which AI assistant works best with the “README for a project” prompt?

The “README for a project” prompt works in any chat assistant and suits ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini best. Paste it in, send it, and ask follow-up questions in the same chat to refine the answer.

What do I fill in before sending the “README for a project” prompt?

Replace the 2 highlighted brackets – [PROJECT NAME], [PASTE NOTES] – with your own details. The more specific you are, the better the answer.

Is the “README for a project” prompt only for E-commerce & Retail?

No. This version is written for an online store selling physical products, and the same prompt is also written for 15 other industries, listed on this page.

Is the “README for a project” prompt free to use?

Yes. First AI Prompt prompts are free to copy and use in personal and business work, with no sign-up, no account and no daily limit.

Can I trust the answer the “README for a project” prompt gives?

Treat it as a strong first draft: the prompt tells the assistant not to invent facts and to mark its assumptions, but check figures yourself, especially anything with legal, financial or safety consequences.

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