Prompt

The complete reference for agent mentions, tool commands, and prompt patterns

CloudThinker uses a natural language interface enhanced with structured syntax. This guide is the definitive reference for communicating effectively with agents.

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The Problem With Traditional Cloud CLIs

Running cloud operations traditionally requires knowing the right commands for the right tool — aws ec2 describe-instances --filters "Name=instance-state-name,Values=running" to list running EC2 instances, kubectl get pods --all-namespaces --field-selector=status.phase=Pending for pending pods, gcloud compute instances list --filter="status=RUNNING" for GCP VMs. Each tool has different syntax, different output formats, and different ways of expressing the same concept.

This means:

• Only specialists can run operations — developers and non-engineers are locked out
• Context is lost between tools — you can’t ask a question that spans AWS + K8s in one command
• Automation requires scripting expertise — connecting data from multiple tools means writing Python or bash

CloudThinker Language solves this with a unified syntax that works identically across all agents and all connected systems.

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How It Compares

Approach	Traditional CLI	CloudThinker Language
Syntax	Different per tool (aws, kubectl, gcloud)	Single @agent #tool [instruction] pattern
Access	Requires deep CLI expertise	Works for any team member
Cross-system	Requires scripting to combine tools	Multi-agent queries in one prompt
Output format	Raw JSON/YAML	#dashboard, #report, #recommend — structured and readable
Context	Stateless per command	Agents remember context across a conversation

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Syntax Overview

Every CloudThinker prompt follows this structure:

@agent [instruction] [#tool] [context]

Component	Required	Description
@agent	Yes	Routes the request to a specific agent
instruction	Yes	What you want the agent to do
#tool	No	Output format or capability to use
context	No	Constraints, timeframes, scope

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Agent Mentions

Use @ to direct requests to specific agents:

Agent	Expertise	When to Use
@alex	Cloud infrastructure, cost, performance	Cost analysis, resource optimization, multi-cloud
@oliver	Security, compliance, threats	Audits, vulnerability scans, IAM, compliance
@tony	Databases, queries, analytics	Query optimization, performance tuning, backups
@kai	Kubernetes, containers, orchestration	Cluster management, pod optimization, scaling
@anna	Coordination, strategy, reporting	Multi-agent projects, executive reports, complex ops

Single Agent

@alex analyze EC2 spending trends over the last quarter
@oliver audit all S3 buckets for public access
@tony identify queries with execution time >2 seconds
@kai check pod resource utilization in production namespace

Multi-Agent Collaboration

Address multiple agents for complex problems:

@alex @tony investigate cost spike on database infrastructure
@oliver @kai audit Kubernetes RBAC and network policies
@anna coordinate security remediation across @oliver @alex @kai

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Tool Commands

Use # to specify output format or invoke specific capabilities:

Tool	Purpose	Example
#dashboard	Interactive visualizations	@alex #dashboard monthly cost trends
#report	Detailed analysis documents	@oliver #report SOC 2 compliance assessment
#recommend	Actionable recommendations	@tony #recommend index optimizations
#alert	Monitoring notifications	@kai #alert when node CPU >80%
#chart	Data visualizations	@alex #chart spending by service
#kb	Knowledge base search	@alex #kb AWS cost optimization policies

Tool Combinations

Combine tools with agent mentions:

@alex #dashboard #recommend cost optimization opportunities
@oliver #report #alert security findings requiring immediate action
@tony #dashboard database performance with #alert on P95 >500ms

Tool-Specific Patterns

#dashboard

Creates interactive visualizations for monitoring and presentation.

# Cost dashboards
@alex #dashboard AWS spending by service and region
@alex #dashboard monthly cost trends with forecast

# Performance dashboards
@tony #dashboard query latency P50/P95/P99 over time
@kai #dashboard cluster resource utilization by node

# Security dashboards
@oliver #dashboard compliance status across frameworks
@oliver #dashboard security findings by severity

#report

Generates comprehensive analysis documents with findings and recommendations.

# Compliance reports
@oliver #report SOC 2 Type II assessment with evidence
@oliver #report GDPR data processing audit

# Optimization reports
@alex #report quarterly cost optimization summary
@tony #report database performance analysis with recommendations

# Executive reports
@anna #report infrastructure health for board presentation

#recommend

Produces prioritized, actionable recommendations with implementation steps.

# Cost recommendations
@alex #recommend reserved instance purchases based on usage
@alex #recommend resources for right-sizing or termination

# Performance recommendations
@tony #recommend index changes for slow queries
@kai #recommend HPA policies for variable workloads

# Security recommendations
@oliver #recommend security group rule changes

#alert

Configures monitoring alerts for proactive notification.

# Cost alerts
@alex #alert when daily spend exceeds $5,000
@alex #alert on resources with >50% cost increase week-over-week

# Performance alerts
@tony #alert when query P95 latency exceeds 500ms
@kai #alert on pod OOMKilled events or node pressure

# Security alerts
@oliver #alert on security group changes allowing 0.0.0.0/0
@oliver #alert on failed login attempts >10 per minute

#kb

Searches your organization’s knowledge base.

# Policy searches
@alex #kb cloud governance policies
@oliver #kb:security-policies incident response procedures

# Best practices
@tony #kb PostgreSQL optimization best practices
@kai #kb Kubernetes deployment standards

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Context Modifiers

Add context to narrow scope and improve accuracy:

Timeframes

@alex analyze spending over the last 30 days
@alex compare costs: last month vs same period last year
@tony identify slow queries from the past week
@oliver find security group changes in the last 24 hours

Scope

@alex analyze EC2 instances in us-east-1 region
@oliver audit production environment security groups
@tony check performance on the orders database
@kai review staging cluster resource allocation

Thresholds

@alex identify instances with CPU utilization <15%
@tony find queries with execution time >2 seconds
@kai flag pods requesting >2GB memory but using <500MB
@oliver find IAM roles with >50 attached policies

Exclusions

@alex recommend terminations excluding production-tagged resources
@oliver audit all buckets except backup-* prefixed ones
@tony analyze all databases excluding read replicas

Priorities

@alex #recommend cost savings prioritizing quick wins under 30 days
@oliver identify vulnerabilities, critical severity first
@tony optimize queries prioritizing those running >100x daily

Combined Context

@alex analyze EC2 instances in us-east-1
  with CPU <20% over last 30 days
  excluding production-critical
  #recommend right-sizing with projected savings

@oliver audit security groups in production
  for public access on ports 22, 3389, 3306
  #report with remediation timeline
  prioritizing internet-facing resources

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Prompt Patterns

Pattern 1: Analysis Request

@agent analyze [target] [context]

@alex analyze EC2 spending by instance family over last quarter
@tony analyze query patterns on production PostgreSQL cluster
@kai analyze pod scheduling efficiency across all nodes
@oliver analyze IAM permission usage for service accounts

Pattern 2: Audit Request

@agent audit [target] for [criteria]

@oliver audit S3 buckets for public access and encryption
@oliver audit IAM policies for privilege escalation paths
@alex audit infrastructure for unused or orphaned resources
@kai audit RBAC configuration against least-privilege principles

Pattern 3: Optimization Request

@agent optimize/recommend [target] [constraints]

@alex recommend cost optimizations maintaining 99.9% availability
@tony recommend index changes for queries >500ms execution time
@kai optimize pod resource requests based on actual utilization

Pattern 4: Investigation Request

@agent investigate [issue] [scope]

@alex investigate cost spike on database services last week
@tony investigate slow query performance on orders table
@kai investigate pod crash loops in payment namespace
@oliver investigate failed authentication attempts from unusual IPs

Pattern 5: Coordination Request

@anna coordinate [project] with @agents [scope]

@anna coordinate AWS to GCP migration with @alex @tony @kai
@anna coordinate security remediation with @oliver leading, @alex @kai supporting
@anna coordinate quarterly review: @alex cost, @oliver security, @tony databases, @kai containers

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Advanced Techniques

Progressive Refinement

Start broad, then drill down based on findings:

# Step 1: Broad overview
@alex #dashboard cloud spending trends

# Step 2: Identify problem area
@alex which services drove the November cost spike?

# Step 3: Deep dive
@alex break down RDS costs by instance type and utilization

# Step 4: Actionable recommendation
@alex #recommend RDS optimization prioritizing underutilized instances

Comparative Analysis

Ask agents to compare options:

@alex compare reserved instances vs savings plans for our EC2 usage pattern

@tony compare these approaches for database scaling:
  1. Read replicas
  2. Sharding by customer_id
  3. Migration to Aurora Serverless
  Include: cost, complexity, performance impact

@oliver compare SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 based on our customer requirements

Conditional Logic

Apply business rules to recommendations:

@alex #recommend instance right-sizing where:
  - CPU utilization <20% for >14 days
  - Not tagged as burst-capable
  - Not in auto-scaling groups
  - Savings >$50/month

@oliver prioritize security findings:
  - Critical: internet-exposed + known CVE
  - High: production + public access
  - Medium: everything else

Structured Requests

For complex requirements, use structured format:

@tony optimize database performance:
  Target: production PostgreSQL cluster
  Focus: queries running >100x daily with >500ms P95
  Constraints:
    - No schema changes requiring downtime
    - Maintain read replica compatibility
  Output: #recommend with implementation order and rollback plan

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Slack Integration

In Slack, prefix with @CloudThinker:

@CloudThinker alex what's our AWS spending this week?
@CloudThinker oliver any critical security findings?
@CloudThinker tony why are queries slow on production?
@CloudThinker kai check EKS cluster health

All syntax works identically in Slack—just add the @CloudThinker prefix.

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Quick Reference

Agents

Mention	Role	Best For
@alex	Cloud Engineer	Cost, infrastructure, multi-cloud
@oliver	Security Pro	Compliance, vulnerabilities, IAM
@tony	Database Engineer	Queries, performance, analytics
@kai	K8s Engineer	Containers, clusters, orchestration
@anna	General Manager	Coordination, strategy, reports

Tools

Command	Output	Use Case
#dashboard	Interactive viz	Monitoring, presentations
#report	Document	Compliance, deep analysis
#recommend	Action items	Implementation guidance
#alert	Notifications	Proactive monitoring
#chart	Visualization	Data trends
#kb	Knowledge search	Policy lookup

Context Keywords

Type	Examples
Time	over last 30 days, since January, past week
Scope	in us-east-1, on production, for staging cluster
Threshold	with CPU <20%, costing >$1000/month, >500ms latency
Exclusion	excluding production, except backup buckets
Priority	prioritizing quick wins, critical first

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Best Practices

Be Specific

Good: @alex analyze EC2 in us-east-1 with <15% CPU over 30 days

Avoid: @alex check our servers

Provide Context

Include environment, timeframe, and constraints for accurate results

Use Right Agent

Match the request to agent expertise—security to Oliver, databases to Tony

Choose Right Tool

#dashboard for visuals, #report for documents, #recommend for actions

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What’s Next

Agent Reference

Deep dive into each agent’s specific capabilities and prompt patterns

Capabilities

Master #dashboard, #report, #recommend, #alert, and other output tools

Operations Hub

Browse 325+ pre-built operations ready to use with this syntax

Slack Integration

Use the same syntax in Slack with the @CloudThinker prefix