How I Use TextExpander to Reuse My Best AI Prompts

Most AI tools are bad at memory – I mean, bad-bad.

You come up with a strong prompt, you use it, and it works.

Then it’s gone.

Lost in the sidebar, buried in a thread, or locked into one app’s context window.

And when you switch tools – from ChatGPT to DeepSeek to Claude – you’re back to square one.

I got tired of that. So I came up with my own solution:

I use TextExpander to store the prompts I actually reuse.

If you haven’t heard of it before, TextExpander lets you instantly insert your most-used phrases with custom shortcuts, making your typing faster, more consistent, and easily shareable across your whole team.

And they talk about automation a lot.

Since that is one of my keywords for they year (ref), it’s fitting to talk about how I use TE for AI automation 🤖

I spend zero time digging around in docs or getting jammed up mid-flow trying to remember where I stored the one I need.

Just a few keystrokes to drop in the right prompt, no matter what AI I’m talking to.

Here’s why that works – and four of the exact snippets I keep in my stack.

A split-screen visual: on the left, fragmented AI chat windows from ChatGPT, Claude, and DeepSeek — each fading out, resetting, or showing confused follow-ups. On the right, a sleek, central interface (like TextExpander) beams with reusable prompt snippets snapping into place like macros. Arrows flow from this master layer down into each AI model, showing consistency and control. The message is clear: don’t rely on the tools to remember — own the system above them. The tone is tactical and empowering — a visual of reclaiming control over your workflow across AI platforms.

Why I Keep My Prompts Outside the AI

Even with “custom instructions” or saved chats, AI tools are siloed.

ChatGPT models forget across threads.
Claude starts fresh every time.
DeepSeek doesn’t even pretend to remember.

If you use more than one model, you’re wasting time rebuilding context.

But I don’t store my workflow in the tools. I store it in the layer above the tools.

TextExpander gives me that – fast, portable, and always consistent.

A high-focus digital workspace hums with creative activity — one screen generates a vivid cyberpunk-style image, another compiles clean, production-ready code, a third displays a strategic book summary with highlighted takeaways, and a fourth sharpens an AI's vague draft into clear, punchy writing. Each scene is powered by subtle, glowing prompt modules floating above the keyboard, symbolizing the reusable systems behind the output. The vibe is efficient, intentional, and quietly powerful — a visual metaphor for running an entire creative workflow from a few well-placed instructions.

The 4 Real Prompts I Reuse Most

These are a few real-world snippets I trigger on repeat across my writing, plugin dev, and image generation work.

1. ;rdimg – Cyberpunk Image Prompt Profile

Create an image that follows the included JSON style guide, and depicts "[DESCRIPTION_HERE]" - for a blog post I'm publishing, using the default 16:9 aspect ratio. Do NOT include text in the image.
## JSON
[ADD_JSON_CODE_HERE]

When I use it: For blog post illustrations, visual ads, and landing page graphics that feel raw and real – not stock and stale. Every time I generate a new concept image, this style layer stays the same.

2. ;chatscript – WordPress Plugin Standards Prompt

Can you write me a script in [CODE_LANG] that [DOES_THIS]? The code should be clean, well documented and also include a breakdown of the script so I can have a better understanding of how it works.

When I use it: For every singular-use Python or React scripts that I’d rather not build by hand – especially when I need the output to be production-ready, not prototype-level.

3 ;bookreview – Strategic Book Breakdown

Give me a strategic breakdown of [Book Title] by [Author]. I want:
1. The core ideas and mental models (in plain language).
2. Specific marketing and business takeaways I can apply.
3. Key quotes or passages that hit hard.
4. A breakdown of any frameworks, systems, or formulas mentioned.
5. A list of actionable steps I can take based on the book — tailored to [insert your business type / industry / goals].
Make it punchy, practical, and focused on leverage.

When I use it: For times when I want to extract a quick overview of a business book before I purchase it, or for generating ideas for content by reviewing the analysis to review and write about.

4. ;articleseo – AI SEO Generation Prompt

write me a SEO keyword, title and description based on the following article content:
```
[BLOG_POST_CONTENT]
```

When I use it: After I finish writing an article, I use this prompt to get a keyword, title and description that are optimized for the article content I provide. All without having to overthink it myself.

A focused builder sits at a glowing workstation, surrounded by floating, translucent prompt tools — each one refined, labeled, and ready to deploy. Instead of scattered notes or forgotten chats, these prompts are neatly organized like a mechanic’s precision-calibrated kit. A keyboard shortcut triggers one, and it clicks into place like a power tool extension. In the background, chaotic scraps of old prompts fade into dust, while a clean, efficient system hums with momentum. The visual tone is sharp, minimalist, and fast-moving — a metaphor for creators who don’t just write prompts… they wield them.

Good Prompts Are Tools. Great Ones Are a System.

Most people write prompts like they’re one-offs.

But if you treat your best prompts like reusable tools – and store them outside the AI – you can move faster and avoid repeating yourself.

TextExpander gives me that system.

I don’t have to rely on an AI remembering who I am. I bring my own memory to the table.

One shortcut at a time.

Want to build your own stack?

Start by saving the next prompt that actually works.

Then make it portable.

The more you reuse it, the easier it gets.

And the less time you spend repeating yourself, the more time you spend shipping 🚀

Need more help writing better content with the help of AI? Check out the Plan. Prompt. Publish. series.

Robert DeVore