How to Actually Get Started with AI Coding Assistants (5 Minutes)
Your team sees you shipping features in hours that used to take days. They ask how to get started with AI assistants.
You send them docs. They get overwhelmed. A week later, nothing's changed.
Here's the problem: most guides teach you about AI assistants. This guide gets you using one in the next 5 minutes.
No theory. No setup tutorials. Just immediate value.
Three Packages That Give You Superpowers Immediately
1. Stop Writing Boilerplate: React Component Generator
prpm install @sanjeed5/reactWhat it does: Tells your AI assistant how to write React code that actually follows best practices.
Try it right now:
Ask your AI assistant: "Create a user profile card component with avatar, name, bio, and follow button"
What you get:
- Proper TypeScript types
- Accessibility built in
- Error handling
- Loading states
- No prop drilling
Before this package: You'd get a basic div with some text. You'd spend 30 minutes adding types, error handling, and accessibility.
After: You get production-ready code in 30 seconds.
2. Fix Bugs Faster: Systematic Debugging
prpm install @prpm/thoroughnessWhat it does: Makes your AI assistant actually think through problems instead of guessing.
Try it right now:
Show your AI a bug you're stuck on. Ask: "Debug this using systematic analysis"
What you get:
- Root cause analysis (not just symptom fixes)
- Multiple hypotheses tested
- Verification steps
- Prevention suggestions
Before this package: AI suggests random fixes. You waste time trying each one.
After: AI walks through the problem methodically. First suggestion usually works.
3. Never Forget Best Practices: TypeScript Type Safety
prpm install @prpm/typescript-type-safetyWhat it does: Stops your AI from writing any types and other lazy shortcuts.
Try it right now:
Ask your AI: "Refactor this function to be fully type-safe" (paste a function with any types)
What you get:
- Proper interfaces
- Type guards where needed
- No implicit anys
- Generic types when appropriate
Before this package: AI takes shortcuts with any. You find bugs in production.
After: AI writes strict types. TypeScript catches errors before code review.
Why This Works
These packages are instructions for your AI assistant. They're like hiring a senior developer to review every suggestion before you see it.
Without them: "Write a function to fetch user data"
→ Basic fetch with no error handling
With them: "Write a function to fetch user data"
→ Typed response, error handling, loading states, retry logic, proper abstractions
What You Just Got in 5 Minutes
- Better code quality - Production-ready components instead of starting points
- Faster debugging - Systematic analysis instead of trial and error
- Fewer bugs - Type safety that actually catches issues
Total time investment: Install 3 packages, try 3 commands.
Total value: Your AI assistant just got 5 years of experience.
Start Right Now
Pick one package above. Install it. Try the example. See the difference.
That's it. You're using AI assistants effectively.
Go Deeper (Optional)
Want to understand how this works?
→ How PRPM packages work - Deep dive
Want more packages to try?
→ Top 50 Packages by Category - Curated list
Ready to browse the full registry?
→ Search 7,000+ packages - Find what you need
The Real Problem (And Why This Fixes It)
Most "getting started" guides teach you the ecosystem. You spend hours learning concepts before you see any value.
That's backwards.
The fastest way to learn is to see immediate results, then understand why they work.
These three packages give you immediate results:
- Better code (React best practices)
- Faster debugging (systematic analysis)
- Fewer bugs (type safety)
Once you see the value, you'll naturally want to understand how it works. Then you dig deeper.
But first: see the value. Install one package. Try one example. Get one win.
That's how you actually get started.
Questions?
Found a package that changed your workflow? Write about it - help the next person get unstuck.