Tambo AI Documentation

Prompts allow MCP servers to expose reusable prompt templates that can be easily inserted into your application. This enables standardized workflows, consistent prompt patterns, and quick access to commonly used prompts provided by MCP servers.

For more details on the prompts specification, see the MCP Prompts documentation.

What are Prompts?

Prompts are predefined text templates exposed by MCP servers that users can insert into their message input. This is useful when:

An MCP server provides helpful prompt templates for common tasks
You want to standardize how users interact with specific tools or workflows
Users need quick access to complex prompts without memorizing syntax

For example, a GitHub MCP server might provide prompts like "Create a detailed issue report" or "Review this pull request", which expand into well-structured templates when selected.

User Experience

Using the "/" Hotkey

Type "/" at the start of an empty text field to quickly access prompts:

Selecting a prompt with / hotkey

Type "/" at the beginning of an empty message input
A dropdown appears showing all available prompts
Type to filter prompts by name
Use arrow keys to navigate and Enter to select
The selected prompt text is inserted into the message input

Using the Prompts Button

Alternatively, click the prompts button to browse available templates:

A document icon (📄) appears in the message input area
Clicking it opens a dropdown showing all available prompts
Prompts are organized by MCP server
Selecting a prompt inserts its content into the message input
The user can then edit the prompt before sending

Prompt Naming

Prompts are always prefixed with the serverKey to identify which MCP server they come from. The format is:

<serverKey>:<promptName>

For example, a prompt called new-issue from a Linear MCP server with serverKey of linear would be referenced as linear:new-issue.

The serverKey is configured when setting up the MCP server:

Client-side: Set in the mcpServers array passed to TamboProvider
Server-side: Configured in your Tambo Cloud project settings

If you don't specify serverKey, Tambo derives one from the URL (e.g., https://mcp.linear.app/mcp becomes linear). For more details, see Server namespacing.

Built-in Support

The message-input component automatically displays available prompts from all connected MCP servers. When any MCP server exposes prompts, a document button (📄) appears in the message input area:

import { MessageInput } from "@/components/ui/message-input";

// Prompts are automatically displayed - no additional setup needed
<MessageInput>
  <MessageInput.Textarea />
  <MessageInput.McpPromptButton />
  <MessageInput.SubmitButton />
</MessageInput>;

The prompt picker automatically:

Discovers prompts from all connected MCP servers
Displays them in a dropdown menu
Inserts the selected prompt into the message input
Only appears when at least one MCP server has prompts available

How It Works

Here's the typical flow when a user selects an MCP prompt:

Current Limitations

Parameters are not yet supported. While the MCP specification allows prompts to accept parameters for customization, Tambo's current implementation does not expose parameter input fields. All prompts are inserted as-is without user customization.

This means:

Prompts with parameters will use their default values
Users cannot customize prompt templates at insertion time
Parameter support is planned for a future release

Programmatic Access

You can access Prompts programmatically using the provided hooks:

List All Prompts

Use useTamboMcpPromptList to get all available prompts from connected servers:

import { useTamboMcpPromptList } from "@tambo-ai/react/mcp";

function PromptList() {
  const { data: prompts, isLoading, error } = useTamboMcpPromptList();

  if (isLoading) return <div>Loading prompts...</div>;
  if (error) return <div>Error loading prompts</div>;

  return (
    <ul>
      {prompts?.map((entry) => (
        <li key={`${entry.server.url}-${entry.prompt.name}`}>
          <strong>{entry.prompt.name}</strong>
          <p>{entry.prompt.description}</p>
          <small>From: {entry.server.name}</small>
        </li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
}

The hook returns an array of ListPromptEntry objects, each containing:

server - The connected MCP server providing this prompt
prompt - The prompt metadata (name, description)

Note: The prompt.name field will include the serverKey prefix (e.g., linear:new-issue).

Get Specific Prompt

Use useTamboMcpPrompt to fetch a specific prompt's content:

import { useTamboMcpPrompt } from "@tambo-ai/react/mcp";

function PromptContent({ promptName }: { promptName: string }) {
  // promptName should include the serverKey prefix (e.g., "linear:new-issue")
  const { data: prompt, isLoading, error } = useTamboMcpPrompt(promptName);

  if (isLoading) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  if (error) return <div>Error loading prompt</div>;
  if (!prompt) return null;

  return (
    <div>
      <h3>{prompt.description}</h3>
      {prompt.messages.map((msg, idx) => (
        <div key={idx}>
          <strong>{msg.role}:</strong>
          {msg.content.type === "text" && <p>{msg.content.text}</p>}
        </div>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}