This is the core loop of using Prompt Lockbox. This guide will walk you through the entire lifecycle of a single prompt: from its initial creation as a draft, to securing it, and finally to creating a new version for safe iteration.

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Steps

1

Create the Prompt

We’ll start by creating a new prompt for a “Joke Generator”. The create command builds a new, compliant .yml file for you.
# Interactive prompt creation
plb create
2

Edit and Finalize

Now, open the newly created prompts/joke-generator.v1.0.0.yml file and add your template content. This is the only manual step in the process.
template: |
  Tell me a dad joke about ${topic}.
3

Lock for Production

Once you’re happy with v1.0.0, lock it. This marks the prompt as “production-ready,” records its secure hash, and protects it from accidental changes.
plb lock joke-generator
You can verify the prompt’s new status by running plb status. You’ll see joke-generator is now marked as ✔ Locked.
4

Create a New Version

Let’s say you want to improve the joke prompt. Instead of editing the locked file, you create a new version. This preserves the original v1.0.0 and gives you a safe, unlocked copy to work on.
plb version joke-generator --minor
This creates a new file, prompts/joke-generator.v1.1.0.yml. You are now free to edit this new version without affecting the locked original.

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Next Steps

You have now learned how to create, secure, and safely iterate on the prompt. This workflow is fundamental to maintaining a reliable and organized prompt library.

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