Skip to main content

Overview

PRPM Playground lets you test any package with leading AI models (Claude, GPT-4o, and more) directly in your browser or CLI. No installation required—just instant, interactive testing with real models.

Why Use Playground?

Before Playground, you had to:
  1. Install the package
  2. Set up your AI environment
  3. Create test scenarios
  4. Try it with your model
  5. Uninstall if it doesn’t work
Playground eliminates this friction entirely. Test instantly, compare results, and make informed decisions before installing anything.

Getting Started

Web Interface

  1. Browse packages at prpm.dev/search
  2. Click “Test in Playground” on any package page
  3. Enter your test input
  4. Get instant results from your chosen AI model

CLI Interface

Supported Models

1 credit = 5,000 tokens (input + output combined)

Credit System

Free Trial

  • 5 free credits to get started
  • No credit card required
  • Test immediately after signup

PRPM+ Subscription

  • 100 monthly credits for $6/month
  • Credits roll over (max 200 balance)
  • Unused credits expire after 1 month
  • Organization members get PRPM+ for $3/month

Credit Packs

  • Buy additional credits that never expire
  • 100 credits = $5.00
  • Stack with monthly credits
  • Perfect for heavy users

Advanced Features

Compare Mode

Compare the same input with and without the package prompt to see the actual value added:
This runs two tests:
  1. With package: Uses the package’s prompt
  2. Without package: Baseline model with no prompt
Perfect for evaluating if a package actually improves results or is just prompt fluff.

Interactive Mode

Have multi-turn conversations to stress test packages:
  • Multiple conversation turns
  • Context maintained across messages
  • Type exit or press Ctrl+C to quit
  • Great for testing conversational packages

Model Selection

Choose the right model for your test:

Custom Prompts (Verified Authors Only)

Custom prompts let verified authors test their own system prompts before publishing as packages. This is the fastest way to iterate on prompts.

Requirements

To use custom prompts, you must be a verified author:
  1. Run prpm login and link your GitHub account
  2. Complete GitHub OAuth flow
  3. You’re now verified and can use custom prompts
Check your status: prpm whoami

Why 2x Cost?

Custom prompts cost 2x normal credits because they don’t benefit from prompt caching:
  • Published packages cache the system prompt (cheaper follow-ups)
  • Custom prompts can change between requests (no caching possible)
  • Still cheaper than running your own API keys

Web UI Usage

  1. Go to prpm.dev/playground
  2. Toggle “Use Custom Prompt” (verified authors only)
  3. Enter your system prompt (10-50,000 characters)
  4. Enter your test input
  5. Click “Run Playground”
The web UI is great for quick experiments. The CLI is better for rapid iteration on prompt files.

CLI Usage

Option 1: Inline String

Interactive Mode

A/B Testing with —compare

The most powerful feature for custom prompts is --compare mode. It runs your custom prompt and a baseline (no prompt) side-by-side:
Output:
You can instantly see your prompt made the response 60% shorter.

File-Based Workflow (Best for Iteration)

This workflow enables 10 iterations in 10 minutes instead of 10 days:

Workflow Comparison

  1. Write prompt in .cursor/rules or .claude/skills/
  2. Reload/restart your editor
  3. Ask AI a test question in your editor
  4. Realize it needs work
  5. Edit the prompt file
  6. Reload/restart editor again
  7. Test again
  8. Repeat 10x (lots of reloading, no comparison mode)
  1. Write prompt locally
  2. Create prpm.json manifest
  3. Publish package (version 0.0.1)
  4. Test in Playground
  5. Realize it needs work
  6. Edit prompt locally
  7. Bump version (0.0.2) and publish again
  8. Test new version
  9. Repeat 10x (versions 0.0.3 through 0.0.12)
  1. Write prompt in file
  2. prpm playground --prompt-file ./prompt.txt --input "test" --compare
  3. Edit prompt
  4. ↑ (up arrow to repeat command)
  5. Repeat until perfect (seconds per iteration)
  6. Publish once

Example: Security Code Reviewer

You’re building a security-focused code reviewer that catches SQL injection, XSS, and auth bugs without false positives:
The baseline might give generic advice. Your prompt should catch the specific SQL injection vulnerability and suggest parameterized queries. Iterate until your prompt consistently catches real vulnerabilities without false positives, then publish it.

Custom Prompt Limits

Custom prompts run in isolated sandboxes (text-only, no tools). This is by design for safe experimentation.

Best Practices for Custom Prompts

  1. Start simple - Write 2-3 sentences, test, iterate
  2. Use files - Version control your prompts
  3. Compare early - Use --compare to ensure you’re adding value
  4. Test multiple inputs - Don’t optimize for one example
  5. Check token usage - Long prompts = high costs
  6. Be specific - “Review for security issues” beats “Review code”
  7. Iterate rapidly - Edit file → ↑ (repeat command) → see results

Sharing Results

Web Interface

  1. Complete a test in the playground
  2. Click the “Share” button
  3. Get a shareable link
  4. Share with your team or the community
Shared results include:
  • The input you tested
  • The model’s complete response
  • Token usage and credit cost
  • Package information

Community Results

Every package page shows recent community test results. See:
  • What inputs others tested
  • Which models they chose
  • Whether they found it helpful
  • Token usage and costs
This creates living documentation showing real-world usage.

For Package Authors

Analytics Dashboard

Package authors get detailed analytics showing:
  • Total test sessions
  • Popular AI models used
  • Credit usage patterns
  • Session duration averages
  • Test input trends
Access your analytics at prpm.dev/dashboard

Suggested Test Inputs

Help users test your package effectively:
Suggested inputs appear automatically in the playground, making it easier for users to test your package with relevant examples.

CLI Commands Reference

prpm playground

Test a package or custom prompt with AI models.
Options:
  • -p, --package <name> - Package name to test
  • --input <text> - Input text (omit for interactive mode)
  • -m, --model <model> - AI model (sonnet, opus, gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4-turbo)
  • -c, --compare - Compare with and without prompt (baseline)
  • -i, --interactive - Start interactive conversation mode
  • -v, --version <version> - Specific package version to test
  • --custom <prompt> - Use custom prompt string (verified authors only)
  • --prompt-file <file> - Load custom prompt from file (verified authors only)
Examples:

prpm subscribe

Manage your PRPM+ subscription.
Commands:
  • (no command) - Subscribe to PRPM+
  • status - View subscription status and credits
  • cancel - Cancel your subscription
Examples:

prpm buy-credits

Purchase additional playground credits.
Opens an interactive prompt to select and purchase credit packs.

prpm suggested-inputs

Manage suggested test inputs for your packages.
Commands:
  • add - Add a suggested input
  • list - List all suggested inputs
  • remove - Remove a suggested input
Examples:

Best Practices

For Testing

  1. Use realistic inputs - Test with inputs you’d actually use in your workflow
  2. Try multiple models - Different models excel at different tasks
  3. Use compare mode - Verify the package actually adds value
  4. Test edge cases - Don’t just test the happy path
  5. Share useful results - Help the community learn from your tests

For Package Authors

  1. Add suggested inputs - Make it easy for users to test effectively
  2. Monitor analytics - See how users actually test your package
  3. Respond to feedback - Address issues users discover through testing
  4. Test your own packages - Verify they work as expected with different models
  5. Share best results - Feature great test results in your package README

Pricing & Limits

Credit Costs

Credits are spent based on token usage:
  • 1 credit = 5,000 tokens
  • Tokens = input tokens + output tokens
  • Cost shown after each test

Rate Limits

  • Free tier: 5 credits total
  • PRPM+: 100 credits/month + rollover (max 200)
  • Credit packs: No limits, never expire

Fair Use

Playground is for testing packages, not production AI usage:
  • ✅ Testing packages before installing
  • ✅ Comparing multiple packages
  • ✅ Sharing test results with team
  • ❌ Using as primary AI interface
  • ❌ Automating bulk requests
  • ❌ Sharing account credentials

Troubleshooting

”Insufficient credits”

Solution: Subscribe to PRPM+ or buy a credit pack:

“Package not found”

Solution: Verify the package name is correct:

CLI playground not working

Solution: Ensure you’re logged in:

Test taking too long

Solution:
  • Try a faster model (GPT-4o Mini)
  • Reduce input length
  • Check your internet connection

Support

Need help with Playground?