> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.helicone.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Helicone Guides

> Guides for building, optimizing, and analyzing LLM applications with Helicone.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/helicone/psm-vDV7pnoZSp6H/images/guide/guides-cover.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=psm-vDV7pnoZSp6H&q=85&s=aeca956e1cb330e3ab1dee061187ee78" alt="Helicone's guides for building, optimizing, and analyzing LLM applications with Helicone." width="2096" height="1179" data-path="images/guide/guides-cover.webp" />
</Frame>

## How-to Guides

Practical, task-oriented guides for solving specific problems with Helicone. These guides assume you already know the basics and need to accomplish a particular task.

### Data Management & Analytics

<CardGroup cols={2} gap="medium">
  <Card title="Debug your LLM app" icon="bug" href="/guides/cookbooks/debugging" vertical iconType="light">
    Identify and fix errors in your LLM application using Helicone's debugging tools.
  </Card>

  <Card title="ETL / Data extraction" icon="database" href="/guides/cookbooks/etl" vertical iconType="light">
    Extract and export your LLM data for analysis and reporting.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Segment data with Custom Properties" icon="chart-pie" href="/guides/cookbooks/segmentation" vertical iconType="light">
    Track costs and behaviors by environment, user type, and custom dimensions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Label request data" icon="tags" href="/guides/cookbooks/labeling-request-data" vertical iconType="light">
    Add labels to requests for easier searching and filtering.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get user requests" icon="user" href="/guides/cookbooks/getting-user-requests" vertical iconType="light">
    Retrieve user-specific requests for monitoring and cost tracking.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get session data" icon="comments" href="/guides/cookbooks/getting-sessions" vertical iconType="light">
    Access conversation threads and session history.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Advanced Features

<CardGroup cols={2} gap="medium">
  <Card title="Replay LLM sessions" icon="rotate-right" href="/guides/cookbooks/replay-session" iconType="light" vertical>
    Replay and analyze past LLM sessions for optimization.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run experiments" icon="flask" href="/guides/cookbooks/experiments" vertical iconType="light">
    A/B test prompts and model configurations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fine-tune models" icon="sliders" href="/guides/cookbooks/fine-tune" vertical iconType="light">
    Prepare datasets and track fine-tuning workflows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Predefine request IDs" icon="fingerprint" href="/guides/cookbooks/predefining-request-id" vertical iconType="light">
    Set custom request IDs for better tracking.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Integration & Environment

<CardGroup cols={2} gap="medium">
  <Card title="Track environments" icon="sitemap" iconType="light" href="/guides/cookbooks/environment-tracking" vertical>
    Separate dev, staging, and production environments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="GitHub Actions integration" icon="github" href="/guides/cookbooks/github-actions" vertical iconType="light">
    Monitor LLM calls in your CI/CD pipelines.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manual logger streaming" icon="waves" href="/guides/cookbooks/manual-logger-streaming" vertical iconType="light">
    Implement custom streaming with the logger SDK.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Tutorials

Step-by-step guides for learning by building complete applications with Helicone. Perfect for understanding how different features work together.

<CardGroup cols={2} gap="medium">
  <Card title="Build an AI Agent System" icon="robot" href="/guides/cookbooks/ai-agents" vertical iconType="light">
    Create a complete AI agent with tool calling, memory, and observability.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Customer Support Assistant" icon="headset" href="/guides/cookbooks/vercel-ai-gateway" vertical iconType="light">
    Build a multi-model assistant that routes queries based on complexity.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Debate Simulator" icon="message-circle" href="/guides/cookbooks/vercel-ai-gateway-demo" vertical iconType="light">
    Create an interactive debate app showcasing different integration methods.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Evaluation System with Ragas" icon="chart-line" href="/guides/cookbooks/helicone-evals-with-ragas" vertical iconType="light">
    Implement comprehensive LLM evaluation using Helicone and Ragas.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chatbot with Structured Outputs" icon="message-bot" href="/guides/cookbooks/openai-structured-outputs" vertical iconType="light">
    Build a chatbot using OpenAI's structured outputs and function calling.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Thinking Models Implementation" icon="brain" href="/guides/cookbooks/prompt-thinking-models" vertical iconType="light">
    Work with reasoning models like DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI o1/o3.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Knowledge Base

Educational resources to deepen your understanding of LLM concepts and best practices.

### Prompt Engineering

Master the art of crafting effective prompts for optimal LLM performance.

<CardGroup cols={1} gap="medium">
  <Card title="Overview" icon="house" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/overview" horizontal iconType="light">
    Learn the basics of prompt engineering and how to craft effective LLM
    prompts.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<CardGroup cols={2} gap="medium">
  <Card title="Prompt thinking models" icon="brain" href="/guides/cookbooks/prompt-thinking-models" horizontal iconType="light">
    Learn how to effectively prompt thinking models like DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI
    o1/o3.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Be specific and clear" icon="bullseye-arrow" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/be-specific-and-clear" horizontal iconType="light">
    Create concise prompts for better LLM responses.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use structured formats" icon="table-list" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/use-structured-formats" horizontal iconType="light">
    Format the generated output for easier parsing and interpretation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Role-playing" icon="user-gear" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/leverage-role-playing" horizontal iconType="light">
    Assign specific roles in system prompts to set the style, tone, and content.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Few-shot learning" icon="graduation-cap" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/implement-few-shot-learning" horizontal iconType="light">
    Provide examples of desired outputs to guide the LLM towards better
    responses.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use constrained outputs" icon="ruler-combined" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/use-constrained-outputs" horizontal iconType="light">
    Set clear rules for the model’s responses to improve accuracy and
    consistency.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chain-of-thought prompting" icon="stairs" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/use-chain-of-thought-prompting" horizontal iconType="light">
    Encourage the model to generate intermediate reasoning steps before arriving
    at a final answer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Thread-of-thought prompting" icon="arrow-progress" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/use-thread-of-thought-prompting" horizontal iconType="light">
    Build on previous ideas to maintain a coherent line of reasoning between
    interactions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Least-to-most prompting" icon="grid-dividers" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/use-least-to-most-prompting" horizontal iconType="light">
    Break down complex problems into smaller parts, gradually increasing in
    complexity.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Meta-Prompting" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/guides/prompt-engineering/use-meta-prompting" horizontal iconType="light">
    Use LLMs to create and refine prompts dynamically.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

<Accordion title="Need help choosing a guide?" type="secondary">
  <p>
    Not sure which guide to start with? Check out our
    <a href="/guides/getting-started">Getting Started</a> guide to begin your journey
    with Helicone.
  </p>
</Accordion>

<Callout title="Stay Updated!" type="warning">
  Make sure to follow our [official channels](https://www.helicone.ai/updates)
  to stay informed about the latest features and updates.
</Callout>
