AI Rules Specification

Core specification and schema for Universal AI Rules 📋

Overview

This package contains the core specification, schema definitions, and validation rules for the Universal AI Rules format (.ai/ai-rules.yaml). It defines the standard that all AI coding assistants should follow when reading unified rule files.

What's Included

⚠️ Note: This specification is still being developed. We need contributors to help design and implement it!

Planned Components

• YAML Schema - JSON Schema definition for .ai/ai-rules.yaml format
• Validation Rules - Rules for validating rule files
• Format Specification - Detailed documentation of the file format
• Extension Mechanisms - How to extend the spec for new AI tools
• Migration Guides - How to convert from existing formats
• Best Practices - Guidelines for writing effective rules

Schema Structure (Draft)

# .ai/ai-rules.yaml
version: "1.0"
project:
  name: string
  description: string
  type: "web" | "api" | "cli" | "library" | "mobile"

rules:
  - name: string
    content: string
    applies_to: string[]
    priority: "low" | "medium" | "high"
    
tools:
  enabled: string[]
  [tool_name]:
    output_path: string
    template: string
    options: object

Supported AI Tools

The specification will define how to generate config files for:

• GitHub Copilot (.github/copilot-instructions.md)
• Claude (Anthropic) (CLAUDE.md, CLAUDE.local.md)
• Cursor (.cursor/rules/*.md)
• Windsurf (.windsurf/rules/*.md)
• Cline (.clinerules/*.md)
• OpenAI Codex & Jules (AGENTS.md)
• Aider (CONVENTIONS.md)
• Sourcegraph Cody (.sourcegraph/memory.md)
• JetBrains AI (.junie/instructions.md)

Get Involved

We need help designing this specification:

• 📝 Review existing formats - analyze current AI tool rule formats
• 🔧 Design the schema - help create the YAML structure
• ✅ Build validation - implement schema validation
• 📚 Write documentation - create clear specification docs
• 🧪 Create examples - provide sample rule files

Contributing

This is where the Universal AI Rules project starts. If you're interested in:

• YAML schema design
• JSON Schema validation
• Technical specification writing
• API design

Please contribute! Check out our main project for contribution guidelines.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.