rulesync

A Node.js CLI tool that automatically generates configuration files for various AI development tools from unified AI rule files (.rulesync/*.md). Also imports existing AI tool configurations into the unified format.

English | 日本語

Supported Tools

rulesync supports both generation and import for the following AI development tools:

• GitHub Copilot Custom Instructions (.github/copilot-instructions.md + .github/instructions/*.instructions.md)
• Cursor Project Rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc + .cursorrules)
• Cline Rules (.clinerules/*.md + .cline/instructions.md)
• Claude Code Memory (./CLAUDE.md + .claude/memories/*.md)
• OpenAI Codex CLI (codex.md + .codex/mcp-config.json + .codexignore)
• AugmentCode Rules (.augment/rules/*.md)
• Roo Code Rules (.roo/rules/*.md + .roo/instructions.md)
• Gemini CLI (GEMINI.md + .gemini/memories/*.md)
• JetBrains Junie Guidelines (.junie/guidelines.md)
• Kiro IDE Custom Steering Documents (.kiro/steering/*.md) + AI Ignore Files (.aiignore)

Installation

npm install -g rulesync
# or
pnpm add -g rulesync
# or  
yarn global add rulesync

Getting Started

New Project

1. Initialize your project:

   npx rulesync init

2. Edit the generated rule files in .rulesync/ directory to match your project needs

   Or add new rule files:

   npx rulesync add my-custom-rules

3. Generate tool-specific configuration files:

   npx rulesync generate

4. Optional: Add generated files to .gitignore:

   npx rulesync gitignore

Existing Project with AI Tool Configurations

If you already have AI tool configurations, you can import them into rulesync format:

1. Import existing configurations:

   # Import from specific tools (only one tool can be specified at a time)
   npx rulesync import --claudecode  # From CLAUDE.md and .claude/memories/*.md
   npx rulesync import --cursor      # From .cursorrules and .cursor/rules/*.mdc
   npx rulesync import --copilot     # From .github/copilot-instructions.md
   npx rulesync import --cline       # From .cline/instructions.md
   npx rulesync import --augmentcode        # From .augment/rules/*.md
   npx rulesync import --augmentcode-legacy # From .augment-guidelines (legacy format)
   npx rulesync import --roo                # From .roo/instructions.md
   npx rulesync import --geminicli   # From GEMINI.md and .gemini/memories/*.md
   npx rulesync import --junie       # From .junie/guidelines.md

2. Review and edit the imported rules in .rulesync/ directory

3. Generate unified configurations:

   npx rulesync generate

That's it! Your AI coding assistants will now use the generated configuration files automatically.

Why rulesync?

🔧 Tool Flexibility

Team members can freely choose their preferred AI coding tools. Whether it's GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Cline, or Claude Code, each developer can use the tool that maximizes their productivity.

📈 Future-Proof Development

AI development tools evolve rapidly with new tools emerging frequently. With rulesync, switching between tools doesn't require redefining your rules from scratch.

🎯 Multi-Tool Workflow

Enable hybrid development workflows combining multiple AI tools:

• GitHub Copilot for code completion
• Cursor for refactoring
• Claude Code for architecture design
• Cline for debugging assistance
• OpenAI Codex CLI for GPT-4 powered development
• Gemini CLI for intelligent code analysis
• JetBrains Junie for autonomous AI coding

🔓 No Vendor Lock-in

Avoid vendor lock-in completely. If you decide to stop using rulesync, you can continue using the generated rule files (.github/instructions/, .cursor/rules/, .clinerules/, CLAUDE.md, codex.md, GEMINI.md, .junie/guidelines.md, etc.) as-is.

🎯 Consistency Across Tools

Apply consistent rules across all AI tools, improving code quality and development experience for the entire team.

Kiro IDE Integration

Custom Steering Documents and AI Ignore Files

rulesync supports Custom Steering Documents and AI Ignore Files for Kiro IDE, complementing Kiro's built-in project management system.

Important: rulesync does NOT generate the core steering files (product.md, structure.md, tech.md) as these are better managed directly by Kiro IDE itself. Instead, rulesync focuses on generating additional custom steering documents and AI-specific ignore files.

What rulesync provides for Kiro:

• Custom steering documents: Additional .md files in .kiro/steering/ directory
• AI ignore files: .aiignore file for excluding files from AI access
• Project-specific rules: Team coding standards, security guidelines, deployment processes
• Rule synchronization: Keep custom rules consistent across team members
• Intelligent pattern extraction: Automatically identifies AI-sensitive patterns from rule globs

AI Ignore File Features:

• Security-first exclusions: Automatically excludes sensitive files (.pem, .key, .env*)
• Data file exclusions: Excludes large data files that might confuse AI (.csv, .sqlite, .zip)
• Sensitive documentation: Excludes internal documentation and confidential directories
• Pattern-based exclusions: Analyzes rule globs to identify AI-sensitive patterns
• Explicit ignore patterns: Supports manual ignore patterns in rule content (# IGNORE:, # aiignore:)

What Kiro IDE handles directly:

• Core steering files: product.md (user requirements), structure.md (architecture), tech.md (tech stack)
• Spec management: Feature specifications in .kiro/specs/
• Agent hooks: Automated context application

This division of responsibility ensures that rulesync enhances Kiro's capabilities without duplicating its core functionality.

OpenAI Codex CLI Integration

Hierarchical Memory System

rulesync supports OpenAI Codex CLI's hierarchical memory system, which provides persistent context and project-specific rules to GPT-4 powered development workflows.

Key Features:

• Hierarchical Instructions: Global user instructions → Project-level instructions → Directory-specific instructions
• MCP Integration: Model Context Protocol support through wrapper servers for extended functionality
• GPT-4 Models: Support for GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, o1-mini, and other OpenAI models
• Plain Markdown Format: Clean, readable instruction files without complex frontmatter
• Community Ignore Support: Optional .codexignore file for excluding sensitive files from AI access

File Structure

rulesync generates the following files for OpenAI Codex CLI:

• codex.md: Main project-level instructions (generated from root rules)
• <filename>.md: Additional instruction files (generated from non-root rules)
• .codex/mcp-config.json: MCP server configuration for wrapper servers
• .codexignore: Optional ignore file for community tools and enhanced privacy

Usage with OpenAI Models

OpenAI Codex CLI works with various OpenAI models:

• GPT-4: Best for complex reasoning and architecture decisions
• GPT-4 Turbo: Optimized for performance and cost efficiency
• o1-mini: Specialized for coding tasks and problem-solving
• GPT-4o-mini: Balanced performance for everyday development tasks

The hierarchical memory system ensures consistent coding standards and project context across all model interactions.

Example Usage

Generate OpenAI Codex CLI configuration files:

# Generate only for OpenAI Codex CLI
npx rulesync generate --codexcli

# Generate with MCP configuration for wrapper servers
npx rulesync generate --codexcli --verbose

# Generate in specific directory (useful for monorepos)
npx rulesync generate --codexcli --base-dir ./packages/frontend

This will create:

• codex.md with your project-level instructions
• Additional .md files for specific rule categories
• .codex/mcp-config.json for MCP wrapper server integration
• .codexignore for enhanced privacy control (if .rulesyncignore exists)

Claude Code Integration

Creating Custom Slash Commands

Instead of using Claude Code's built-in /init command, we recommend creating a custom slash command specifically for rulesync.

Refer to the Claude Code slash commands documentation and add the following custom command:

.claude/commands/init-rulesync.md

Analyze this project's codebase and update .rulesync/overview.md files as needed.

Please ensure the following frontmatter is defined in .rulesync/overview.md:

---
root: true | false               # Required: Rule level (true for overview, false for details)
targets: ["*"]                   # Required: Target tools (* = all, or specific tools)
description: "" # Required: Rule description
globs: ["**/*"]                  # Required: File patterns
cursorRuleType: "always"         # Optional: Cursor-specific rule type (always, manual, specificFiles, intelligently)
---

In .rulesync/overview.md, root should be set to true. Please write an appropriate description in the description field.

Integration Benefits

• Project-Specific Initialization: Optimized rule configuration for each project
• Automatic Rule Updates: Rules adapt to project changes automatically
• Team Standardization: All members use the same rule set
• Continuous Improvement: Rules evolve with project growth

Usage

1. Initialize

npx rulesync init

This creates a .rulesync/ directory with sample rule files.

2. Edit Rule Files

Define metadata in front matter for each Markdown file in the .rulesync/ directory. See the Example Files section below for detailed examples.

Rule Levels

rulesync uses a two-level rule system:

• root: true: Project-wide overview and policies
  • Only one root file is allowed per project
  • Contains high-level guidelines and project context
• root: false: Specific implementation rules and detailed guidelines
  • Multiple non-root files are allowed
  • Contains specific coding rules, naming conventions, etc.

Tool-Specific Behavior

Each AI tool handles rule levels differently:

3. Generate Configuration Files

# Generate for all tools
npx rulesync generate

# Generate for specific tools
npx rulesync generate --copilot
npx rulesync generate --cursor  
npx rulesync generate --cline
npx rulesync generate --claudecode
npx rulesync generate --codexcli
npx rulesync generate --augmentcode
npx rulesync generate --roo
npx rulesync generate --geminicli
npx rulesync generate --junie
npx rulesync generate --kiro

# Clean build (delete existing files first)
npx rulesync generate --delete

# Clean build for specific tools
npx rulesync generate --copilot --cursor --codexcli --delete

# Verbose output
npx rulesync generate --verbose
npx rulesync generate --delete --verbose

# Generate in specific base directories (monorepo support)
npx rulesync generate --base-dir ./packages/frontend
npx rulesync generate --base-dir ./packages/frontend,./packages/backend
npx rulesync generate --base-dir ./apps/web,./apps/api,./packages/shared

Generate Options

• --delete: Remove all existing generated files before creating new ones
• --verbose: Show detailed output during generation process
• --copilot, --cursor, --cline, --claudecode, --codexcli, --augmentcode, --roo, --geminicli, --junie, --kiro: Generate only for specified tools
• --base-dir <paths>: Generate configuration files in specified base directories (comma-separated for multiple paths). Useful for monorepo setups where you want to generate tool-specific configurations in different project directories.
• --config <path>: Use a specific configuration file
• --no-config: Disable configuration file loading

Configuration Files

rulesync supports configuration files to avoid repetitive command-line arguments. The configuration is loaded from (in order of precedence):

1. Path specified with --config flag
2. rulesync.jsonc (JSONC format with comments)
3. rulesync.ts (TypeScript format)
4. rulesync.config.ts
5. rulesync.config.jsonc
6. package.json (in a "rulesync" field)

Configuration File Examples

JSONC format (rulesync.jsonc):

{
  // List of tools to generate configurations for
  "targets": ["copilot", "cursor", "claudecode", "codexcli"],
  
  // Tools to exclude from generation (overrides targets)
  "exclude": ["roo"],
  
  // Custom output paths for specific tools
  "outputPaths": {
    "copilot": ".github/copilot-instructions.md"
  },
  
  // Base directory or directories for generation
  "baseDir": "./packages",
  
  // Delete existing files before generating
  "delete": false,
  
  // Enable verbose output
  "verbose": true,
  
  // Directory containing rule files
  "aiRulesDir": ".rulesync",
  
  // Watch configuration
  "watch": {
    "enabled": false,
    "interval": 1000,
    "ignore": ["node_modules/**", ".git/**", "dist/**", "build/**"]
  }
}

TypeScript format (rulesync.ts):

import type { ConfigOptions } from "rulesync";

const config: ConfigOptions = {
  targets: ["copilot", "cursor", "claudecode", "codexcli"],
  exclude: ["roo"],
  outputPaths: {
    copilot: ".github/copilot-instructions.md"
  },
  baseDir: "./packages",
  delete: false,
  verbose: true
};

export default config;

Configuration Options

• targets: Array of tools to generate configurations for (overrides default targets)
• exclude: Array of tools to exclude from generation
• outputPaths: Custom output paths for specific tools
• baseDir: Base directory or array of directories for generation
• delete: Delete existing files before generating (default: false)
• verbose: Enable verbose output (default: false)
• aiRulesDir: Directory containing rule files (default: ".rulesync")
• watch: Watch configuration with enabled, interval, and ignore options
  • enabled: Enable file watching (default: false)
  • interval: Watch interval in milliseconds (default: 1000)
  • ignore: Array of patterns to ignore during watching

Managing Configuration

# Show current configuration
npx rulesync config

# Initialize a configuration file
npx rulesync config --init

# Initialize with specific format
npx rulesync config --init --format jsonc  # Default, supports comments
npx rulesync config --init --format ts     # TypeScript with type safety

4. Import Existing Configurations

If you already have AI tool configurations in your project, you can import them to rulesync format:

# Import from existing AI tool configurations
npx rulesync import --claudecode # Import from CLAUDE.md and .claude/memories/*.md
npx rulesync import --cursor     # Import from .cursorrules and .cursor/rules/*.md
npx rulesync import --copilot    # Import from .github/copilot-instructions.md and .github/instructions/*.instructions.md
npx rulesync import --cline      # Import from .cline/instructions.md
npx rulesync import --augmentcode # Import from .augment/rules/*.md
npx rulesync import --roo        # Import from .roo/instructions.md
npx rulesync import --geminicli  # Import from GEMINI.md and .gemini/memories/*.md
npx rulesync import --junie      # Import from .junie/guidelines.md

# Import each tool individually
npx rulesync import --claudecode
npx rulesync import --cursor
npx rulesync import --copilot

# Verbose output during import
npx rulesync import --claudecode --verbose

The import command will:

• Parse existing configuration files from each AI tool using custom parsers
• Convert them to rulesync format with appropriate frontmatter metadata
• Create new .rulesync/*.md files with imported content and proper rule categorization
• Use tool-specific prefixes to avoid filename conflicts (e.g., claudecode-overview.md, cursor-custom-rules.md)
• Generate unique filenames if conflicts occur
• Support complex formats like Cursor's MDC files with YAML frontmatter
• Handle multiple file imports (e.g., all files from .claude/memories/ directory)

Cursor Import Details

When importing from Cursor, the following four rule types are automatically identified:

1. always (cursorRuleType: always)

   • Condition: alwaysApply: true is set
   • Conversion: Imported as root rule (root: false), with globs: ["**/*"] set

2. manual (cursorRuleType: manual)

   • Condition: empty description + empty globs + alwaysApply: false
   • Conversion: Imported with empty globs patterns (manual application rule)

3. specificFiles (cursorRuleType: specificFiles)

   • Condition: globs specified (regardless of description)
   • Conversion: Specified globs patterns preserved as array, description set to empty string

4. intelligently (cursorRuleType: intelligently)

   • Condition: description specified + empty globs
   • Conversion: Description preserved, empty globs patterns set

Edge Case Handling

• Non-empty description + non-empty globs: Processed as specificFiles (globs patterns take priority)
• No matching conditions: Processed as manual (default)

Supported Files

• .cursorrules (legacy format)
• .cursor/rules/*.mdc (modern MDC format)
• .cursorignore (ignore patterns)
• .cursor/mcp.json (MCP server configuration)

5. Other Commands

# Initialize project with sample files
npx rulesync init

# Add a new rule file
npx rulesync add <filename>
npx rulesync add typescript-rules
npx rulesync add security.md  # .md extension is automatically handled

# Validate rule files
npx rulesync validate

# Check current status  
npx rulesync status

# Watch files and auto-generate
npx rulesync watch

# Add generated files to .gitignore
npx rulesync gitignore

# Show or manage configuration
npx rulesync config
npx rulesync config --init  # Create configuration file

Configuration File Structure

.rulesync/
├── overview.md          # Project overview (root: true, only one)
├── coding-rules.md      # Coding rules (root: false)
├── naming-conventions.md # Naming conventions (root: false)
├── architecture.md      # Architecture guidelines (root: false)  
├── security.md          # Security rules (root: false)
└── custom.md           # Project-specific rules (root: false)

Excluding Files with .rulesyncignore

You can exclude specific rule files from being processed by creating a .rulesyncignore file in your project root. This file uses gitignore-style patterns.

Example .rulesyncignore:

# Ignore test rule files
**/*.test.md

# Ignore temporary files
tmp/**/*

# Ignore draft rules
draft-*.md
*-draft.md

When .rulesyncignore exists, rulesync will:

1. Skip matching files during rule processing
2. Generate tool-specific ignore files:
   • .cursorignore for Cursor
   • .clineignore for Cline
   • .rooignore for Roo Code
   • .copilotignore for GitHub Copilot (community tools)
   • .aiexclude for Gemini CLI
   • .aiignore for Kiro IDE
   • Update .claude/settings.json permissions.deny with Read() rules for Claude Code

Frontmatter Schema

Each rule file must include frontmatter with the following fields:

---
root: true | false               # Required: Rule level (true for overview, false for details)
targets: ["*"]                   # Required: Target tools (* = all, or specific tools)
description: "Brief description" # Required: Rule description
globs: ["**/*"]                  # Required: File patterns (array format)
cursorRuleType: "always"         # Optional: Cursor-specific rule type (always, manual, specificFiles, intelligently)
---

cursorRuleType Field (Optional)

Additional metadata field for Cursor tool:

• always: Rules applied to the entire project constantly
• manual: Rules applied manually (default)
• specificFiles: Rules automatically applied to specific file patterns
• intelligently: Rules applied by AI judgment

Example Files

Root file (.rulesync/overview.md): ```markdown

root: true targets: [""] description: "Project overview and development philosophy" globs: ["src/**/.ts"]

Project Development Guidelines

This project follows TypeScript-first development with clean architecture principles.

**Non-root file** (`.rulesync/coding-rules.md`):
```markdown
---
root: false
targets: ["copilot", "cursor", "roo"]
description: "TypeScript coding standards"
globs: ["**/*.ts", "**/*.tsx"]
---

# TypeScript Coding Rules

- Use strict TypeScript configuration
- Prefer interfaces over types for object shapes
- Use meaningful variable names

Generated Configuration Files

Validation

rulesync validates your rule files and provides helpful error messages:

npx rulesync validate

Common validation rules:

• Only one root file (root: true) is allowed per project
• All frontmatter fields are required and properly formatted
• File patterns (globs) use valid syntax
• Target tools are recognized values

MCP (Model Context Protocol) Support

rulesync can also manage MCP server configurations for supported AI tools. This allows you to configure language servers and other MCP-compatible services once and deploy them across multiple AI coding assistants.

Supported MCP Tools

• Claude Code (.mcp.json)
• GitHub Copilot (.vscode/mcp.json)
• Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json)
• Cline (.cline/mcp.json)
• OpenAI Codex CLI (.codex/mcp-config.json)
• Gemini CLI (.gemini/settings.json)
• JetBrains Junie (.junie/mcp.json)
• Kiro IDE (.kiro/mcp.json)
• Roo Code (.roo/mcp.json)

MCP Configuration

Create a .rulesync/.mcp.json file in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "-i", "--rm",
        "-e", "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {},
      "targets": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Configuration Fields

• mcpServers: Object containing MCP server configurations
  • command: Executable command for stdio-based servers
  • args: Command arguments
  • url: URL for HTTP/SSE-based servers
  • env: Environment variables to pass to the server
  • targets: Array of tool names to deploy this server to
    • Use specific tool names: ["claude", "cursor", "copilot"]
    • Use ["*"] to deploy to all supported tools
    • If omitted, server is deployed to all tools by default

Kiro IDE-Specific MCP Fields

For Kiro IDE, you can use additional configuration fields:

• kiroAutoApprove: Array of tool names to automatically approve without user prompts
• kiroAutoBlock: Array of tool names to automatically block

Example with Kiro-specific fields:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-tools": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "aws_mcp_server"],
      "env": {
        "AWS_PROFILE": "dev",
        "AWS_REGION": "us-east-1"
      },
      "kiroAutoApprove": ["describe_instances", "list_buckets"],
      "kiroAutoBlock": ["delete_bucket", "terminate_instances"],
      "targets": ["kiro"]
    }
  }
}

Generating MCP Configurations

MCP configurations are generated alongside rule files:

# Generate both rules and MCP configurations
npx rulesync generate

# Generate only for specific tools
npx rulesync generate --claudecode --cursor --codexcli --junie --kiro

# Generate in specific directories (monorepo)
npx rulesync generate --base-dir ./packages/frontend

The MCP configurations will be generated in the appropriate locations for each tool, and the tools will automatically load them when started.

License

MIT License

Contributing

Issues and Pull Requests are welcome!

For development setup and contribution guidelines, see CONTRIBUTING.md.