Project Instructions

Drop a .atomcode.md in your project root to pin tech-stack details, conventions, and preferences. AtomCode injects it into the system prompt at startup, so you don't have to repeat the rules every conversation.

Why bother

A typical scenario: your team uses the Composition API exclusively — Options API is banned. Every time you ask AtomCode to write a new component, you have to remind it. With .atomcode.md, that preference rides along on every conversation automatically.

File location

• Default path: .atomcode.md at the project root
• AtomCode walks upwards from the current working directory until it finds the file, or hits $HOME
• If the file doesn't exist, no related content appears in the system prompt

Example

# Project Instructions

This is a Vue 3 + TypeScript project using Pinia for state,
Tailwind for styles, and Vitest for unit tests.

## Conventions

- Components must use `<script setup lang="ts">` Composition API
- Only Tailwind for styling — no inline style attributes, no standalone .css files
- All API calls go through `src/services/*`; never fetch directly in components
- State lives in Pinia stores — components keep no derived global state

## Commands

- Dev: `pnpm dev`
- Typecheck: `pnpm typecheck`
- Tests: `pnpm test`
- Build: `pnpm build`

## Notes

- Do not modify `src/generated/*` — it's auto-generated from OpenAPI
- Test coverage must stay above 80%; new modules must ship with unit tests

Tips for writing .atomcode.md

• Only write what's different from the norm — the model already knows generic best practices; don't repeat them here.
• Prefer commands over descriptions — "run tests with pnpm test", not "please run the unit tests".
• Use imperatives — "Use X", "Don't Y" — avoid hedge words like "suggest", "if possible".
• List forbidden zones — call out files / directories that must not be touched. The model is highly compliant.
• Keep it short — every line costs tokens; 30-80 lines is usually plenty.

Relationship to AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md / GEMINI.md

AtomCode natively supports AGENTS.md, the open standard for AI coding agent context. If you have a project that already uses AGENTS.md, AtomCode will pick it up automatically — no extra setup needed. The lookup order is:

1. .atomcode.md
2. ATOMCODE.md
3. AGENTS.md
4. CLAUDE.md / claude.md

First match wins. If you also use Claude Code or Gemini CLI in the same project, they each have their own instruction files:

• AtomCode → .atomcode.md or AGENTS.md
• Claude Code → CLAUDE.md
• Gemini CLI → GEMINI.md

These don't conflict. By using AGENTS.md, you can share the same instruction file across multiple AI coding tools that follow the open standard.

Next steps

• Skills — abstract reusable workflows into commands