This repository stores project-specific rule files for the Cline AI coding agent. Use these to direct Cline’s behavior, maintain coding standards, document architecture decisions, and enforce team workflows.

my-project/
├── .clinerules/              # All rule files live here
│   ├── 01-xxx.md
│   ├── 02-xxx.md
├── .memory/                  # memory bank folder
├── README.md                 # This file

Cline rules (.clinerules) are system-level instructions that guide the AI in every task it performs. They persist across sessions and influence the agent’s behavior at a project level .

You can choose:

• A single .clinerules file, or
• A .clinerules/ directory with multiple .md files for modular rule sets.

This repository selected the 2nd option - having multiples files.

Tips from the documentation and community best practices:

• Be clear, concise, and specific.
• Focus on outcomes, not low‑level steps.
• Use pseudo-XML or markdown to structure rules if needed .
• Use emphasis (**bold**, *italic*) to highlight critical points.
• Enable only relevant rules to avoid noise.

1. Install Cline in VS Code (via Extensions)
2. Ensure your rule files are committed to version control under .clinerules/
3. Cline will automatically detect the .clinerules directory in the project root and load all .md rules within it.
4. Optionally, use the /newrule slash command in the Cline chat to create new rule files in .clinerules/ ([Cline][1], [DataCamp][3]).
5. Use the Rules tab in the Cline UI to toggle individual rule files on or off during a session ([DataCamp][3], [Cline][1]).

For long-lived or complex projects, you can include a memory bank folder that persists project state and context across sessions.

Example structure:

.memory/
├── projectbrief.md
├── activeContext.md
├── systemPatterns.md
├── techContext.md
└── progress.md

These files help Cline retain architectural decisions, tech stack choices, and ongoing progress over time.

To begin:

• Clone this repository.
• Ensure .clinerules/ exists with your rule files.
• Open in VS Code and install the Cline extension.
• Set your AI provider and API key in Cline settings.
• Launch Cline and type /newtask to start using rules.