AI Context File Generator

Philosophy

AI coding assistants work better when they understand a project's conventions, architecture, and constraints. Context files tell AI tools how to work with the codebase — coding standards, test patterns, import conventions, key file paths, and deployment workflows.

This skill generates context files for multiple AI tools from a single codebase analysis. The same scan produces output for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Gemini CLI.

Supported Context Files

File	AI Tool	Purpose	Adoption
AGENTS.md	Codex CLI, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Claude Code	Cross-tool agent context — identity, capabilities, conventions	40,000+ repos
CLAUDE.md	Claude Code	Project-specific instructions loaded on every session	Native to Claude Code
.cursorrules	Cursor	Editor-specific rules for code generation	Native to Cursor
.github/copilot-instructions.md	GitHub Copilot	Repository-level instructions for Copilot suggestions	Native to Copilot
.windsurfrules	Windsurf	Project-specific rules for Windsurf's Cascade AI	Native to Windsurf
.clinerules	Cline (VS Code extension)	Project context for autonomous Cline tasks	Native to Cline
GEMINI.md	Gemini CLI	Project context loaded at the start of every Gemini CLI session	Native to Gemini CLI

Codebase Analysis Workflow

Step 1: Detect Project Profile

# Language and runtime
ls package.json pyproject.toml Cargo.toml go.mod pom.xml build.gradle 2>/dev/null

# Framework detection
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"(react|next|express|fastify|hono|astro|svelte)"'
cat pyproject.toml 2>/dev/null | grep -E '(fastapi|django|flask|starlette)'

# Test runner
ls jest.config* vitest.config* pytest.ini pyproject.toml .mocharc* 2>/dev/null
grep -l "test" package.json 2>/dev/null

# Linter/formatter
ls .eslintrc* eslint.config* .prettierrc* biome.json ruff.toml .flake8 2>/dev/null

# TypeScript configuration
ls tsconfig*.json 2>/dev/null

# Monorepo detection
ls pnpm-workspace.yaml lerna.json nx.json turbo.json 2>/dev/null

# CI/CD
ls .github/workflows/*.yml 2>/dev/null

Step 2: Extract Conventions

From the codebase analysis, extract:

1. Language version — Node.js version from .nvmrc/engines, Python from requires-python, Go from go.mod
2. Import conventions — ESM vs CommonJS, absolute vs relative imports, path aliases (@/)
3. Naming patterns — camelCase/snake_case for variables, PascalCase for types, file naming
4. Directory structure — where source, tests, config, and docs live
5. Test patterns — test file location (__tests__/, *.test.ts, tests/), test runner, assertion style
6. Build/deploy — build command, deploy target (Cloudflare, Vercel, AWS, etc.)
7. Error handling — custom error classes, Result types, try-catch patterns
8. Security rules — .gitignore patterns, secret management, input validation

Step 3: Generate Context Files

AGENTS.md Structure

# AGENTS.md

## Identity

[Project name] is a [brief description]. Built with [language/framework].

## Project Structure

[Key directories and their purpose]

## Coding Conventions

- [Language]: [version]
- Style: [naming conventions, import order]
- Types: [strict mode, no any, explicit returns — if TypeScript]
- Tests: [runner, location, naming pattern]
- Commits: [conventional commits, branch naming]

## Key Commands

```bash
[install command]
[test command]
[build command]
[lint command]
[deploy command]

Architecture

[2-3 sentences on architecture: patterns used, key abstractions, data flow]

Important Files

• [key config file] — [purpose]
• [main entry point] — [purpose]
• [key module] — [purpose]

Rules

• [Critical rule 1 — e.g., never commit secrets]
• [Critical rule 2 — e.g., all public functions need tests]
• [Critical rule 3 — e.g., use direnv exec for deploy commands]

#### CLAUDE.md Structure

Claude Code loads this file at the start of every session. Keep it concise — under 200 lines.

```markdown
# [Project Name]

## Quick Reference

- **Language**: [X] with [framework]
- **Test**: `[test command]`
- **Build**: `[build command]`
- **Deploy**: `[deploy command]`

## Coding Standards

[3-5 bullet points on the most important conventions]

## Architecture

[Key patterns, file organisation, data flow — 3-5 bullet points]

## Key Paths

| Path | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `src/` | Source code |
| `tests/` | Test files |
| ... | ... |

## Rules

[Critical do/don't rules that prevent common mistakes]

.cursorrules Structure

Cursor rules are plain text, loaded when editing files in the project.

You are working on [project name], a [description].

Language: [X] with [framework]
Style: [conventions]

Key rules:
- [Rule 1]
- [Rule 2]
- [Rule 3]

When writing code:
- [Pattern 1]
- [Pattern 2]

When writing tests:
- [Test pattern 1]
- [Test pattern 2]

File structure:
- src/ — source code
- tests/ — test files

.github/copilot-instructions.md Structure

# Copilot Instructions

## Project Context

This is a [description] built with [language/framework].

## Coding Standards

- [Convention 1]
- [Convention 2]
- [Convention 3]

## Patterns to Follow

- [Pattern 1]
- [Pattern 2]

## Patterns to Avoid

- [Anti-pattern 1]
- [Anti-pattern 2]

.windsurfrules Structure

Windsurf's Cascade AI reads .windsurfrules from the project root. Format is plain text — similar to .cursorrules. Windsurf supports both global (~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md) and project-level rules.

# [Project Name] — Windsurf Rules

## Project Context

[Project name] is a [description]. Built with [language/framework].

## Coding Standards

- [Convention 1]
- [Convention 2]
- [Convention 3]

## Key Files

- [main entry] — [purpose]
- [config file] — [purpose]

## Commands

[test command]
[build command]
[deploy command]

## Rules

- [Critical rule 1]
- [Critical rule 2]

.clinerules Structure

Cline reads .clinerules from the project root. It supports a richer format than .cursorrules including task checklists.

# [Project Name]

## Project Overview

[1-2 sentence description of what the project is and does]

## Tech Stack

- **Language**: [X]
- **Framework**: [Y]
- **Test runner**: [Z]
- **Linter**: [W]

## Coding Standards

- [Rule 1]
- [Rule 2]
- [Rule 3]

## Important Paths

- `[path]` — [purpose]

## Before Committing

- [ ] Tests pass (`[test command]`)
- [ ] Linting passes (`[lint command]`)
- [ ] No secrets or credentials in changed files

GEMINI.md Structure

Gemini CLI reads GEMINI.md from the project root (or .gemini/GEMINI.md). Keep it concise — Gemini CLI's context window handling differs from Claude Code.

# [Project Name]

[One sentence: what is this project and who is it for]

## Tech Stack

[Language], [Framework], [Key dependencies]

## Commands

[test command]
[build command]
[deploy command]

## Conventions

- [Convention 1]
- [Convention 2]
- [Convention 3]

## Key Paths

- `[path]`: [purpose]

Staleness Audit

When running in audit mode, check existing context files for drift:

1. Version mismatch — Does the context file reference the correct language/framework version?
2. Missing commands — Are test/build/deploy commands still accurate? Run them to verify.
3. Stale paths — Do referenced file paths still exist?
4. New conventions — Has the project adopted new patterns (e.g., added ESLint, switched to Vitest) that aren't reflected?

Report format:

AI Context Audit:
  ✓ AGENTS.md — up to date (last modified: 2 days ago)
  ⚠ CLAUDE.md — references jest but vitest.config.ts detected
  ✗ .cursorrules — references src/index.ts but file moved to src/main.ts
  · .github/copilot-instructions.md — not present
  · .windsurfrules — not present (recommend generating)
  · .clinerules — not present (recommend generating)
  · GEMINI.md — not present (recommend generating)

AGENTS.md Spec Version Tracking

The AGENTS.md format is defined by the agents.md spec. PitchDocs tracks the pinned version in upstream-versions.json.

Current Stable: v1.0

The v1.0 spec defines these standard sections:

Section	Purpose
Identity	Project name, description, what it does
Project Structure	Key directories and their purposes
Conventions	Coding standards, naming, commit conventions
Commands	Test, build, deploy, lint commands
Architecture	System design, data flow, key abstractions
Files	Important files and their roles
Rules	Hard constraints (security, compatibility)

Proposed v1.1 Features (Draft — Do Not Implement)

These features are under discussion and may change before stabilisation:

Feature	Status	Notes
Sub-agents section	Draft	Nested agent definitions within AGENTS.md
Tool permissions	Proposed	Declaring which tools an agent can use
.agent/ directory	Proposed	Directory-based agent definitions (alternative to single file)
when: frontmatter	Draft	Trigger conditions for agent activation

Guidance: Do not generate these proposed sections until they reach stable status. Monitor the agents.md releases for v1.1 announcement. The check-upstream GitHub Action will flag when a new version is available. When v1.1 reaches stable, update the pinned version in upstream-versions.json and add the new sections to the generation templates above.

Anti-Patterns

• Don't dump entire codebase — context files should be concise summaries, not file listings
• Don't include secrets — no API keys, tokens, or credentials in context files
• Don't repeat framework docs — reference framework conventions, don't reproduce them
• Don't over-constrain — provide patterns, not rigid rules that prevent creative problem-solving
• Don't include session-specific state — context files should be durable across sessions