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Configuration Examples

V4 uses a file-based directory structure (.ai-rulez/) with TOML configuration. These examples show how to organize your configuration across multiple markdown files and a config.toml file.


1. Minimal Configuration (Single Team)

The simplest setup for a single team with basic rules.

.ai-rulez/config.toml:

version = "4.0"
name = "My Project"

presets = ["claude", "cursor"]
gitignore = true

.ai-rulez/rules/code-quality.md:

---
priority: high
---

# Code Quality

- Use meaningful variable names
- Comment complex logic
- All tests must pass before merge

.ai-rulez/context/architecture.md:

# Architecture

This is a monolithic application with:
- PostgreSQL database
- REST API backend
- React frontend

Generated Output

ai-rulez generate
# Creates:
# - CLAUDE.md
# - .cursor/rules/

2. Multi-Team Configuration with Domains

For projects with multiple teams, use domains to organize team-specific content.

.ai-rulez/config.toml:

version = "4.0"
name = "Platform"

presets = ["claude", "cursor", "gemini"]
default = "full"
gitignore = true

[profiles]
full = ["backend", "frontend", "qa"]
backend = ["backend", "qa"]
frontend = ["frontend", "qa"]
qa = ["qa"]

.ai-rulez/rules/security.md:

---
priority: critical
---

# Security

- All secrets must use environment variables
- Validate all user input
- Use HTTPS for all external API calls

.ai-rulez/domains/backend/rules/database.md:

---
priority: critical
---

# Database Standards

- Use prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
- Always add database migrations
- Index foreign keys for performance

.ai-rulez/domains/frontend/rules/components.md:

---
priority: high
---

# Component Guidelines

- One component per file
- Use TypeScript for type safety
- Write unit tests for all components

Generated Output

# Generate for backend team
ai-rulez generate --profile backend
# Includes: root rules + backend-specific rules

# Generate for frontend team
ai-rulez generate --profile frontend
# Includes: root rules + frontend-specific rules

# Generate for QA
ai-rulez generate --profile qa
# Includes: root rules + QA-specific rules

3. Using Skills for Specialized Roles

Create AI skill definitions for specialized tasks.

.ai-rulez/skills/code-reviewer/SKILL.md:

---
priority: high
description: "Code reviewer for quality assurance"
---

# Code Reviewer

You are an expert code reviewer with deep knowledge of:
- Code quality and maintainability
- Testing best practices
- Performance optimization

## Your Responsibilities

1. Review pull requests for correctness
2. Suggest improvements and refactoring
3. Verify test coverage

.ai-rulez/skills/architecture-expert/SKILL.md:

---
priority: high
description: "System architecture specialist"
---

# Architecture Expert

You are a system architect specializing in:
- Microservices design
- Scalability patterns
- System reliability

## Your Responsibilities

1. Review architectural decisions
2. Suggest performance improvements
3. Identify technical debt

Usage in Generated Files

The generated CLAUDE.md will include instructions like:

Use the @code-reviewer skill for pull request reviews.
Use the @architecture-expert skill for design questions.

4. Complex Project with Multiple Presets

For projects that need different output formats for different tools.

.ai-rulez/config.toml:

version = "4.0"
name = "ML Research Platform"
description = "Machine learning platform with team separation"

presets = ["claude", "cursor", "gemini", "windsurf"]
default = "full"
gitignore = true

[[presets]]
name = "internal-guide"
type = "markdown"
path = "docs/AI_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md"

[profiles]
full = ["research", "infrastructure"]
research = ["research"]
infrastructure = ["infrastructure"]

.ai-rulez/domains/research/rules/ml-standards.md:

---
priority: critical
targets: ["CLAUDE.md", "GEMINI.md"]
---

# ML Development Standards

- Use type hints for all functions
- Document mathematical assumptions
- Include reproducibility seeds

.ai-rulez/domains/infrastructure/rules/deployment.md:

---
priority: high
targets: ["CLAUDE.md", ".cursor/rules/"]
---

# Deployment Standards

- All changes require review
- Run tests before deployment
- Keep infrastructure as code


5. Project with Frontmatter and Custom Fields

Markdown files can include YAML frontmatter with custom fields.

.ai-rulez/rules/testing.md:

---
priority: critical
author: qa-team
tags: [testing, quality, ci-cd]
review_date: 2025-01-15
targets:
  - "CLAUDE.md"
  - ".cursor/rules/"
---

# Testing Standards

## Unit Tests

All code changes must include corresponding unit tests.

- Aim for 80%+ code coverage
- Use table-driven tests for Go
- Test both happy path and error cases

## Integration Tests

Test service interactions:
- Database operations
- API endpoints
- External service calls


6. Monorepo with Shared Rules

For larger projects, reuse configurations across subdirectories.

/.ai-rulez/config.yaml (Root config):

version: "3.0"
name: "Platform"

presets:
  - claude
  - cursor

default: full

profiles:
  full: [shared]

/backend/.ai-rulez/config.toml (Backend-specific):

version = "4.0"
name = "Backend Service"

presets = ["claude", "cursor"]
default = "backend"

[profiles]
backend = ["api", "database"]

/backend/.ai-rulez/domains/api/rules/endpoints.md:

---
priority: high
---

# API Endpoint Guidelines

- Use consistent path structure
- Version APIs from the start
- Return consistent error responses

Generation

# From root, processes all .ai-rulez/ directories recursively
ai-rulez generate --recursive

7. Environment-Specific Profiles

Use profiles for different deployment environments.

.ai-rulez/config.toml:

version = "4.0"
name = "Web Application"

presets = ["claude"]

[profiles]
development = ["dev-guidelines"]
staging = ["staging-checks", "security-checks"]
production = ["production-critical", "security-hardened", "compliance"]

.ai-rulez/domains/dev-guidelines/rules/debugging.md:

---
priority: medium
---

# Development Guidelines

- Enable verbose logging in dev
- Use debug endpoints for testing
- Performance is less critical than clarity

.ai-rulez/domains/production-critical/rules/reliability.md:

---
priority: critical
---

# Production Standards

- All deployments require approval
- Monitor error rates in production
- Implement circuit breakers for external services

Usage

# Generate for development
ai-rulez generate --profile development

# Generate for production
ai-rulez generate --profile production