What Are Development Rules?

Development rules are guidelines that help ensure consistent, high-quality code generation and effective collaboration between developers and AI systems like Cline. These rules act as a foundation for best practices, coding standards, and workflow optimization across your development projects.

Use Cases for Development Rules

When to Use Development Rules:

• Consistency Across Projects: Maintain the same coding standards and practices
• Team Collaboration: Ensure all team members follow the same guidelines
• AI-Assisted Development: Provide clear instructions for AI tools like Cline
• Quality Assurance: Prevent common mistakes and enforce best practices
• Workflow Optimization: Streamline development processes and decision-making

Two Types of Development Rules

🌍 Global Rules

Scope: Apply to ALL projects across your entire system

Location: Stored in a central location (e.g., ~/.clinerules/ or global Cline settings)

Best For:

• Personal coding preferences and standards
• Universal best practices (version control, code quality)
• General development principles
• Cross-project consistency

Examples:

• "Always read entire files before modification"