Put Guardrails in Writing

Many AI coding tools read a project instructions file at the start of every session. A few lines there do more than any number of “please don’t” messages in chat.

What to put in it

• Off-limits paths: “Never modify or delete files in db/migrations/.”
• How to verify: “Run npm test before saying a task is done.”
• Conventions: formatting, naming, which libraries to use and avoid.
• When to stop and ask: “Ask before adding a dependency or changing a public API.”

# Project rules for AI assistants
- Never modify or delete anything in db/migrations/.
- Run `npm test` and show the output before reporting a task done.
- Ask before adding dependencies or changing public APIs.
- Keep changes to the files named in the request.

Check your tool’s documentation for the file name it reads. Keep it short: a rules file nobody can scan is a rules file nobody follows.