Directory-specific instructions

Scope rules

• scope is a project-relative directory and everything under it, with / separators. Absolute paths, .., glob characters, symlinks that leave the project, and scope: . are rejected. Omit scope for project-wide rules.
• A folder under rules/ that names a project directory scopes the rules in it: .agnostic-ai/rules/services/payments/limits.md has scope services/payments.
• A scope: in the frontmatter wins over the folder. A folder that names no project directory only groups rules, so rules/modules/a.md with scope: src/a is scoped to src/a.
• In installed packs, a rule folder sets a scope only when it names a directory in your project, not one inside the pack.
• lint warns when a rule's folder names a project directory and its scope: points elsewhere (LINT020).
• Keep rule names unique across directories.
• Deeper rules add local context. The tool decides whether parent instructions load and which wins.
• alwaysApply: true adds no files to the combined scope and patterns. Sync sets the tool's own condition flags.
• Scope does not remove instructions already loaded into a conversation.

Codex rules with globs alone

Globs are filename patterns such as src/api/**. With Codex enabled, an unscoped rule with globs: [src/app/api/**, prisma/**] writes src/app/api/AGENTS.md and prisma/AGENTS.md instead of adding to the root instructions. Other tools that read AGENTS.md share those files. alwaysApply: true keeps an unscoped rule project-wide. Set outputs.codex.nested-glob-rules: false to keep all unscoped rules inline.

Every pattern must cover a whole directory tree; sync never widens a file filter to a whole directory. Patterns such as src/api/**/*.ts or Dockerfile, or a mix of root files and directory patterns, keep the whole rule inline in the root file, with a note naming the always-loaded rule. The rule also stays inline, with a note, for output overrides, unmanaged destinations, and tools that read the root file without verified nested-file support, whether configured or chosen with --target. on-unsupported: error refuses this fallback. An inlined rule with globs begins with an Applies to: line, such as Applies to: `resources/js/**` , so it does not read as a rule for the whole repository.

Starting Codex at the root does not load nested files for later edits.

Qwen Code rules with globs alone

An unscoped rule with globs or paths writes .qwen/rules/<name>.md with the same patterns as a paths: list. Qwen Code leaves it out of the prompt until a tool reads or edits a matching file, and loads project rules only in a trusted folder. alwaysApply: true keeps the rule in QWEN.md. A legacy outputs.qwen.rules-file or a moved outputs.qwen.file keeps every rule in that file. See Qwen Code rules.

Narrow a rule to certain files

scope plus globs or paths applies to the whole scope directory and every matching file. Use both for a module and its tests:

scope: services/payments
globs: "tests/payments/**"

Claude writes both services/payments/** and tests/payments/** in paths. Codex writes AGENTS.md in both directories.

Patterns are relative to the project, not the scope, including **/*.go. A pattern inside the scope adds no files. To apply a rule only to certain files, omit scope and keep the rule outside a folder that implies scope.

paths and globs work the same way. Unsupported combinations warn and skip; set on-unsupported: error to fail instead, or silent to suppress notices.

Breaking change: earlier versions applied a rule only where scope and patterns overlapped. Remove scope from rules that used it to narrow globs, and write the full project-relative filters instead. Remove a catch-all globs: "**/*" from a rule that should apply only to its scope. See migration.

• Tools that read a file per directory accept whole-directory patterns such as tests/payments/**. They reject file filters such as tests/payments/**/*.go instead of applying them to every file in that directory. Root patterns such as CHANGELOG.md and **/* are also unsupported with scope on those tools. Tools with file filters keep those patterns.
• The tool's own keys regex, applyTo, fileMatchPattern, and glob cannot be combined with scope.
• Cline's empty paths array keeps the rule disabled. Continue's empty globs array is unsupported with scope.
• Windsurf, Trae, and Antigravity write the rule in the project's rules directory when a pattern reaches outside the scope.
• Imported file patterns without an explicit scope keep their exact behavior; their folder adds no files. A tool with no equivalent skips that rule under on-unsupported.
• Tools that take a list keep literal commas inside a pattern. Tools that take one comma-separated string reject those commas. Commas inside brace patterns such as tests/{a,b}/** work everywhere.

Native support

Mappings were checked against vendor documentation on 2026-09-09. Tests verify the generated files, not how each live product behaves.

Aider, Zed, Junie, Crush, and Jules have no verified automatic directory scope, so they skip scoped rules. Root rules still work.

Runtime limits:

• Codex and OpenCode load instructions from the directory they start in and its parents. Warp loads the root and current directory, and may find files in other directories. Gemini loads context as files are accessed.
• Copilot support varies by host. OpenHands path rules work in local conversations, not ACP.
• Qoder Desktop and Kiro custom-agent loading are not yet checked at runtime.

• Kiro loads nested AGENTS.md files everywhere, so it conflicts with tools that write them.
• Crush reads .cursor/rules without applying its conditions, so it conflicts with scoped Cursor rules.
• Tools that share a nested AGENTS.md need the same scoped rules and the same text.

Keep headers enabled. Tools that read a file per directory reject file and rules-dir overrides. Scoped rules reject rules-file overrides, except Goose's .goosehints opt-in.

For hand-written files or conflicting aliases, follow migration. After you move or delete a scope, run a full sync to remove the old files; a partial sync keeps the files of tools it skips. Backups and revert cover scoped outputs too.

See troubleshooting for common errors.