AI Coding · Rules Files

What Is .clinerules?
Cline’s project rules file and folder

You are using Cline, the open-source AI coding agent, or you spotted a .clinerules in a repo. It is how you give Cline project rules: instructions about your stack, conventions, and commands, so it works on your project the way you want.

The thing that trips people up is that it comes in two shapes: a single .clinerules file, or a .clinerules/ folder full of Markdown files. Here is what each is and what goes inside.

Two forms: a single file or a .clinerules/ folder

  • A single .clinerules file at the repo root keeps all your rules in one place. Good for a small, simple set.
  • A .clinerules/ folder holds several Markdown files, one per topic (say, style.md, testing.md, architecture.md), and Cline loads them together. This keeps things tidy once the rules grow. See how to organize .md files for keeping a folder like this readable.

Either way, the content is the same, and it is all Markdown.

What goes inside

A .clinerules holds the same kind of thing every AI rules file holds: your stack and architecture, code conventions and style, the commands to run, and boundaries for what the agent should and should not touch. It is plain Markdown, so it is just headings and lists describing your project. If you are writing one, how to write Markdown covers the syntax.

.clinerules and the other rules files

Nearly every AI coding tool has its own version of this file. .clinerules is Cline’s:

Tool Its rules file From
Cline .clinerules (file or folder) Open-source VS Code coding agent
Cursor .cursorrules or .cursor/rules/*.mdc Cursor editor
Claude Code CLAUDE.md Anthropic
Cross-tool AGENTS.md The shared open standard

For the full map by tool, see which AI rules file your tool reads; for the cross-tool standard, what AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md are; and for Cursor’s close cousin, what a .cursorrules file is.

Reading and editing .clinerules with NoteLoom

The .clinerules/ folder is a good fit for NoteLoom, because a folder of Markdown files is exactly what it is built to open. Mount the folder in the browser and NoteLoom renders each .md in a clean reading view, with a file tree to move between them, and Source mode to edit and save back to disk. That makes a growing set of rule files easy to read and keep tidy.

NoteLoom is where you open, render, and save these Markdown files locally. Whether Cline follows the rules stays between you and the agent.

How you use it: open app.noteloom.cc in Chrome / Edge / Arc, mount your .clinerules/ folder itself (pick that folder as the root, not a parent), and read or edit the .md files inside. Saved straight to your disk, no cloud, no account.

Related reading

Which AI rules file does your tool read? .clinerules, .cursorrules, CLAUDE.md, and more, mapped by tool.
What is a .cursorrules file? Cursor’s version, plus its .cursor/rules/*.mdc folder form.
What are AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md? What goes inside the rules files, and the cross-tool standard.
How do you organize .md files? Keep a .clinerules/ folder of rules readable as it grows.
Online Markdown Editor Mount a folder and read or edit its .md files in your browser.

FAQ

What is a .clinerules file?
It is how you give Cline, the AI coding agent, rules for your project: instructions about the stack, conventions, and commands so Cline works the way you want. It can be a single .clinerules file at the repo root, or a .clinerules/ folder holding several Markdown files.
What is the difference between a .clinerules file and a .clinerules/ folder?
Same purpose, two shapes. The single file keeps all the rules in one place; the .clinerules/ folder lets you split them across several Markdown files, one per topic, that Cline loads together. The folder is handy once the rules grow past a single file.
What should a .clinerules contain?
The usual rules-file content: your stack and architecture, code conventions, the commands to build and test, and boundaries for what the agent should and should not do. It is Markdown, so it is headings and lists describing your project.
Is .clinerules the same as .cursorrules or AGENTS.md?
Same idea, different tool. .clinerules is Cline’s, .cursorrules is Cursor’s, and AGENTS.md is a cross-tool open format that many agents read. If you want one file most tools understand, AGENTS.md is the safer bet.
Can NoteLoom open a .clinerules folder?
Yes. The .clinerules/ folder holds Markdown files, and NoteLoom is built to mount a local folder and read and write the .md files inside it. It renders each one in a clean view and lets you edit in Source mode. It helps you read and write the files themselves; Cline is what acts on the rules.
Which browsers can I use NoteLoom in?
NoteLoom relies on the browser’s File System Access API, which works in Chromium-based desktop browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Arc.

Review and Edit .clinerules in a Clean Workspace

Open NoteLoom in Chrome or Edge, mount your .clinerules/ folder, and review system instructions with crisp Markdown formatting and instant local disk saving.

Review Cline Rules in Browser →

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