Kodik Rules

Kodik Rules are persistent instructions included in the agent’s system prompt on every conversation. Use them to set coding style, documentation requirements, pattern conventions, or any other preferences — for a specific project or globally.

Where rules are stored

Workspace rules

A file or folder at .kodik/rules in your project root.

• File: .kodik/rules — a single markdown file with instructions.
• Folder: .kodik/rules/ — a directory containing any number of .md files. Kodik automatically reads all files recursively and merges them into a single rule set. Files are sorted by name, so numeric prefixes (01-coding.md, 02-docs.md) let you control the order.

Example folder structure:

your-project/
.kodik/
├── rules/
│   ├── 01-coding.md
│   ├── 02-documentation.md
│   └── current-sprint.md

Global rules

The global rules directory location depends on your OS:

OS	Default location	Note
Windows	Documents\Kodik\Rules	System Documents folder
macOS	~/Documents/Kodik/Rules	User Documents folder
Linux / WSL	~/Documents/Kodik/Rules	May be ~/Kodik/Rules on some systems

The global directory is always a folder (not a file). Kodik reads all .md files inside it recursively.

Linux/WSL users: if global rules are not at ~/Documents/Kodik/Rules, check ~/Kodik/Rules.

Plugin rules

Installed and enabled plugins can provide their own rules. These are added to the system prompt automatically under the heading # Plugin Rules — no manual editing needed. Disabling a plugin removes its rules.

Enabling and disabling rules

Each rule file can be toggled individually via the popup panel below the chat input. The panel shows:

• Global rules (from your user preferences)
• Workspace rules (from .kodik/rules/ in the current project)

A single click enables only the rules you need — for example, react-rules.md when working on React components, or memory-bank.md when using a memory bank pattern. Changes take effect on the next request.

Creating a rule

Click the + button on the Rules tab, and simply tell Kodik what the rule should do — Kodik will create it for you and it will automatically appear in the active rules list.

Tips for writing effective rules

• Be specific, not generic. Instead of “write good code” — “all public functions must have JSDoc comments.”
• Keep files focused. One file per area (e.g. code style, testing, documentation).
• Avoid redundancy. Rules occupy space in the system prompt; long or duplicate rules degrade response quality.
• Iterate. Check how rules affect agent responses and refine the wording.

Example rule structure

# Project Guidelines

## Code style

- Prefer functional components over classes (React)
- All functions must have JSDoc comments
- Use `const` wherever possible

## Testing

- Unit tests required for business logic
- Integration tests for API endpoints

## Documentation

- Update `/docs` when changing the public API
- Maintain entries in CHANGELOG.md

Relationship with AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md is a separate, complementary mechanism. It describes high-level architecture, conventions, and commands for agents. .kodik/rules is better suited for detailed style instructions; AGENTS.md is for architectural context.