DocsIDEProject Rules

Project Rules & Context

Customize how GRID interacts with your project using simple configuration files. define AI behavior, architectual context, and exclusion rules.

.gridrules

System prompts and behavioral instructions for the AI assistant.

grid.md

High-level architectural documentation and project context.

.gridignore

Exclude files from Auto-Debug and AI context windows.

.gridrules

The .gridrules file is the primary way to customize the AI's behavior for your project. Think of it as a "System Prompt" that is always active.

Example .gridrules

# Coding Standards
- Use Arrow Functions for all component definitions
- Prefer 'interface' over 'type' for object definitions
- Always use TailwindCSS for styling
- Ensure all async functions have error handling

# Behavior
- Be concise in chat responses
- When modifying files, always show the full context
- Do not suggest external libraries without user approval

Place this file in the root of your workspace. GRID will automatically read it and inject these instructions into every AI session.

grid.md

The grid.md file is used to provide architectural context. While .gridrules is for behavior, grid.md is for knowledge.

Project Structure

Explain how your folders are organized.

Key Technologies

List the main frameworks and libraries used.

Architecture Patterns

Describe the design patterns (MVC, MVVM, Clean Arch, etc.) used in the project.

This is particularly useful when onboarding new developers or when the project has specific conventions that aren't obvious from the code alone.

.gridignore

Just like .gitignore prevents files from being tracked by git, .gridignore prevents files from being read by GRID's AI features.

What gets ignored?

  • Auto-Debug analysis
  • Chat context codebase search
  • PR Reviews

Common Use Cases

  • Large generated files (minified JS)
  • Sensitive data or secrets
  • Vendor directories (node_modules is ignored by default)

Example .gridignore

# Ignore all log files
*.log

# Ignore build directory
dist/
build/

# Ignore specific config
secret-config.json

# Ignore generated test coverage
coverage/

Best Practices

  • •
    Commit these files: You should commit .gridrules and grid.md to your repository so your whole team benefits from shared AI context.
  • •
    Keep it concise: AI context window is finite. Keep your rules and documentation focused on what's most important.
  • •
    Regular updates: As your project evolves, update your grid.md to reflect new architecture decisions.