AI-Assisted Development with Agentic IDEs · Lesson 3
Context, Rules and Project Instructions
Agents perform best with good context. Most tools read a project instructions file — such as CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or Cursor rules — describing architecture, commands, conventions and things to avoid.
Point the agent to the relevant files, paste error messages exactly, and describe the desired outcome and acceptance criteria.
Keep instructions short and current. Outdated rules mislead the agent as much as missing ones.
Key points
- Use a project instructions file
- Reference specific files and errors
- State acceptance criteria
- Keep rules short and up to date