AI Code Editor Prompt Configuration Standardization Proposal

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Proposal Overview

Create a unified standard for AI code editor prompt configuration files to address the fragmentation caused by different editors using varied paths and formats.

Current Problems

1. Inconsistent Paths:

   • Cursor: .cursor/rules.md
   • Trae: .trae/rules/project_rules.md
   • Codeium: .codeium/context.md
   • Other editors have their own conventions

2. Configuration Synchronization Difficulties: Team members using different editors need to maintain multiple copies of the same content

3. Version Control Conflicts: Configuration files from different editors need to be separately added to .gitignore

4. High Migration Costs: Switching editors requires reconfiguring prompts

Proposed Standard

Core Standard Path

.aicode/
├── prompts/
│   ├── project.md          # Project-level prompts (primary file)
│   ├── context.md          # Context rules
│   ├── style.md            # Code style guidelines
│   └── editor-specific/    # Editor-specific configurations (optional)
├── config.json             # Configuration file
└── README.md               # Documentation

Configuration File Format (config.json)

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "prompts": {
    "project": ".aicode/prompts/project.md",
    "context": ".aicode/prompts/context.md",
    "style": ".aicode/prompts/style.md"
  },
  "editorSpecific": {
    "cursor": {
      "rulesFile": ".cursor/rules.md",
      "source": ".aicode/prompts/project.md"
    },
    "trae": {
      "rulesFile": ".trae/rules/project_rules.md",
      "source": ".aicode/prompts/project.md"
    }
  }
}

Implementation Path

Phase 1: Compatibility Layer (Immediately Feasible)

Create conversion tools and installation scripts:

# install-aicode-prompts.sh
#!/bin/bash
mkdir -p .aicode/prompts

# Detect installed editors and create symbolic links
if [ -d ".cursor" ]; then
    ln -sf ../.aicode/prompts/project.md .cursor/rules.md
fi

if [ -d ".trae" ]; then
    mkdir -p .trae/rules
    ln -sf ../../.aicode/prompts/project.md .trae/rules/project_rules.md
fi

Phase 2: Editor Adaptation

Encourage editor vendors to support standard paths:

// Editor configuration example
{
  "promptSources": [
    ".aicode/prompts/project.md",  // Standard path (priority)
    ".cursor/rules.md"            // Legacy path (fallback)
  ]
}

Phase 3: Ecosystem Development

1. Create validation tools to check configuration integrity
2. Develop configuration generation plugins for VS Code and other editors
3. Establish template libraries and best practices

Detailed Configuration Specifications

project.md Template

# Project Prompts

## Project Overview
{{Project description}}

## Coding Standards
- Language: {{Programming language}}
- Style: {{Code style}}
- Constraints: {{Technical constraints}}

## Business Rules
{{Specific business logic}}

Complete config.json Specification

{
  "version": "string",
  "name": "string",
  "prompts": {
    "project": "string",
    "context": "string",
    "style": "string",
    "testing": "string"
  },
  "mergeStrategy": "overwrite|append|smart",
  "editorSupport": {
    "cursor": "boolean",
    "trae": "boolean",
    "codeium": "boolean"
  }
}

Migration Guide

Migrating from Existing Systems

1. Incremental Migration:

   # 1. Create standard directory
   mkdir -p .aicode/prompts
   
   # 2. Move existing configuration
   cp .cursor/rules.md .aicode/prompts/project.md
   
   # 3. Create symbolic links
   ln -s .aicode/prompts/project.md .cursor/rules.md
   

2. Validation Tool:

   npx aicode-validate
   

Benefits Analysis

For Developers

• ✅ Consistency: Unified experience across editors
• ✅ Maintainability: Single source of truth
• ✅ Collaboration: Standardized team configurations

For Editor Vendors

• ✅ Interoperability: Reduce user migration costs
• ✅ Ecosystem: Promote toolchain integration
• ✅ Standards Compliance: Demonstrate professionalism and foresight

Action Plan

1. Immediate Actions (1-2 weeks):

   • Create reference implementation and conversion tools
   • Write detailed documentation and examples
   • Establish community discussion groups

2. Short-term Goals (1-3 months):

   • Gain support from 2-3 mainstream editors
   • Create configuration templates for popular projects
   • Develop IDE plugins

3. Long-term Vision (6-12 months):

   • Become a de facto standard
   • Establish certification programs
   • Extend support to more AI development tools

Call for Participation

We invite participation from:

• Editor Developers: Implement standard support
• Open Source Projects: Early adoption of the standard
• Community Members: Provide feedback and contributions
• Enterprise Users: Share real-world requirements