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

Inconsistent Paths:
- Cursor: .cursor/rules.md
- Trae: .trae/rules/project_rules.md
- Codeium: .codeium/context.md
- Other editors have their own conventions
Configuration Synchronization Difficulties: Team members using different editors need to maintain multiple copies of the same content
Version Control Conflicts: Configuration files from different editors need to be separately added to .gitignore
High Migration Costs: Switching editors requires reconfiguring prompts

Proposed Standard

Core Standard Path

.prompt/
  ├─ rules/
  │  ├─ project[.<editor-identifer>].md     # Project-level prompts (primary file)
  │  ├─ context[.<editor-identifer>].md     # Context rules (optional)
  │  └─ code_style[.<editor-identifer>].md  # Code style guidelines (optional)
  ├─ config.json                            # Configuration file
  └─ README.md                              # Documentation (optional)

The [.<editor-identifer>] indicates editor-specific configurations. When omitted, it represents globally shared prompt files.

Configuration Examples

Basic Configuration:

If we want to configure project-level prompts, we can do this:

.prompt/
  └─ rules/
     ├─ project.md                        # Project-level prompts (primary file)
     ├─ project.vscode.md                 # Enhance `project.md` in VSCode editor (optional)
     ├─ project.cursor.md                 # Enhance `project.md` in Cursor editor (optional)
     └─ project.trae.md                   # Enhance `project.md` in TRAE editor (optional)

Advanced Configuration (Multi-file Structure):

When prompt content is extensive and needs to be split into multiple files, you can create corresponding directories to organize prompts according to custom directory structures. Similarly, files should end with [.<editor-identifer>].md. All files are optional.

.prompt/
  └─ rules/
     ├─ project/
     │  ├─ [foo].vscode.md
     │  ├─ [foo].cursor.md
     │  ├─ [foo].trae.md
     │  └─ index.md
     ├─ project.md
     ├─ project.vscode.md
     ├─ project.cursor.md
     └─ project.trae.md

In this example, .prompt/rules/project/index.md serves the same purpose as .prompt/rules/project.md. When both exist, they will both take effect.

For the VSCode editor, in this example, the following markdown files will be loaded as prompts:

.prompt/rules/project/[foo].vscode.md
.prompt/rules/project/index.md
.prompt/rules/project.md
.prompt/rules/project.vscode.md

File Loading Rules

Global Files: .prompt/rules/project.md (shared by all editors)
Editor-Specific Files: .prompt/rules/project.{editor}.md (loaded by specific editors)
Directory Structure: Supports subdirectory organization, with index.md as the directory entry file
Merge Strategy: Content from all matching files will be merged, with editor-specific configurations extending global configurations

Configuration File Format (`.prompt/config.json`)

{
  "promptFileVersion": "1.0",
  "response_language": "en-US", // Specify the language for model responses
  "defaultMergeStrategy": "append", // Default merge strategy: append|overwrite|smart
  "fileLoadingOrder": ["global", "editor-specific"], // File loading order
  "supportedEditors": ["vscode", "cursor", "trae", "codeium"],
  "editorSpecific": {
    "vscode": {
      "promptPriority": ["project.md", "project.vscode.md"],
      "maxTokenLimit": 4000
    },
    "cursor": {
      "promptPriority": ["project.md", "project.cursor.md"],
      "maxTokenLimit": 8000
    },
    "trae": {
      "promptPriority": ["project.md", "project.trae.md"],
      "maxTokenLimit": 6000
    },
    "[editor_name]": {
      ...
    }
  }
}

Implementation Path

Phase 1: Compatibility Layer (Immediately Feasible)

Create conversion tools and symbolic link scripts:

# migrate-prompts.sh
#!/bin/bash

# Create standard directory structure
mkdir -p .prompt/rules

# Migrate existing configurations and create symbolic links
migrate_editor_config() {
  local editor=$1
  local source_path=$2
  local target_name=$3

  if [ -f "$source_path" ]; then
    # Migrate to new location
    cp "$source_path" ".prompt/rules/${target_name}.${editor}.md"
    # Create symbolic link for backward compatibility
    ln -sf "../.prompt/rules/${target_name}.${editor}.md" "$source_path"
    echo "Migrated ${editor} configuration"
  fi
}

# Migrate various editor configurations
migrate_editor_config "cursor" ".cursor/rules.md" "project"
migrate_editor_config "trae" ".trae/rules/project_rules.md" "project"
migrate_editor_config "codeium" ".codeium/context.md" "context"

# Create basic configuration file
if [ ! -f ".prompt/config.json" ]; then
  cat > ".prompt/config.json" << EOF
{
  "promptFileVersion": "1.0",
  "response_language": "",
  "defaultMergeStrategy": "append",
  "supportedEditors": ["vscode", "cursor", "trae", "codeium"]
}
EOF
fi

Phase 2: Editor Adaptation

Encourage editor vendors to natively support standard paths:

// Editor configuration example (VSCode settings.json)
{
  "aiPrompts.standardPath": ".prompt/rules",
  "aiPrompts.loadOrder": [
    "project.md",
    "project.vscode.md",
    "context.md",
    "context.vscode.md"
  ],
  "aiPrompts.mergeStrategy": "smart"
}

Phase 3: Ecosystem Development

Develop Core Tools:
- Configuration validation tool: prompt-validator
- File merging tool: prompt-merger
- Migration assistance tool: prompt-migrate
Editor Plugins:
- VSCode extension: vscode-prompt-config-integration
- Cursor plugin: cursor-prompt-config-integration
Template Library:
- Configuration templates for common project types
- Best practice examples for various languages

Detailed Configuration Specifications

Project Prompts Template (`.prompt/rules/project.md`)

# Project Prompts

## Project Overview
{{Project description}}

## Coding Standards
- Language: {{Programming language}}
- Code Style: {{Code style guidelines}}
- Naming Conventions: {{Naming rules}}

## Architecture Constraints
- Design Patterns: {{Patterns used}}
- Layered Architecture: {{Architecture layers}}
- Dependency Management: {{Dependency specifications}}

## Business Rules
{{Specific business logic and requirements}}

Editor-Specific Extension Example (`.prompt/rules/project.vscode.md`)

# VSCode Specific Configuration

## Editor Integration
- Preferred VSCode Extensions: {{Extension list}}
- Debug Configuration: {{Debug settings}}
- Code Snippets: {{Custom snippets}}

## Performance Optimization
- Large File Handling Strategy: {{Handling approach}}
- Memory Management: {{Optimization suggestions}}

Complete config.json Specification

{
  "promptFileVersion": "string",          // Configuration version number
  "responseLanguage": "string",           // Default response language
  "defaultMergeStrategy": "string",       // Default merge strategy
  "fileLoadingOrder": ["string"],         // File loading order
  "maxFileSizeKB": number,                // Maximum file size limit
  "encoding": "string",                   // File encoding format
  "validationRules": {                    // Validation rules
    "maxLength": number,
    "allowedSections": ["string"],
    "requiredSections": ["string"]
  },
  "editorSpecific": {
    "[editor_name]": {
      "promptPriority": ["string"],       // Prompt priority
      "maxTokenLimit": number,            // Maximum token limit
      "temperature": number,              // Temperature parameter
      "modelPreferences": ["string"]      // Model preferences
    }
  },
  "extensions": {                         // Extension configuration
    "customSections": ["string"],         // Custom sections
    "templateVariables": {                // Template variables
      "key": "value"
    }
  }
}

Migration Guide

Migrating from Existing Systems

Automatic Migration:

# Use migration tool
npx @prompt-standard/migrate --editor cursor --editor trae

# Or use interactive migration
npx @prompt-standard/migrate-interactive

Manual Migration:

# 1. Create standard directory
mkdir -p .prompt/rules

# 2. Migrate and rename existing configurations
mv .cursor/rules.md .prompt/rules/project.cursor.md
mv .trae/rules/project_rules.md .prompt/rules/project.trae.md

# 3. Create symbolic links (optional, for compatibility)
ln -s ../.prompt/rules/project.cursor.md .cursor/rules.md
ln -s ../.prompt/rules/project.trae.md .trae/rules/project_rules.md

Validation:

# Install validation tool
npm install -g @prompt-standard/validator

# Validate configuration integrity
prompt-validate

Validation Tool Features

# Check configuration completeness
prompt-validate --check-completeness

# Validate syntax correctness
prompt-validate --check-syntax

# Generate configuration report
prompt-validate --generate-report

# Check editor compatibility
prompt-validate --check-editor vscode cursor

Benefits Analysis

For Developers

✅ Consistency: Unified experience across editors, reduced context switching
✅ Maintainability: Centralized management, single source of truth
✅ Flexibility: Support for global configurations and editor-specific extensions
✅ Collaboration: Standardized team configurations, easy sharing

For Editor Vendors

✅ Interoperability: Reduce user migration costs, increase user retention
✅ Ecosystem: Promote toolchain integration and plugin development
✅ Standards Compliance: Demonstrate professionalism and foresight, enhance competitiveness
✅ Extensibility: Support for custom configurations and advanced features

Action Plan

Immediate Actions (1-2 weeks)

Create core tool library: @prompt-standard/core
Develop configuration validation tool: @prompt-standard/validator
Write detailed documentation and examples
Establish community discussion groups (Discord/GitHub Discussions)

Short-term Goals (1-3 months)

Gain support from 2-3 mainstream editors
Create configuration templates for popular projects
Develop IDE plugin prototypes
Establish automated testing processes

Long-term Vision (6-12 months)

Become a de facto standard, natively supported by multiple editors
Establish certification programs and compatibility testing
Extend support to more AI development tools
Develop graphical configuration management tools

Technical Support

Development Tools

# Core library installation
npm install @prompt-standard/core

# Validation tool installation
npm install -g @prompt-standard/validator

# Migration tool installation
npm install -g @prompt-standard/migrate

API Examples

// Using core library
import { PromptLoader, PromptValidator } from '@prompt-standard/core'

const loader = new PromptLoader('.prompt/rules')
const prompts = await loader.loadForEditor('vscode')

const validator = new PromptValidator()
const results = await validator.validate(prompts)

Call for Participation

We invite participation from:

For Editor Developers

Implement native standard support
Provide feedback and improvement suggestions
Participate in standard specification development

For Open Source Projects

Adopt standard configurations early
Contribute project configuration templates
Share usage experiences and best practices

For Community Members

Test and report issues
Participate in documentation writing and translation
Develop auxiliary tools and plugins

For Enterprise Users

Provide real business requirements
Share enterprise-level application scenarios
Participate in standard promotion and implementation

Participation Methods:

📝 Submit Issues and Feature Requests
🔄 Submit Pull Requests
💬 Join community discussions
🚀 Share your configuration examples

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/aicode-standard/prompt-config

README.md

AI Code Editor Prompt Configuration Standardization Proposal

Proposal Overview