> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.praison.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Rules > Auto-discovered instruction files for agent behavior The `rules` command manages auto-discovered instruction files that control agent behavior. ## Quick Start ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} # List all loaded rules praisonai rules list ``` List auto-discovered rules example ## Usage Manage Auto-Discovered Rules ### List Rules ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} praisonai rules list ``` **Expected Output:** ``` ╭─ Loaded Rules ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮ │ 📜 PRAISON.md (project root) │ │ 📜 CLAUDE.md (project root) │ │ 📜 .cursorrules (project root) │ │ 📜 python-guidelines.md (.praison/rules/) │ ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯ ``` ### Show Rule Details ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} praisonai rules show ``` ### Create Rule ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} praisonai rules create my_rule "Always use type hints" ``` ### Delete Rule ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} praisonai rules delete my_rule ``` ### Show Statistics ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} praisonai rules stats ``` ### Include Rules with Prompts ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} praisonai "Task" --include-rules security,testing ``` ## Auto-Discovered Files PraisonAI automatically discovers instruction files from your project root and git root: | File | Description | Priority | | ------------------------- | ----------------------------- | -------- | | `PRAISON.md` | PraisonAI native instructions | High | | `PRAISON.local.md` | Local overrides (gitignored) | Higher | | `CLAUDE.md` | Claude Code memory file | High | | `CLAUDE.local.md` | Local overrides (gitignored) | Higher | | `AGENTS.md` | OpenAI Codex CLI instructions | High | | `GEMINI.md` | Gemini CLI memory file | High | | `.cursorrules` | Cursor IDE rules | High | | `.windsurfrules` | Windsurf IDE rules | High | | `.claude/rules/*.md` | Claude Code modular rules | Medium | | `.windsurf/rules/*.md` | Windsurf modular rules | Medium | | `.cursor/rules/*.mdc` | Cursor modular rules | Medium | | `.praison/rules/*.md` | Workspace rules | Medium | | `~/.praisonai/rules/*.md` | Global rules | Low | ## Rule File Format ### Basic Format ```markdown theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} # Guidelines - Use type hints for all functions - Follow PEP 8 style guide - Include docstrings for public methods ``` ### With YAML Frontmatter ```markdown theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} --- description: Python coding guidelines globs: ["**/*.py"] activation: always # always, glob, manual, ai_decision --- # Guidelines - Use type hints - Follow PEP 8 ``` ### @Import Syntax Reference other files in your rules: ```markdown theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} # CLAUDE.md See @README for project overview See @docs/architecture.md for system design @~/.praisonai/my-preferences.md ``` ## How It Works 1. **Discovery**: Scans project root and git root for rule files 2. **Priority**: Higher priority rules override lower priority 3. **Injection**: Rules are injected into agent system prompts 4. **Activation**: Rules activate based on globs or manual selection ```mermaid theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} flowchart LR A[Project Root] --> B[Scan Files] B --> C[PRAISON.md] B --> D[CLAUDE.md] B --> E[.cursorrules] B --> F[.praison/rules/] C --> G[Merge by Priority] D --> G E --> G F --> G G --> H[Inject into Agent] ``` ## Activation Modes | Mode | Description | | ------------- | ------------------------------------- | | `always` | Rule is always active | | `glob` | Active when file matches glob pattern | | `manual` | Only active when explicitly included | | `ai_decision` | AI decides when to apply | ## Programmatic Usage ```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} from praisonaiagents import Agent # Agent auto-discovers CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, etc. agent = Agent(name="Assistant", instructions="You are helpful.") # Rules are injected into system prompt automatically ``` ## Agent-Requested Rules Agents can create, read, and manage rules dynamically using built-in tools: ```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} from praisonaiagents import Agent from praisonaiagents.tools.rules_tools import ( create_rule_tool, list_rules_tool, get_rule_tool, delete_rule_tool, get_active_rules_tool ) # Create an agent that can manage rules agent = Agent( name="RulesManager", role="Rules Administrator", tools=[create_rule_tool, list_rules_tool, get_rule_tool, delete_rule_tool] ) # Agent can now create rules dynamically response = agent.chat("Create a rule for Python coding standards") ``` ### Available Tools | Tool | Description | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | `create_rule_tool` | Create a new rule with name, content, and options | | `list_rules_tool` | List all available rules | | `get_rule_tool` | Get content of a specific rule | | `delete_rule_tool` | Delete a rule | | `get_active_rules_tool` | Get rules active for current context | ### Tool Parameters ```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}} create_rule_tool( name="python-style", # Rule name (filename) content="- Use type hints", # Rule content description="Python standards", # Short description globs="**/*.py", # Comma-separated glob patterns activation="glob", # always, glob, manual, ai_decision priority=10, # Higher = applied first scope="workspace" # workspace or global ) ``` ## Best Practices Use `.local.md` files for personal preferences that shouldn't be committed to git. High-priority rules override lower-priority ones. Be careful with conflicting instructions. | Do | Don't | | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | Use PRAISON.md for project-wide rules | Put personal prefs in shared files | | Use .local.md for personal overrides | Commit .local.md files | | Use globs for language-specific rules | Apply all rules to all files | | Keep rules concise and actionable | Write verbose instructions | ## Related * [Rules Feature](/features/rules) * [Hooks CLI](/cli/hooks) * [Workflow CLI](/cli/workflow)