---
title: "Project rules"
canonical: "https://canmyagentuse.com/features/native-rules"
contentKind: "feature"
locale: "en"
description: "Load persistent or path-scoped instructions from a documented product rule format."
llmSummary: "Product-native rules is atomic and does not follow automatically from broader instructions support."
publishedAt: "2026-08-28T00:00:00.000Z"
updatedAt: "2026-08-28T00:00:00.000Z"
verifiedAt: "2026-08-28"
tags: ["interfaces","instructions"]
---

# Project rules

Product-native rules is atomic and does not follow automatically from broader instructions support.

- HTML: https://canmyagentuse.com/features/native-rules
- JSON: https://canmyagentuse.com/api/v1/features/native-rules.json
- Markdown: https://canmyagentuse.com/features/native-rules.md

Terminology basis: **Common product term** — https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/agent-customization/custom-instructions.

## Current support at a glance

Project rules: 8 supported, 0 partial, 0 unsupported, 23 unreviewed across 31 cataloged products.

- Reviewed current products: 8 of 31
- Supported: 8
- Partial: 0
- Unsupported: 0
- Unreviewed: 23
- Not applicable: 0

Unknown or unreviewed means insufficient published evidence; it does not mean unsupported.

Load persistent or path-scoped instructions from a documented product rule format.

Support is recorded only when exact, dated evidence covers this behavior.

## Catalog context

- Category: [interfaces](/categories/interfaces.md)
- Terminology basis: Common product term
- Aliases: agent rules
- Family: [Persistent instructions](/features/instructions.md)
- Siblings: [AGENTS.md root instructions](/features/agents-md.md), [Custom instructions](/features/custom-instructions.md), [Nested AGENTS.md instructions](/features/nested-agents-md.md)

## Compatibility assertions

Unknown means insufficient published evidence; it does not mean unsupported.

### ChatGPT (web)

- Harness: [ChatGPT](/harnesses/chatgpt-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Claude (web)

- Harness: [Claude](/harnesses/claude-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Gemini (web)

- Harness: [Gemini](/harnesses/gemini-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Copilot (web)

- Harness: [Copilot](/harnesses/copilot-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Grok (web)

- Harness: [Grok](/harnesses/grok-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Grok Bot (desktop)

- Harness: [Grok Bot](/harnesses/grok-bot-desktop.md)
- current: **Unknown**

### Perplexity (web)

- Harness: [Perplexity](/harnesses/perplexity-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Le Chat (web)

- Harness: [Le Chat](/harnesses/le-chat.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Devin (web)

- Harness: [Devin](/harnesses/devin-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Replit Agent (web)

- Harness: [Replit Agent](/harnesses/replit-agent.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### ChatGPT (desktop)

- Harness: [ChatGPT](/harnesses/chatgpt-desktop.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Claude (desktop)

- Harness: [Claude](/harnesses/claude-desktop.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Cursor (desktop)

- Harness: [Cursor](/harnesses/cursor.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Cursor Rules documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Constraint (host-role): claim is scoped to Cursor Agent in the desktop workbench
  - Evidence: [Cursor — Rules](https://prod.cursor.com/docs/rules) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 2: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Cursor project rules are versioned .mdc files under .cursor/rules with always-on, relevance, glob, or manual activation.
- preview: **Unknown**

### OpenWork Desktop (desktop)

- Harness: [OpenWork Desktop](/harnesses/openwork-desktop.md)
- current: **Unknown**

### Copilot Chat (desktop)

- Harness: [Copilot Chat](/harnesses/vscode-copilot.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current VS Code custom-instructions documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Evidence: [Visual Studio Code — Custom instructions](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/agent-customization/custom-instructions) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 4: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: VS Code supports workspace-wide copilot-instructions.md plus path- or task-scoped .instructions.md files.
- preview: **Unknown**

### Chrome WebMCP origin trial (desktop)

- Harness: [Chrome WebMCP origin trial](/harnesses/chrome-webmcp-preview.md)
- current: **Unknown**

### Windsurf (desktop)

- Harness: [Windsurf](/harnesses/windsurf.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Windsurf Rules documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Evidence: [Windsurf — Memories and Rules](https://docs.windsurf.com/windsurf/cascade/memories) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 8: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Windsurf loads workspace Markdown rules from .windsurf/rules with always-on, glob, model-decision, or manual activation.
- preview: **Unknown**

### Zed Agent (desktop)

- Harness: [Zed Agent](/harnesses/zed-agent.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Continue (desktop)

- Harness: [Continue](/harnesses/continue.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Continue Rules documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Evidence: [Continue — Create and manage rules](https://docs.continue.dev/customize/deep-dives/rules) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 7: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Continue loads persistent workspace rules from .continue/rules and supports glob-scoped rule frontmatter.
- preview: **Unknown**

### Cline (desktop)

- Harness: [Cline](/harnesses/cline.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Cline Rules documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Evidence: [Cline — Rules](https://docs.cline.bot/customization/cline-rules) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 6: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Cline's primary workspace rule format is Markdown or text under .clinerules, with optional paths conditions.
- preview: **Unknown**

### JetBrains AI (desktop)

- Harness: [JetBrains AI](/harnesses/jetbrains-ai.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Warp (desktop)

- Harness: [Warp](/harnesses/warp.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Claude CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Claude CLI](/harnesses/claude-cli.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Claude Code memory documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Evidence: [Anthropic — How Claude remembers your project](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 1: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Claude Code loads persistent CLAUDE.md instructions and recursively discovers unconditional or path-scoped Markdown rules in .claude/rules.
- preview: **Unknown**

### ChatGPT CLI (cli)

- Harness: [ChatGPT CLI](/harnesses/chatgpt-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Codex CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Codex CLI](/harnesses/codex-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### OpenCode (cli)

- Harness: [OpenCode](/harnesses/opencode.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Gemini CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Gemini CLI](/harnesses/gemini-cli.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Gemini CLI context-file documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Evidence: [Google — Provide context with GEMINI.md files](https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/gemini-md/) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 3: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Gemini CLI automatically loads hierarchical GEMINI.md context files and discovers more-specific files just in time.
- preview: **Unknown**

### Aider (cli)

- Harness: [Aider](/harnesses/aider.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Goose (cli)

- Harness: [Goose](/harnesses/goose.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Copilot CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Copilot CLI](/harnesses/copilot-cli.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current GitHub Copilot CLI custom-instructions documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: local-default
  - Evidence: [GitHub — Adding custom instructions for Copilot CLI](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-cli/customize-copilot/add-custom-instructions) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 5: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Copilot CLI supports repository-wide copilot-instructions.md and path-specific .instructions.md files.
- preview: **Unknown**

### Amp (cli)

- Harness: [Amp](/harnesses/amp-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**