Code Companion - Rules

How to Create and Manage Rules in Continue

Rules are used to provide system message instructions to the model for Agent mode, Chat mode, and Edit mode requests

Rules provide instructions to the model for Agent mode , Chat , and Edit requests.

How Rules Work

You can view the current rules by selecting the pen icon above the main toolbar:

To form the system message, rules are joined with new lines, in the order they appear in the toolbar.

How Rules Are Applied

When using Code Companion, rules are loaded in this order:

1. Local workspace rules (from .continue/rules folder) see project rules
2. Global rules (from ~/.continue/rules folder)

Creating Rule Files

Rule files are stored in the .continue/rules directory at the top level of your workspace. Each rule should be defined in its own Markdown file (e.g., hello-rule.md). A rule file contains a YAML frontmatter section specifying its metadata, such as name, and a Markdown body describing the rule’s details or requirements.

Example Rule File Structure

---
name: Hello rule
---

- Always start and end your sentences with 'hello!'

Once placed in the .continue/rules directory, rules become available to Code Companion for reference during code generation or review.

Creating Local Rules

Rules can be added locally using the “Add Rules” button.

How to Configure Rule Properties and Syntax

Rules were originally defined in YAML format (demonstrated below), but we introduced Markdown for easier editing. While both are still supported, we recommend Markdown.

Rules can be simple text, written in YAML configuration files, or as Markdown (.md) files. They can have the following properties:

name (required for YAML):

A display name/title for the rule

globs (optional):

When files are provided as context that match this glob pattern, the rule will be included. This can be either a single pattern (e.g., "**/*.{ts,tsx}") or an array of patterns (e.g., ["src/**/*.ts", "tests/**/*.ts"]).

description (optional):

A description for the rule. Agents may read this description when alwaysApply is false to determine whether the rule should be pulled into context.

alwaysApply: Determines whether the rule is always included:

true: Always included, regardless of file context

false: Included if globs exist AND match file context, or the agent decides to pull the rule into context based on its description

undefined (default behavior): Included if no globs exist OR globs exist and match

---
name: SF-docs Documentation Standards
globs: content/**/*.md
alwaysApply: false
description: Standards for writing and maintaining documentation in SF-docs (Hugo framework)
---

# SF-docs Documentation Standards

- Follow Hugo documentation best practices
- Include YAML frontmatter with at least: title, description, and weight
- Use consistent heading hierarchy starting with h2 (`##`)
- Use Hugo admonitions for tips, warnings, and info where appropriate
- Provide descriptive alt text for all images
- Cross-reference related documentation using relative paths
- Keep paragraphs concise and easy to scan
- Use fenced code blocks with the correct language identifier
- Avoid unnecessary formatting; keep markdown clean and simple

name: SF-docs Documentation Standards
version: 1.0.0
schema: v1

rules:
  - name: SF-docs Documentation Standards
    globs: content/**/*.md
    alwaysApply: false
    rule: |
      - Follow Hugo documentation best practices
      - Include YAML frontmatter with at least: title, description, and weight
      - Use consistent heading hierarchy starting with h2 (##)
      - Use Hugo admonitions for tips, warnings, and info where appropriate
      - Provide descriptive alt text for all images
      - Cross-reference related documentation using relative paths
      - Keep paragraphs concise and easy to scan
      - Use fenced code blocks with the correct language identifier
      - Avoid unnecessary formatting; keep markdown clean and simple

How to Set Up Project-Specific Rules

You can create project-specific rules by adding a .continue/rules folder to the root of your project and adding new rule files.

Rules files are loaded in lexicographical order, so you can prefix them with numbers to control the order in which they are applied. For example: 01-general.md, 02-frontend.md, 03-backend.md.