The rules command manages auto-discovered instruction files that control agent behavior.
Quick Start
# List all loaded rules
praisonai rules list
CLI Auto-Injection
praisonai run and praisonai chat automatically load project instruction files from the current directory (and walk up to the git root). Zero config required — drop an AGENTS.md into your project and every CLI run sees it.
Opt-out
| Goal | How |
|---|
| Disable for a single run | praisonai run "task" --no-rules |
| Disable globally | Set [rules] auto = false in ~/.praisonai/config.toml |
| Override the size cap | Set [rules] max_chars = 16000 in config.toml |
| Still load a specific manual rule | praisonai run "task" --include-rules security |
Precedence
--no-rules (always wins)--include-rules <names> (manual list or auto)[rules] auto in config.toml- Default: auto-loading on
Size caps
| Cap | Default | Where to change |
|---|
| Per file | 12 KB (12000 chars) | Hard-coded in RulesManager.MAX_RULE_CHARS |
| Total | 32 KB (32000 chars) | [rules] max_chars in config.toml |
max_chars.
Verbose output
praisonai run "Refactor the auth module" --verbose
# Loaded project instructions: AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md
AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, PRAISON.md, GEMINI.md, .cursorrules, .windsurfrules) are listed — modular rules under .praison/rules/ and globals are loaded silently.
Usage
List Rules
Expected Output:
╭─ Loaded Rules ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ 📜 PRAISON.md (project root) │
│ 📜 CLAUDE.md (project root) │
│ 📜 .cursorrules (project root) │
│ 📜 python-guidelines.md (.praison/rules/) │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
Show Rule Details
praisonai rules show <rule_name>
Create Rule
praisonai rules create my_rule "Always use type hints"
Delete Rule
praisonai rules delete my_rule
Show Statistics
Include Rules with Prompts
praisonai "Task" --include-rules security,testing
praisonai "Task" --no-rules
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 modular rules | Low |
~/.praisonai/AGENTS.md | Global single-file instructions (loaded by load_context_files()) | Lowest |
~/.praisonai/AGENTS.md is loaded by load_context_files() as the lowest-precedence layer whenever walk_up=True (the default). It is separate from the modular ~/.praisonai/rules/*.md files loaded by RulesManager. See Context Files → CLI auto-loading for how chat, run, code, and tui automatically inject this context into the agent system prompt.Monorepos with per-subtree instruction files: see On-demand Subtree Attachment for why a sibling package’s AGENTS.md only loads once the agent opens a file inside it. # Guidelines
- Use type hints for all functions
- Follow PEP 8 style guide
- Include docstrings for public methods
With YAML Frontmatter
---
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:
# CLAUDE.md
See @README for project overview
See @docs/architecture.md for system design
@~/.praisonai/my-preferences.md
How It Works
- Discovery: Scans project root and git root for rule files
- Priority: Higher priority rules override lower priority
- Injection: Rules are injected into agent system prompts
- Activation: Rules activate based on globs or manual selection
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
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
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 |
