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You can give cubic more context about your codebase to help it understand your patterns, architecture, and conventions. You can do this in a couple of ways.

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Context files in your repository

cubic automatically detects and uses context files in your repository, including README.md, context.md, AGENTS.md, .cursorrules, and files in .ai/ directories. These files help the AI understand your project structure, conventions, and guidelines without any additional configuration.
README files
  • README.md, readme.txt, ReadMe.rst (any variation)
  • read.me, read-me.md
AI tool configuration files
  • AGENTS.md - OpenAI/Codex instructions
  • claude.md - Claude-specific guidelines
  • .cursorrules, .cursor.json - Cursor editor rules
  • copilot-instructions.md, copilot.yaml - GitHub Copilot configuration
  • .coderabbit.yaml - CodeRabbit configuration
Generic context files
  • context.md - General project context
  • project_context.md - Project-specific information
  • llm-context.md - LLM-specific guidelines
  • ai_guidelines.md - AI coding assistant instructions
  • CODEBASE-CONTEXT.md - Codebase overview
  • Any file ending with -context.md (e.g., auth-context.md, api-context.md)
Directory-based context
  • Files in the .ai/ directory
  • Files in the .cursor/ directory
  • Files in the .github/ directory
  • Files in the .continue/ directory

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What to include in context files

Effective context files typically include:
  • Architecture overview: High-level system design and component relationships
  • Coding conventions: Team-specific patterns and practices
  • Domain knowledge: Business logic and terminology
  • Common patterns: Preferred approaches for common tasks
  • Dependencies: Key libraries and their usage patterns

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Manual instructions via settings

For repository-specific guidelines that don’t fit into files, you can add custom instructions directly in the cubic dashboard. Navigate to AI review settings and use the AI review instructions field to provide plaintext instructions that will be included in every review. AI review settings with instructions field This is useful for:
  • Temporary guidelines during migrations or refactoring
  • High-priority reminders that need immediate attention
  • General review preferences that apply across the entire codebase
AI review instructions are configured at the repository level. Different repositories can have different instructions based on their specific needs.

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Custom rules for specific checks

When you want cubic to actively flag specific issues or patterns, use custom rules instead of general context. Custom rules are ideal for:
  • Enforcing specific coding standards
  • Detecting anti-patterns unique to your codebase
  • Preventing known security vulnerabilities
  • Ensuring compliance with team conventions
Learn more about creating and managing custom rules in the custom rules documentation.

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Best practices

Your main README is the most important context file. Ensure it clearly explains the project’s purpose, architecture, and key conventions.
Outdated context can lead to incorrect suggestions. Review and update your context files regularly, especially after major architectural changes.
Provide concrete examples and clear guidelines. Instead of “write good code,” specify “use React hooks instead of class components” or “prefer async/await over Promise chains.”
For large projects, create separate context files for different domains (e.g., frontend-context.md, backend-context.md) to keep information focused and manageable.
Context files provide background information, while custom rules actively flag violations. Use custom rules when you need cubic to consistently catch specific issues.
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