Cline rules
A single file or a folder of files, all always-on. The folder form is the simplest way any format here lets you split rules into topics without also learning an activation model.
What the corpus measured
2026-08-03Repositories
79
2026-08-03Adopting repositories, not files.Share of corpus
11.4%
2026-08-03Of every repository RuleStack indexes.Median length
262w
2026-08-0390th percentile 1,412 words.Median quality
54
2026-08-0334.1% name a command; 33.1% contain code.Repositories carrying Cline rules, 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-03
Real Cline rules files
| Repository | Format | Stack | Covers | Score | Changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JCodesMore/ai-website-cloner-template.clinerules · 31k | Cline rules | buildlint-formatstylearch+3 | 97/100 | yesterday | |
| u9401066/pubmed-search-mcp.clinerules/50-pubmed-project.md · 23 | Cline rules | testlint-formatstylearch+1 | 94/100 | 2 days ago | |
| cline/cline.clinerules/general.md · 66k | Cline rules | setupbuildstylearch+2 | 86/100 | 2 days ago | |
| u9401066/pubmed-search-mcp.clinerules/60-pubmed-python.md · 23 | Cline rules | setuptestlint-formatstyle+2 | 86/100 | 2 days ago | |
| u9401066/pubmed-search-mcp.clinerules/00-project.md · 23 | Cline rules | testlint-formatstylearch+1 | 86/100 | 2 days ago | |
| cline/cline.clinerules/debug-harness.md · 66k | Cline rules | buildtesttesting-strategysecurity+1 | 85/100 | 2 days ago | |
| u9401066/pubmed-search-mcp.clinerules/10-python.md · 23 | Cline rules | setuptestlint-formatstyle+1 | 78/100 | 2 days ago | |
| 8VIM/8VIM.clinerules/testing-stratergy.md · 580 | Cline rules | teststyletypestesting-strategy+3 | 77/100 | 2 days ago | |
| AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-dotnet.clinerules/csharp-guidelines.md · 1.5k | Cline rules | testlint-formatstyletypes+2 | 75/100 | 2 days ago |
What it asserts
2026-08-01Read from the format’s own documentation and checked by hand. Capabilities are asserted; adoption is measured.
- File
- .clinerules
- When it applies
- Always in scope. Either a single .clinerules file or a .clinerules/ directory whose markdown files are all loaded.
- Size limits
- None documented
- Tools that read it
- ClineRoo Code
Capabilities
- Read by more than one tool
- Frontmatter
- Glob targeting
- Imports other files
- Nested / per-directory
- Multiple files
- User-level scope
Strengths
- Directory form splits rules by topic with zero configuration
- Toggleable rule sets for switching context between tasks
Weaknesses
- Cline-only
- Everything is always-on — no targeting, so the folder form costs context
Measured — counted from real repositories, nightlyAsserted — read from the vendor docs, dated
Repositories that carry Cline rules and something else
Counted pairwise across the whole corpus. The percentage is of repositories carrying Cline rules — the number a “Cline rules vs …” search is really asking for.
+ AGENTS.md
32.9%
2026-08-0326 repos carry both6.6% the other way
+ CLAUDE.md31.6%
2026-08-0325 repos carry both10.1% the other way
+ Copilot instructions25.3%
2026-08-0320 repos carry both15.9% the other way
+ Cursor rules17.7%
2026-08-0314 repos carry both7.8% the other way
+ Windsurf rules10.1%
2026-08-038 repos carry both57.1% the other way
+ GEMINI.md8.9%
2026-08-037 repos carry both21.2% the other way
+ .cursorrules3.8%
2026-08-033 repos carry both11.1% the other way
