Lovable app rules: AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md & Cursor rules
In Lovable, every vague prompt costs credits and can quietly redesign pages you liked. Paste these rules into Project Knowledge so every message starts with them.
Stack these rules assume: Lovable (React + Tailwind front end, Lovable Cloud / Supabase back end). Different stack? Customize it in the generator.
Where these go: Paste the Lovable version below into Project settings → Knowledge (up to 10,000 characters). If the project is connected to GitHub, you can also commit the AGENTS.md version at the repo root; Lovable's docs say it reads root-level AGENTS.md files.
Want the full step-by-step kit?
MVP Spec-to-Build Pack ($7): A fill-in 1-page spec, a landing page prompt, a 7-prompt build sequence in the right order, a "did I leak user data?" checklist, and cheap fix-it prompts.
Get the kit for $7 on Gumroad → See what's inside
or get all 5 kits for $25 (save $14) →
One markdown file, instant download. 7-day refund, no questions asked.
Quick start
- Copy the
AGENTS.mdbelow into your project's root folder. - Fill in the three
[bracketed]lines under "Project". Delete any rule that doesn't fit. - Start your first chat with: "Read AGENTS.md and follow it for this whole session."
AGENTS.md (works across tools)
Read by OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code (when there's no CLAUDE.md) and many other agents.
# AGENTS.md: Lovable app
Instructions for AI coding agents working on this project. Replace anything in [brackets].
## Project
- What it is: [one sentence: what you are building and who it is for]
- Stack: Lovable (React + Tailwind front end, Lovable Cloud / Supabase back end)
- Version 1 only needs to: [the ONE thing it must do]
## Project rules
- Change only what I ask for in each message. Don't restyle, rename, or reorganize other pages or components.
- Before a change that touches the database, auth, or more than 3 files, describe the plan and wait for my OK.
- Every database table has Row Level Security turned on, with policies so users can only read and change their own rows.
- Keep the existing design system: the same colors, fonts, spacing, and components already in the project.
- Secret API keys go in the project's secrets / backend functions, never in front-end code.
- When something errors, explain the cause in one sentence before fixing it. Don't retry the same fix twice.
## How to work
- Do one task per request. If my request is really several tasks, list them and do only the first.
- Before writing code, give a 3-line plan: what you'll change, which files, and how I'll test it.
- Make the smallest change that works. Don't refactor, rename, or reformat code I didn't ask about.
- Ask before adding a dependency, deleting or moving files, changing the data/database structure, or touching more than 3 files.
- If you're not sure a library, API, or setting exists in the version we use, say so and check the installed package or the docs instead of guessing.
- Never say something works unless you ran it or I confirmed it. Report errors exactly.
- Secrets (API keys, tokens, passwords) live only in environment variables or a .env file listed in .gitignore. Never print, hardcode, or commit them.
- Never run destructive commands (rm -rf, git reset --hard, force-push, dropping tables) without asking first.
## Finish every task with
1. What changed (list the files).
2. How to run or test it in under a minute, and what I should see.
3. A suggested git commit message.
Want the full step-by-step kit?
MVP Spec-to-Build Pack ($7): A fill-in 1-page spec, a landing page prompt, a 7-prompt build sequence in the right order, a "did I leak user data?" checklist, and cheap fix-it prompts.
Get the kit for $7 on Gumroad → See what's inside
or get all 5 kits for $25 (save $14) →
One markdown file, instant download. 7-day refund, no questions asked.
Why each rule exists
- Lovable app ruleChange only what I ask for in each message. Don't restyle, rename, or reorganize other pages or components.Why: Unrequested redesigns burn credits and undo work you already approved.
- Lovable app ruleBefore a change that touches the database, auth, or more than 3 files, describe the plan and wait for my OK.Why: This is the expensive stuff to get wrong. Plan first, then build.
- Lovable app ruleEvery database table has Row Level Security turned on, with policies so users can only read and change their own rows.Why: Without RLS, anyone with your app's public key can read every user's data. It's the most common vibe-coded app security hole.
- Lovable app ruleKeep the existing design system: the same colors, fonts, spacing, and components already in the project.Why: Consistent UI comes from reusing what's there, not inventing a new button style per page.
- Lovable app ruleSecret API keys go in the project's secrets / backend functions, never in front-end code.Why: Anything in front-end code is visible to every visitor.
- Lovable app ruleWhen something errors, explain the cause in one sentence before fixing it. Don't retry the same fix twice.Why: Repeated "try to fix" loops are where credits disappear.
- How to workDo one task per request. If my request is really several tasks, list them and do only the first.Why: Big multi-part requests are where AI tools change 12 files and you can't tell which change broke things.
- How to workBefore writing code, give a 3-line plan: what you'll change, which files, and how I'll test it.Why: A plan you can read in 10 seconds catches the wrong approach before it costs you an hour or a pile of credits.
- How to workMake the smallest change that works. Don't refactor, rename, or reformat code I didn't ask about.Why: Drive-by "cleanups" are the #1 cause of "it was working yesterday".
- How to workAsk before adding a dependency, deleting or moving files, changing the data/database structure, or touching more than 3 files.Why: These are the changes that are hard to undo. One quick question is cheaper than a rollback.
- How to workIf you're not sure a library, API, or setting exists in the version we use, say so and check the installed package or the docs instead of guessing.Why: AI tools confidently invent functions and config options. Making it check is the cure.
- How to workNever say something works unless you ran it or I confirmed it. Report errors exactly.Why: "Should work now" isn't a test result. You want facts, not optimism.
- How to workSecrets (API keys, tokens, passwords) live only in environment variables or a .env file listed in .gitignore. Never print, hardcode, or commit them.Why: Leaked keys get found by bots within minutes of a public push. This rule is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy.
- How to workNever run destructive commands (rm -rf, git reset --hard, force-push, dropping tables) without asking first.Why: One bad command can delete the only copy of your work.
- Finish every task withWhat changed, how to test it, and a commit message.Why: This turns every task into a checkpoint: you test it, you commit it, and you always have a last good version to go back to.
Use it as CLAUDE.md (Claude Code)
Pick one:
- Do nothing. Current Claude Code versions read
AGENTS.mdwhen the project has noCLAUDE.md. Run/memoryin a session to check it loaded. - Import it (best if you want Claude-only extras, or you're on an older Claude Code). Create
CLAUDE.mdnext toAGENTS.md:
@AGENTS.md
## Claude Code
- Use plan mode before any change that touches more than 3 files.
- Claude only? Save the same AGENTS.md text as
CLAUDE.mdinstead. Don't keep two separate copies; they drift apart.
Heads-up: if a project has both files and CLAUDE.md doesn't import AGENTS.md, Claude Code reads only CLAUDE.md by default. More in AGENTS.md vs CLAUDE.md.
Use it as Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc)
Cursor reads AGENTS.md too, so the file above already works. If you prefer Cursor's own Project Rules, split it into two .mdc files. The .mdc extension and frontmatter are required; Cursor ignores plain .md files in .cursor/rules.
---
description: Project overview and working rules for Lovable app
alwaysApply: true
---
# Lovable app
Instructions for AI coding agents working on this project. Replace anything in [brackets].
## Project
- What it is: [one sentence: what you are building and who it is for]
- Stack: Lovable (React + Tailwind front end, Lovable Cloud / Supabase back end)
- Version 1 only needs to: [the ONE thing it must do]
## How to work
- Do one task per request. If my request is really several tasks, list them and do only the first.
- Before writing code, give a 3-line plan: what you'll change, which files, and how I'll test it.
- Make the smallest change that works. Don't refactor, rename, or reformat code I didn't ask about.
- Ask before adding a dependency, deleting or moving files, changing the data/database structure, or touching more than 3 files.
- If you're not sure a library, API, or setting exists in the version we use, say so and check the installed package or the docs instead of guessing.
- Never say something works unless you ran it or I confirmed it. Report errors exactly.
- Secrets (API keys, tokens, passwords) live only in environment variables or a .env file listed in .gitignore. Never print, hardcode, or commit them.
- Never run destructive commands (rm -rf, git reset --hard, force-push, dropping tables) without asking first.
## Finish every task with
1. What changed (list the files).
2. How to run or test it in under a minute, and what I should see.
3. A suggested git commit message.
The project rules only attach when a matching file is in the chat (globs with alwaysApply: false). Want them on all the time? Change it to alwaysApply: true.
---
globs: src/**/*.tsx, src/**/*.ts
alwaysApply: false
---
# Project rules: Lovable app
- Change only what I ask for in each message. Don't restyle, rename, or reorganize other pages or components.
- Before a change that touches the database, auth, or more than 3 files, describe the plan and wait for my OK.
- Every database table has Row Level Security turned on, with policies so users can only read and change their own rows.
- Keep the existing design system: the same colors, fonts, spacing, and components already in the project.
- Secret API keys go in the project's secrets / backend functions, never in front-end code.
- When something errors, explain the cause in one sentence before fixing it. Don't retry the same fix twice.
Use either AGENTS.md or these .mdc files, not both, so you don't send the same rules twice. See Cursor rules vs AGENTS.md.
Use it in Lovable or Bolt
Browser builders don't read files from your computer, so paste the rules into the project's persistent instructions:
- Lovable: Project settings → Knowledge (up to 10,000 characters). This version is 2,111 characters. If your Lovable project is connected to GitHub, Lovable's docs say it also reads a root-level
AGENTS.md. - Bolt: Project settings → Knowledge.
This version drops the Commands section, since the builder runs the project for you.
# Project rules: Lovable app
Instructions for AI coding agents working on this project. Replace anything in [brackets].
## Project
- What it is: [one sentence: what you are building and who it is for]
- Stack: Lovable (React + Tailwind front end, Lovable Cloud / Supabase back end)
- Version 1 only needs to: [the ONE thing it must do]
## Project rules
- Change only what I ask for in each message. Don't restyle, rename, or reorganize other pages or components.
- Before a change that touches the database, auth, or more than 3 files, describe the plan and wait for my OK.
- Every database table has Row Level Security turned on, with policies so users can only read and change their own rows.
- Keep the existing design system: the same colors, fonts, spacing, and components already in the project.
- Secret API keys go in the project's secrets / backend functions, never in front-end code.
- When something errors, explain the cause in one sentence before fixing it. Don't retry the same fix twice.
## How to work
- Do one task per request. If my request is really several tasks, list them and do only the first.
- Before writing code, give a 3-line plan: what you'll change, which files, and how I'll test it.
- Make the smallest change that works. Don't refactor, rename, or reformat code I didn't ask about.
- Ask before adding a dependency, deleting or moving files, changing the data/database structure, or touching more than 3 files.
- If you're not sure a library, API, or setting exists in the version we use, say so and check the installed package or the docs instead of guessing.
- Never say something works unless you ran it or I confirmed it. Report errors exactly.
- Secrets (API keys, tokens, passwords) live only in environment variables or a .env file listed in .gitignore. Never print, hardcode, or commit them.
- Never run destructive commands (rm -rf, git reset --hard, force-push, dropping tables) without asking first.
## Finish every task with
1. What changed (list the files).
2. How to run or test it in under a minute, and what I should see.
3. A suggested git commit message.
Building this in a browser app builder? These rules work as Project Knowledge in both. Try Lovable · Try Bolt
Disclosure: the Bolt link is an affiliate (referral) link. If you sign up or buy through it, VibeKits may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Lovable link is a plain link. It never changes our pick.
Related
- Best AI tool to build a web app MVP (which tool to use, real prices)
- Lovable vs Bolt vs Replit for beginners (honest picks, real prices)
- AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md and Cursor rules formats explained