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Lovable + Cursor / Claude Code: AGENTS.md rules for GitHub sync

Free to copy. File formats checked against the official docs on Oct 19, 2026 (sources).

Lovable's GitHub sync is two-way: what you push to the synced branch shows up in Lovable, and Lovable's edits land in your repo. That's great until both sides change the same thing. These rules keep them in step.

Stack these rules assume: A Lovable project with two-way GitHub sync, edited both in Lovable and locally (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex). Different stack? Customize it in the generator.

Where these go: Commit this AGENTS.md at the root of the synced repo. Cursor, Codex and Claude Code read it locally, and Lovable's docs say Lovable reads root-level AGENTS.md files too.

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Quick start

  1. Copy the AGENTS.md below into your project's root folder.
  2. Fill in the three [bracketed] lines under "Project". Delete any rule that doesn't fit.
  3. 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
# AGENTS.md: Lovable + Cursor / Claude Code (GitHub sync)

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: A Lovable project with two-way GitHub sync, edited both in Lovable and locally (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex)
- Version 1 only needs to: [the ONE thing it must do]

## Commands
- Get the code: `git clone <your-repo-url>`
- Before every session: `git pull`
- Install and run locally: `npm install && npm run dev`
- Before pushing: `npm run build`

## Project rules
- Pull before starting work and push small commits often. Lovable commits to the same branch.
- Work on the branch Lovable syncs, or merge into it when done. Changes on other branches won't appear in Lovable until merged.
- Don't rename, move, or restructure the folders and config files Lovable created unless I ask.
- Don't change database migrations or backend settings locally while I'm also changing the backend in Lovable. One place per change.
- Keep this AGENTS.md and Lovable's Project Knowledge saying the same thing. If you change one, remind me to update the other.
- Run npm run build and make sure it passes before every push.

## 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?

Codebase Fixer Agent ($8): A strict audit, safety net, fix one thing, verify process for your agent, plus a bug report template and refactor recipes. Stops the "it rewrote half my app" problem.

Get the kit for $8 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

Use it as CLAUDE.md (Claude Code)

Pick one:

  1. Do nothing. Current Claude Code versions read AGENTS.md when the project has no CLAUDE.md. Run /memory in a session to check it loaded.
  2. Import it (best if you want Claude-only extras, or you're on an older Claude Code). Create CLAUDE.md next to AGENTS.md:
CLAUDE.md (imports AGENTS.md)
@AGENTS.md

## Claude Code
- Use plan mode before any change that touches more than 3 files.
  1. Claude only? Save the same AGENTS.md text as CLAUDE.md instead. 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.

.cursor/rules/core.mdc
---
description: Project overview and working rules for Lovable + Cursor / Claude Code (GitHub sync)
alwaysApply: true
---

# Lovable + Cursor / Claude Code (GitHub sync)

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: A Lovable project with two-way GitHub sync, edited both in Lovable and locally (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex)
- Version 1 only needs to: [the ONE thing it must do]

## Commands
- Get the code: `git clone <your-repo-url>`
- Before every session: `git pull`
- Install and run locally: `npm install && npm run dev`
- Before pushing: `npm run build`

## 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.

.cursor/rules/lovable-to-cursor-claude-code.mdc
---
globs: src/**/*.ts, src/**/*.tsx
alwaysApply: false
---

# Project rules: Lovable + Cursor / Claude Code (GitHub sync)

- Pull before starting work and push small commits often. Lovable commits to the same branch.
- Work on the branch Lovable syncs, or merge into it when done. Changes on other branches won't appear in Lovable until merged.
- Don't rename, move, or restructure the folders and config files Lovable created unless I ask.
- Don't change database migrations or backend settings locally while I'm also changing the backend in Lovable. One place per change.
- Keep this AGENTS.md and Lovable's Project Knowledge saying the same thing. If you change one, remind me to update the other.
- Run npm run build and make sure it passes before every push.

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:

This version drops the Commands section, since the builder runs the project for you.

Project Knowledge (paste into Lovable or Bolt)
# Project rules: Lovable + Cursor / Claude Code (GitHub sync)

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: A Lovable project with two-way GitHub sync, edited both in Lovable and locally (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex)
- Version 1 only needs to: [the ONE thing it must do]

## Project rules
- Pull before starting work and push small commits often. Lovable commits to the same branch.
- Work on the branch Lovable syncs, or merge into it when done. Changes on other branches won't appear in Lovable until merged.
- Don't rename, move, or restructure the folders and config files Lovable created unless I ask.
- Don't change database migrations or backend settings locally while I'm also changing the backend in Lovable. One place per change.
- Keep this AGENTS.md and Lovable's Project Knowledge saying the same thing. If you change one, remind me to update the other.
- Run npm run build and make sure it passes before every push.

## 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

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Related

Sources

Checked Oct 19, 2026. These tools change often; if something here no longer matches, tell us at [email protected].

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