Guides¶
Step-by-step instructions for applying the AI Context Docs Lifecycle methodology.
Available Guides¶
| Guide | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | Choose which modules to adopt |
| New Project | Set up from scratch |
| Existing Project | Add to existing codebase |
| AGENTS.md Best Practices | Write effective AI context files |
| Skills Catalog | What skills exist and when to use each one |
| Skill Routing Policy | Decide when agents should load skills |
| Tool Compatibility | Set up for Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot |
Which Guide to Use?¶
New to ACDL? Start with Quick Start — it covers the minimum setup regardless of project size.
Then come back here for your specific situation:
| Situation | Guide |
|---|---|
| Starting a new project | New Project |
| Adding to an existing codebase | Existing Project |
| Choosing which modules to adopt | Getting Started |
| Multi-tool team or migration | Tool Compatibility |
Writing effective AGENTS.md |
AGENTS.md Best Practices |
| Available skills and when to use them | Skills Catalog |
Quick Reference (Common Tasks)¶
Add AI context to any project (~5 min)¶
1. npx @acdl/cli init
2. Tell AI: "Bootstrap AGENTS.md for this project. load skill `acdl`"
3. Review and trim what was generated
Add deep coding patterns (~10 min)¶
1. Create .agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
2. Document your specific patterns with code examples
3. Add a routing entry to the Context Loading table in AGENTS.md
Build a feature¶
1. Bug fix or config change? Just do it — no docs needed.
2. Real feature? Create specs/<feature>/spec.md + tasks.md
3. Tell AI: "load skill `feature`"
Record an architecture decision¶
1. Create docs/decisions/NNN-title.md from the ADR template
2. Document context, decision, and rationale
3. Never edit it again — ADRs are permanent
For AI Agents Applying This Methodology¶
When asked to apply ACDL to a project:
- Determine project state: new or existing?
- Use the appropriate guide above
- Read relevant module READMEs before writing files:
- Module 1: Foundation
- Module 2: Dev Workflow
- Module 3: Project Planning
- Use templates from skills:
skills/<skill>/templates/
Module Index¶
| Module | Templates | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 01-foundation | skills/acdl/templates/, skills/docs/templates/ |
— |
| 02-dev-workflow | skills/feature/templates/ |
— |
| 03-project-planning | skills/project/templates/ |
— |
See Also¶
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Modules Index | Overview of all modules |
| Main README | Project overview (root of repo) |
| Methodology | Full philosophy |
| AGENTS.md Best Practices | Research-backed writing guide |
| Skills Catalog | Available skills and usage guide |
| Skill Routing Policy | Score-based skill activation rules |
| Tool Compatibility | Multi-tool setup |