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Project Structure

After installation, Vibe Kit creates a comprehensive directory structure that provides context to AI assistants and organizes your development standards.

Directory Overview

When you run vibe-kit install, Vibe Kit creates a comprehensive directory structure:

Directory structure created:

your-project/
├── .vibe-kit/
│   ├── standards/
│   │   ├── glossary.md          ← Project shortcuts & terminology
│   │   ├── code-style.md        ← Coding conventions
│   │   ├── code-style/          ← Granular style guides
│   │   │   ├── css-style.md
│   │   │   ├── typescript-style.md
│   │   │   ├── javascript-style.md
│   │   │   └── html-style.md
│   │   ├── testing.md           ← Test patterns
│   │   ├── architecture.md      ← Architecture decisions
│   │   ├── ai-guidelines.md     ← AI behavior rules
│   │   ├── workflows.md          ← Development workflows
│   │   ├── README.md             ← Overview (real file)
│   │   ├── frontend/             ← Monorepo: Frontend standards
│   │   └── backend/              ← Monorepo: Backend standards
│   ├── product/                  ← Product context
│   │   ├── mission.md            ← Product vision
│   │   ├── mission-lite.md       ← Condensed mission
│   │   ├── roadmap.md            ← Development roadmap
│   │   ├── decisions.md          ← Architecture Decision Records
│   │   └── context.md            ← Domain-specific context
│   ├── instructions/             ← Workflow instructions
│   │   ├── meta/
│   │   │   ├── pre-flight.md    ← Pre-flight checks
│   │   │   └── post-flight.md   ← Post-flight verification
│   │   └── core/
│   │       └── create-component.md ← Example workflow
│   ├── policies/                 ← Policy enforcement
│   │   └── policy.yml            ← Policy configuration
│   ├── corrections.md            ← AI performance tracking
│   ├── config.yml               ← Enhanced manifest schema
│   └── context.md                ← Single context file for CLI
│
├── .cursor/rules/
│   └── vibe-kit.mdc             ← Makes AI read the .md files

ℹ️ Skeleton Files

Files marked "Skeleton" start as blank templates. Run vk analyze to generate content from your codebase.

The .vibe-kit Directory

This is the main directory where all your project standards and context files live:

standards/

Standards that AI reads as context

  • glossary.md- YOUR project shortcuts & terms
  • code-style.md- YOUR coding conventions
  • code-style/- Granular style guides (CSS, TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML)
  • testing.md- YOUR test patterns
  • architecture.md- YOUR architecture decisions
  • ai-guidelines.md- AI behavior rules
  • frontend/- Frontend-specific standards (monorepos)
  • backend/- Backend-specific standards (monorepos)

product/

Product context for AI understanding

  • mission.md- Product vision and purpose
  • mission-lite.md- Condensed mission for AI context
  • roadmap.md- Development phases and features
  • decisions.md- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
  • context.md- Domain-specific context

instructions/

Structured workflow instructions

  • meta/pre-flight.md- Pre-flight validation checks
  • meta/post-flight.md- Post-flight verification
  • core/- Core workflows (e.g., create-component.md)

policies/

Policy enforcement configuration

  • policy.yml- Policy rules and enforcement levels (off, warn, block)

corrections.md

AI performance tracking log

Tracks AI behavior issues, preferences, and improvements. Use vk note to add entries.

config.yml

Enhanced manifest schema

Configuration file with versioning, required/optional standards, conditional loading rules, and analysis scope tracking.

Platform-Specific Integrations

Vibe Kit integrates with multiple AI platforms:

Cursor - .cursor/rules/vibe-kit.mdc

Automatic: Cursor reads all context files for every AI prompt via alwaysApply: true. No manual references needed!

Continue.dev - .continue/config.json

Auto-loads context files for Continue.dev integration across any editor.

Aider - .aider/rules.md

Automatically reads context files for Aider command-line AI assistance.

VS Code - .vscode/settings.json

Configuration settings for VS Code and GitHub Copilot integration. Note: Unlike Cursor, you must manually reference context files in your Copilot prompts (e.g., @.vibe-kit includes all files).

CLI Tools - .vibe-kit/scripts/ai-cli.sh

Universal helper scripts for Claude CLI, Gemini CLI, and other command-line AI tools.

Customization

All files in the .vibe-kit directory are meant to be customized for your project. After running vk analyze, modify them to match your team's specific needs:

  • Add project-specific terminology to glossary.md
  • Define your coding style preferences in code-style.md and granular files
  • Document your testing approach in testing.md
  • Capture architectural decisions in architecture.md and product/decisions.md
  • Set AI behavior expectations in ai-guidelines.md
  • Document workflows in workflows.md and instructions/core/
  • Configure policy enforcement in policies/policy.yml
  • Track AI performance in corrections.md
  • Add product context in product/ directory

Pro Tip

The more detailed and specific your context files are, the better AI assistants will understand your project and generate code that matches your exact patterns and preferences.

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