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.clinerules

Cline rules for Godot

Cline and Roo Code read project rules before they edit. A root `.clinerules` file is the shared place for stack commands, safety limits, and how the agent should use tools. This copy is written for a Godot project. This repository is a Godot 4 project. Scenes compose nodes, GDScript is statically typed where the file already types it, and gameplay reacts to signals instead of polling.

The example uses a balanced, readable style, pragmatic tests, and comments only where the intent is not obvious. Open the generator to make the agent stricter, switch to test-first, quiet the comments, or pick a different file.

The example assumes Godot 4 and GDScript. It does not assume C# or a third-party framework. If the repo is a Godot 3 project, do not use Godot 4-only APIs.

Example file

Balanced strictness, readable style, pragmatic tests. Download name: .clinerules

# Cline and Roo rules

Project rules for Cline and Roo Code in this Godot repository.
Use the project's commands. Do not invent a package manager, and do not run destructive shell commands.

## Tool use

- Read the files you will change before editing them.
- Prefer a focused patch over rewriting a whole file.
- Run the test command from this file after a behavior change, or say why you could not.
- Do not delete generated folders, lockfiles, or migrations unless the task says so.

## Stack

This repository is a Godot 4 project. Scenes compose nodes, GDScript is statically typed where the file already types it, and gameplay reacts to signals instead of polling.

## Layout

- Scenes (`.tscn`) and their scripts sit together in the feature folder the project already uses.
- Autoloads are rare. Do not add a new autoload for state a scene can own.
- Shared resources (`.tres`) hold data. Do not bury tuning numbers in `_ready`.

## Commands

- Editor: `Open the project in Godot 4`
- Script check: `Use the editor's script error list before you finish`
- Play: `Run the scene you changed (F6) or the main scene (F5)`

Use the script the repo already defines when it differs from the command above.

## Conventions

- Prefer signals instead of polling. Connect them in the editor or once in `_ready`.
- Use `@export` for designer-facing values and `@onready` for node references you need up front.
- Type new variables and function signatures when the surrounding script is typed.
- Call down, signal up. A child does not reach across the scene tree to poke a sibling.
- Use `await` for signals and timers the engine already provides. Do not busy-loop.
- Keep `_process` and `_physics_process` small. Move one-off work to a signal or a method.

## Testing

Add or update tests when behavior changes.

If the project already uses GdUnit4 or another runner, add a test for the pure logic. Otherwise keep the rule in a plain function and say how you ran the scene.

## Style

- Optimize for the next reader over the shortest diff.
- Comment only when the why is non-obvious.
- Name things the way neighboring files already do.
- Do not reformat code you did not change.

## Errors

- Fail at the boundary. Do not swallow errors.
- Use `push_error` for a broken setup and return early. Do not `assert` on a situation a missing export can cause in the editor.

## Scope

- Do the requested task. Do not refactor unrelated code.
- Match the rigor already in the repo. Fix what you touch.
- Ask one clarifying question only when the task cannot be finished without it. Otherwise state the assumption and continue.

## Avoid

- Do not call `get_node` every frame.
- Do not use Godot 3 yields, `export var`, or string-based `connect` in new Godot 4 scripts.
- Do not store node references across a scene change unless the node is an autoload.
- Do not edit `.tscn` files by hand when the editor can make the change.

## Done when

- The requested behavior works.
- The script has no parser errors, and the scene you changed runs without a red error in the debugger.
- The diff stays inside the task.
- You list anything you could not run.

Add it to the project

  1. 01

    Copy a starting file

    Copy the example Cline rules on this page, or open the generator if you want different testing, strictness, or comment rules.

  2. 02

    Save it at .clinerules

    Save it as `.clinerules` at the root of the Godot repo. If you use Roo Code rules per folder, copy the body to `.roo/rules/project.md` as well.

  3. 03

    Start a fresh agent session

    Rules files are read when a session starts. A chat that is already open may still be using the old instructions.

  4. 04

    Give it one small task

    Ask for one change a Godot agent often gets wrong, such as a node that connects a signal in code instead of checking a flag inside _process. If it ignores the file, confirm the path and start a new session.

Questions about this file

Where do I put Cline rules in a Godot repo?

Save it as `.clinerules` at the root of the Godot repo. If you use Roo Code rules per folder, copy the body to `.roo/rules/project.md` as well.

Which tools read this Cline rules?

Cline reads `.clinerules`. Roo Code reads `.clinerules` and can also load `.roo/rules`. Other agents ignore this filename.

What does the Godot example assume?

The example assumes Godot 4 and GDScript. It does not assume C# or a third-party framework. If the repo is a Godot 3 project, do not use Godot 4-only APIs.

Does VibeSpell upload my repository?

No. Recipe pages are static, and the generator builds the file in your browser from the options you pick. Your source code never leaves the machine.

Other files for Godot

Cline rules for other stacks