IDE Integrations

Most modern IDEs ship with AI coding assistants that support custom instructions or system prompts. Configuring these with a security prompt ensures that inline completions, chat suggestions, and refactoring proposals all follow secure coding practices.

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot supports project-level custom instructions that apply across VS Code, JetBrains, and other supported editors.

Repository-Level Instructions

Create a .github/copilot-instructions.md file in your repository root:

mkdir -p .github
cat > .github/copilot-instructions.md << 'EOF'
[Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]
EOF

Copilot reads this file and applies its content as additional context for all code completions and chat interactions within the repository.

Organization-Level Instructions

For GitHub Enterprise, administrators can set organization-wide custom instructions:

1. Navigate to your organization's Settings → Copilot → Custom Instructions
2. Paste the security prompt into the instructions field
3. These instructions apply to all repositories in the organization

Tips

• Repository-level instructions in .github/copilot-instructions.md override organization defaults for that repo
• Copilot applies these instructions to both inline completions and Copilot Chat
• Commit the file to version control so every contributor benefits automatically
• You can reference other files from the instructions to provide additional context

Cursor

Cursor supports multiple layers of custom instructions for its AI features (Tab completion, Chat, and Agent).

Project Rules (Recommended)

Create a .cursor/rules/ directory and add a rule file:

.cursor/rules/security.mdc

---
description: Enforce secure coding practices in all generated code
globs: *
alwaysApply: true
---

[Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]

Framework-Scoped Rules

You can create multiple rule files scoped to specific languages:

.cursor/rules/python-security.mdc    (globs: *.py)
.cursor/rules/node-security.mdc      (globs: *.js,*.ts)
.cursor/rules/java-security.mdc      (globs: *.java)

This lets you apply the right framework-specific security prompt to the right files.

Global Rules

For rules that apply across all projects:

1. Open Cursor Settings → Rules → User Rules
2. Paste the security prompt into the global rules field

Tips

• Project rules with alwaysApply: true are included in every AI interaction (completions, chat, agent)
• Commit .cursor/rules/ to version control for team-wide consistency
• Rules are additive — project rules layer on top of global rules

Windsurf

Windsurf supports project-level rules through a .windsurfrules file.

Setup

cat > .windsurfrules << 'EOF'
[Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]
EOF

Windsurf reads this file for all AI interactions in the project, including inline completions and Cascade (its agentic mode).

Global Rules

For cross-project defaults, configure rules in Windsurf Settings → AI → Global Rules.

Tips

• Commit .windsurfrules to share with the team
• The file is plain text — paste the full prompt without any special formatting

JetBrains AI Assistant

JetBrains AI Assistant is available across IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and other JetBrains IDEs.

Setup

1. Open Settings → Tools → AI Assistant
2. Find the Custom Prompts or Project-Level Instructions section
3. Paste the security prompt into the instructions field

Per-Project Configuration

JetBrains IDEs also support .junie/guidelines.md for project instructions:

mkdir -p .junie
cat > .junie/guidelines.md << 'EOF'
[Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]
EOF

Tips

• AI Assistant uses these instructions for code completions, chat, and inline suggestions
• The configuration is stored in IDE settings, so it does not require a file in the repo (though .junie/guidelines.md is recommended for team use)
• Each IDE product shares the same AI Assistant plugin, so the setup is consistent across JetBrains tools

VS Code with Continue.dev

Continue.dev is an open-source AI coding assistant that runs in VS Code and JetBrains.

Setup

Edit .continue/config.yaml in your project root:

systemMessage: |
  [Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]

Or for global configuration, edit ~/.continue/config.yaml:

systemMessage: |
  [Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]

Tips

• Continue supports multiple model backends (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Ollama, etc.) — the system message applies regardless of model
• Project-level .continue/config.yaml overrides the global config
• You can also use the contextProviders feature to load the prompt from a file

Cline / Roo Code

Cline (and its fork Roo Code) are autonomous coding agents that run inside VS Code.

Setup

Create a .clinerules file in your project root:

cat > .clinerules << 'EOF'
[Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]
EOF

Cline reads this file automatically and applies it as persistent context for all interactions.

Tips

• Cline can also read custom instructions from its VS Code extension settings
• The .clinerules file is the recommended approach for project-specific security prompts
• Roo Code uses the same .clinerules format

Amazon Q Developer (IDE Plugin)

Amazon Q Developer has IDE plugins for VS Code and JetBrains.

Setup

Create a .amazonq/rules/ directory in your project root:

mkdir -p .amazonq/rules
cat > .amazonq/rules/security.md << 'EOF'
[Paste the full Manicode security prompt here]
EOF

Tips

• Q Developer reads all files in .amazonq/rules/ as persistent context
• Works in both VS Code and JetBrains plugins
• Commit the directory for team-wide consistency

Xcode with AI Extensions

For Swift and iOS development, AI assistance in Xcode typically comes through third-party extensions or Apple's integrated tools.

GitHub Copilot for Xcode

1. Install the Copilot for Xcode extension
2. The extension reads .github/copilot-instructions.md from the repository root, same as the VS Code setup

Tips

• Commit your .github/copilot-instructions.md with the Swift/iOS security prompt, and it will apply in both VS Code and Xcode

Quick Reference

IDE / Tool	Configuration File	Scope
GitHub Copilot	.github/copilot-instructions.md	Repository
Cursor	.cursor/rules/*.mdc	Project (glob-scoped)
Windsurf	.windsurfrules	Project
JetBrains AI	.junie/guidelines.md	Project
Continue.dev	.continue/config.yaml	Project or global
Cline / Roo Code	.clinerules	Project
Amazon Q	.amazonq/rules/*.md	Project
Claude Code	CLAUDE.md	Project (see AI Coding Agents)
Codex	AGENTS.md	Project (see AI Coding Agents)

Team Deployment Strategy

For teams using multiple IDEs, commit all relevant config files to the repository:

.github/copilot-instructions.md    # Copilot users (VS Code, JetBrains, Xcode)
.cursor/rules/security.mdc         # Cursor users
.windsurfrules                     # Windsurf users
.clinerules                        # Cline / Roo Code users
.amazonq/rules/security.md         # Amazon Q users
.junie/guidelines.md               # JetBrains AI users
CLAUDE.md                          # Claude Code users
AGENTS.md                          # Codex users

Each file can contain the same security prompt. When Manicode publishes an update, update all files together to keep the team in sync.