For AI-native developers / GITHUB COPILOT
A SaaS boilerplate
for Copilot, via AGENTS.md
Copilot reads repository instructions from three kinds of files. useDeploy ships one of them, AGENTS.md, and leaves the other two for you to add if you want them.
How GitHub Copilot loads your rules
Per the official docs (https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-custom-instructions/add-repository-instructions), Copilot reads three kinds of repository instruction files. Repository-wide instructions go in .github/copilot-instructions.md. Path-specific instructions go in files with the .instructions.md suffix under .github/instructions, each with an applyTo glob (on GitHub.com that currently works for the cloud agent and code review). Agent instructions go in AGENTS.md: you can create one or more, stored anywhere in the repository, and the closest one in the directory tree takes precedence.
What useDeploy ships today, file by file
| File in the repo | What it does | Who enforces it |
|---|---|---|
| AGENTS.md | Short architecture rules: layers, contracts, "done means green". Any agent that reads AGENTS.md gets them. | Context the agent reads. The rules it states are backed by the ESLint layer rules. |
| packages/eslint-config/ddd.js | ESLint layer rules: domain and application cannot import express, Prisma or BetterAuth; contexts talk through types. | Any tool, any editor. This is the part the agent cannot talk its way past. |
| .github/workflows/ci.yml | Lint and typecheck jobs run on every pull request (the test job too). | Any tool. This is the shared gate. |
| CLAUDE.md | Long-form operating manual: DDD layering, contracts, API regeneration, docs rules, design system. | Context only. Claude Code reads it at session start. |
What useDeploy does not ship for Copilot
No .github/copilot-instructions.md and no path-specific .instructions.md files. Copilot's agents (cloud agent, CLI, VS Code Chat) are covered by the root AGENTS.md; Chat on GitHub.com, Visual Studio and JetBrains don't read it. To cover those, create .github/copilot-instructions.md with a line telling it to follow the rules in AGENTS.md. The Claude Code hooks do not run in Copilot. Enforcement is the ESLint layer rules and the CI jobs, which also gate Copilot-authored pull requests.
Honest comparison: others ship agent files too
useDeploy is our product, so weigh this accordingly. MakerKit, supastarter, Nextbase, ShipAny and Indie Kit also ship an AGENTS.md, rules files or agent skills for AI tools, and AnotherWrapper sells a blocking-hook harness ("Hooks, not instructions"). What useDeploy adds on top of AGENTS.md is the combination of ESLint layer rules, Claude Code hooks and a CI gate in the same repo. It is not the only kit with agent files, and a rules file alone, ours or anyone's, is only a request.
The open-source kit and the guides
Take the guardrails without the boilerplate
The hooks and settings are published as an MIT kit: https://github.com/KonixDev/claude-code-guardrails. Drop it into any repo with an ESLint config and a guardrails script.
Write the files yourself
Guides: /blog/claude-md-file-example-saas (CLAUDE.md), /blog/claude-code-hooks-enforce-architecture (hooks), /blog/cursor-rules-nextjs-typescript (Cursor rules), /blog/claude-code-skills-subagents-architecture-review (skills and subagents).
Compare the kits
Roundup by use case, with the cases where another kit fits better.
Other AI tools
Claude Code
How Claude Code loads its rules, and what useDeploy covers for it.
Cursor
How Cursor loads its rules, and what useDeploy covers for it.
OpenAI Codex
How OpenAI Codex loads its rules, and what useDeploy covers for it.
Windsurf
How Windsurf loads its rules, and what useDeploy covers for it.
AGENTS.md
How AGENTS.md loads its rules, and what useDeploy covers for it.
AI coding agents: the overview
The overview of the guardrails every AI tool shares: layer rules, typed contracts and the CI gate.
FAQ
Does GitHub Copilot read AGENTS.md?+
Should I still add .github/copilot-instructions.md?+
How much does useDeploy cost?+
| Price | Founder $99 or Lifetime $199, one-time payment (no subscription) |
|---|---|
| License | Full source, commercial use, unlimited projects. Founder is a frozen snapshot; Lifetime includes every future release. |
| Stack | Next.js frontend, Express API, Bun runtime, Prisma, BetterAuth |
| Auth | BetterAuth: sessions, 2FA, magic links, password reset |
| Multi-tenancy and RBAC | Organizations with members, invitations, roles and permissions |
| Payments | Polar: full billing (checkout, customer portal, webhooks, plan sync). MercadoPago: Checkout Pro one-time payments with signed webhooks; subscriptions are not supported yet. Stripe: adapter scaffold, not charging yet. |
| Guardrails for AI agents | ESLint-enforced architecture layers, Claude Code hooks and an AGENTS.md |
| Refund | 14 days |
| Try it: free account | Sign up free and explore the dashboard: organizations, roles, billing, audit log. You buy the license from inside. https://usedeploy.dev/register |
| Docs | Documentation in English, with Spanish and Portuguese translations of the main guides |
Rules the agent reads, walls it cannot cross.
Start from a base where the architecture is enforced by lint and CI, and the agent files are already written.