CodeAnt AI allows you to provide custom instructions to tailor the code review process for your specific project needs. These instructions help CodeAnt understand your coding standards, ignore false positives, and focus on what matters most for your codebase.

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Setup

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1. Create Configuration Folder

Create a .codeant folder in your repository root (same level as your .git folder): 
your-repo/
├── .git/
├── .codeant/
│   └── instructions.json
├── src/
└── package.json

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2. Create Instructions File

Inside the .codeant folder, create an instructions.json file with your custom review instructions.

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Configuration Format

The instructions.json file uses the following structure: 
{
    "instructions": [
        {
            "id": "unique-instruction-id",
            "description": "Clear description of what this instruction does",
            "files": ["glob-pattern-1", "glob-pattern-2"],
            "scope": ["ide", "pr"]  // Optional, defaults to ["ide"]
        }
    ]
}

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File Pattern Examples

CodeAnt uses minimatch for glob patterns. Here are common patterns:
PatternDescription
**/*.jsAll JavaScript files in any directory
src/**/*.tsAll TypeScript files in src directory and subdirectories
*.test.jsTest files in root directory only
**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}All JavaScript/TypeScript files
!**/node_modules/**Exclude node_modules directory
components/**/*.vueAll Vue files in components directory
**/*.spec.{js,ts}All spec test files

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Instruction Examples

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Common Use Cases

1. Ignore Specific Patterns: 
{
    "id": "ignore-console-logs",
    "description": "Allow console.log statements in development files",
    "files": ["src/dev/**/*.js", "**/*.dev.js"],
    "scope": ["ide"]
}
2. Framework-Specific Rules: 
{
    "id": "react-hooks-exception",
    "description": "Allow useEffect without dependencies in specific components",
    "files": ["src/components/legacy/**/*.jsx"]
}
3. API Integration Guidelines: 
{
    "id": "api-error-handling",
    "description": "Ensure all API calls in services have proper error handling and timeout",
    "files": ["src/services/**/*.ts", "src/api/**/*.ts"],
    "scope": ["ide", "pr"]
}
4. Security Focus: 
{
    "id": "auth-security",
    "description": "Extra scrutiny for authentication and authorization code",
    "files": ["src/auth/**/*.js", "**/middleware/auth.js"],
    "scope": ["pr"]
}

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Sample instructions.json

Here’s a complete example configuration: 
{
    "instructions": [
        {
            "id": "add-exception",
            "description": "Do not show error where add function is subtracting",
            "files": ["**/*.js", "**/*.ts", "**/*.jsx", "**/*.tsx"],
            "scope": ["ide", "pr"]
        },
        {
            "id": "test-file-exceptions",
            "description": "Allow mock functions and testing utilities without warnings",
            "files": ["**/*.test.js", "**/*.spec.ts", "**/tests/**/*.js"]
        },
        {
            "id": "legacy-code-review",
            "description": "Focus only on security issues for legacy code, ignore style warnings",
            "files": ["src/legacy/**/*.js", "old-modules/**/*.ts"],
            "scope": ["pr"]
        },
        {
            "id": "config-files",
            "description": "Skip complexity warnings for configuration files",
            "files": ["*.config.js", "webpack.config.js", "**/config/**/*.js"],
            "scope": ["ide"]
        }
    ]
}

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Best Practices

  • Use descriptive IDs: Make instruction IDs clear and meaningful
  • Be specific with patterns: Target exact files or directories that need special treatment
  • Document reasoning: Use clear descriptions explaining why each instruction exists
  • Test patterns: Verify your glob patterns match the intended files
  • Keep it minimal: Only add instructions when necessary to avoid over-customization
  • Scope appropriately: Use scope to control where instructions apply - IDE only, PR reviews only, or both
Once you’ve created your instructions.json file, CodeAnt will automatically apply these custom instructions during the next code review.