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How to use Kody Rules

You can use Kody Rules in two ways:

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Create Custom Rules

Define rules based on your team’s exact needs. Kody Rules can be applied at two different levels:

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Reference External Files

Rule instructions now support referencing concrete files from any codebase Kody can access. When you save a rule, Kody identifies these references and resolves them automatically.
  • Use @file:path/to/file.ts for files inside the repository where you’re editing the rule.
  • Include @repo:org/project when pointing to files in another repository or when configuring rules outside a repo context.
  • Provide accurate blob-style paths instead of placeholders so Kody can reliably find the file you mean.
  • References are processed in the background right after you save—watch the status indicator next to the editor to confirm completion.

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File-Level Rules

Analyze individual files to catch issues within specific code files. Available Context:
  • File diff: The specific changes made to the individual file being analyzed
How to Configure:
  • Rule name: Clearly define the rule purpose
  • File Paths: Limit rules to specific files or directories using glob patterns
  • Severity: Set to Critical, High, Medium, or Low
  • Detailed Instructions: Clearly state what’s expected and why
Configuration Example: 📋 Rule: “Avoid equality operators (==, !=) in loop termination conditions.” 📁 Path: src/**/*.ts ⚠️ Severity: Critical 📝 Instructions: “Using equality operators (== or !=) can cause infinite loops if exact values aren’t matched.” ❌ Bad Example: 
// Risk of infinite loop if increment is not exactly 1
for (let i = 0; i != 10; i += 2) {
  console.log(i); // Will print 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14... forever
}

// Risk if array is modified during iteration
let items = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
for (let i = 0; i != items.length; i++) {
  if (items[i] === 3) {
    items.push(6); // Modifies length, can cause infinite loop
  }
}
✅ Good Example: 
// Safe: loop will always terminate
for (let i = 0; i < 10; i += 2) {
  console.log(i); // Will print 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and stop
}

// Safe even if array is modified
let items = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
  if (items[i] === 3) {
    items.push(6); // Loop will still terminate safely
  }
}

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Pull Request-Level Rules

Analyze the entire Pull Request for cross-file validation and PR-specific requirements. Available Context:
  • PR diff: Complete diff of all changes across the entire Pull Request
  • PR title: The title of the Pull Request
  • PR description: The description/body of the Pull Request
  • PR statistics: Comprehensive metrics including total additions, deletions, files changed, and total lines modified
How to Configure: The creation process is identical to file-level rules, but you must select the “Pull-request” scope. This broader context enables analysis of cross-file dependencies and overall PR quality. Examples:
  • Every service file must have a corresponding test file
  • PR description must be complete, clearly stating what was added or removed
  • When a new route is created in a controller, it must be registered in routes.json

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Import from Rules Library

Leverage proven best practices instantly:
  • Navigate to Discovery Rules in your Kodus dashboard.
  • Filter rules by severity, language, or tags.
  • Import and activate rules with a single click.
Examples:
  • Security: “Disallow use of insecure MD5 hashing.”
  • Maintainability: “Limit React components to less than 150 lines.”

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Next Steps

Sync IDE Rules

Automatically import rules from Cursor, Copilot, Claude and other AI coding tools.

Repository Rules

Create rules directly in your repository using structured markdown files.

AI Generation

Let AI generate rules based on your codebase patterns and past reviews.