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Kodus has two types of Kody Rules, and knowing when to use each one makes your code reviews more effective.

Review Rules

Review Rules are traditional code review checks that run during the dedicated code review stage. They analyze file diffs or the entire PR against your defined criteria. Best for:
  • Architecture boundaries (“domain layer must not import infrastructure”)
  • Code patterns (“avoid == in loop conditions”)
  • PR requirements (“every service file must have a test”)
  • Structural validation using variables like fileDiff, pr_files_diff
How they work:
  • Applied at file-level or PR-level scope
  • Run only during code review
  • Support file references (@file, @repo) and MCP functions
  • Produce suggestions with severity levels

Memories

Memories are persistent contextual instructions injected across all interactions — code reviews, conversations, and AI suggestions. They represent your team’s conventions and preferences. Best for:
  • Team conventions (“we use camelCase for API keys, snake_case for DB columns”)
  • Technology preferences (“avoid Lodash, prefer native JS methods”)
  • Migration guidance (“treat any AWS SDK v2 import as a blocker”)
  • Architectural principles (“we follow hexagonal architecture strictly”)
How they work:
  • Injected as high-priority context in all prompts
  • Created via conversation (@kody remember: ...) or manually in the UI
  • Scoped to directory, repository, or organization level
  • Kody auto-deduplicates and resolves conflicts between memories

When to use which

ScenarioUse
Check if a test file exists for every serviceReview Rule
”We never use Lodash in this repo”Memory
PR description must follow a templateReview Rule
”API payloads use camelCase”Memory
Flag imports that violate architecture layersReview Rule
”We’re migrating from SDK v2 to v3”Memory

Can I convert between them?

Yes. In the Pending Memories modal, you can convert a memory into a Review Rule if you decide it needs more structured enforcement with file paths and severity levels. For details, see Kody Rules.