Maximize the effectiveness of your .md context files with these battle-tested strategies for working with AI coding assistants like Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot.
Your .md should be a high-level guide with strategic pointers, not a comprehensive manual. Document what your AI consistently gets wrong. If explaining something requires more than 3 paragraphs, the problem is your tooling, not your docs.
Avoid @-mentioning files unnecessarily - it bloats context windows. Instead, sell the AI on when to read: "For database errors, see /docs/db.md" vs embedding the entire file. Save tokens for code, not documentation.
Never say "Never" without offering alternatives. "Don't use --force" leaves AI stuck. Instead: "Prefer --safe-mode. Use --force only in dev with approval." Prescriptive > restrictive.
If you need paragraphs to explain a command, the command is the problem. Build a wrapper script with a better API. Short .md files force codebase simplification. Complexity documented is complexity that should be eliminated.
Avoid /compact - it's opaque and lossy. Simple restart: /clear + /catchup. Complex work: dump state to .md, /clear, resume from file. Document > compact. Always.
For large changes, always use planning mode. Align on approach and define checkpoint reviews before implementation. Planning builds AI intuition about your context needs. Code without planning wastes both your time.
One good example beats three paragraphs of explanation. Instead of describing patterns abstractly, show concrete code. AI learns faster from // Example: than from "The pattern is...". Prefer copy-pasteable snippets.
Context files belong in git with your code. When code evolves, context must evolve. Treat CONTEXT.md changes like code changes - review in PRs, test effectiveness, document breaking changes. Stale context is worse than no context.
Use global (~/.claude/context.md), project (CONTEXT.md), and file-level context. Global for your personal patterns, project for codebase conventions, inline for file-specific nuances. Don't repeat yourself across layers.
Explicitly state what's in-scope and out-of-scope. "Don't modify files in /vendor" or "Test coverage required for /src only". Clear boundaries prevent AI from over-helping or making incorrect assumptions.
Verify AI uses your context. Try /clear + task that should use context. Does AI follow patterns? If not, your context isn't working. Iterate until behavior matches intent. Context untested is context unused.
Context rots faster than code. When you change patterns, update context immediately. Outdated context trains AI on deprecated patterns. Set calendar reminders to review quarterly. Fresh context compounds value.
Context files are infrastructure, not documentation. Your .md should be executable specification - concise, versioned, and tested. Think "API contract for AI" not "reference manual for humans."
Slash commands are shortcuts. Context files are strategy. Commands trigger actions. Context shapes behavior. Master both, but invest in context - it compounds over time while commands stay transactional.
Developer experience compounds productivity over time. DevEx.md documents the patterns, tooling, and workflows that make your team effective. Onboarding guides, productivity tips, and common gotchas live in markdown. AI assistants surface relevant guidance contextually. Good DX becomes institutional.
Every pain point your developers hit is context worth capturing. DevEx.md turns troubleshooting sessions into permanent solutions. Document workarounds, debug procedures, and known issues in markdown. AI assistants help developers self-serve. Repeated questions become searchable answers.
Great developer experience is about reducing cognitive load. DevEx.md captures not just what tools you use, but how to use them effectively. Keyboard shortcuts, workflow optimizations, and power user techniques documented in markdown. AI assistants become productivity multipliers.
"Top-performing engineering teams obsess over developer experience because they understand it's a force multiplier. DevEx.md helps you capture and scale the practices that make developers productive, turning individual expertise into team-wide capability."
Built by developers who believe that investing in developer experience is investing in velocity.
We are passionate about eliminating friction from the development workflow. Every pain point, workaround, and productivity tip deserves to be captured in markdown - not lost in chat history. DevEx.md helps teams document their collective wisdom about tools, shortcuts, and workflows in a format that compounds value over time and helps AI assistants make developers more productive.
Our mission is to show teams that developer experience is infrastructure. When onboarding guides, troubleshooting procedures, and productivity patterns live in .md files, they become permanent assets that every new developer benefits from. Great DX isn't accidental - it's documented, versioned, and continuously improved.
LLMs parse markdown better than any other format. Fewer tokens, cleaner structure, better results.
Context evolves with code. Git tracks changes, PRs enable review, history preserves decisions.
No special tools needed. Plain text that works everywhere. Documentation humans actually read.
Have a DX optimization that changed your workflow? Questions about improving team productivity? Let's exchange ideas.