Best Practices

Workspace Setup

Commit Generated Files

Always commit both drevon.config.json and generated agent files to Git:

git add drevon.config.json .drevon/ skills-lock.json
git add .github/ CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md .cursor/ .windsurfrules .clinerules

This ensures anyone cloning the repo gets the full AI workspace configuration without needing to run drevon init.

Use the Right Mode

Situation	Mode	Why
New empty workspace	Hub	Cross-project memory, workspace organization
Existing codebase	Project	Scoped memory, doesn’t interfere with project
Monorepo	Project	Treats the whole repo as one project
Personal projects hub	Hub	One workspace for all your side projects
Team repository	Project	Shared, committed config

Choose the Right Preset

Situation	Preset	Why
Solo founder	Founder	Maximum autonomy, fast decisions
IC developer	Developer	Code quality focus, asks before big changes
Team project	Team	Documentation focus, follows standards
Research work	Researcher	Thoroughness, citations, methodical

Memory Best Practices

Keep the Index Lean and Accurate

Memory is only useful if it’s up to date — and in v2 the index is the file that loads every session, so keep it tight. Periodically review the store:

drevon memory status              # Eager load vs. budget, per-tier usage
cat .drevon/memory/INDEX.md       # Summary, active focus, and pointers still accurate?

Seed Important Context

Don’t wait for agents to discover things — pre-populate memory through the CLI so entries land in the right topic file and the index stays in sync:

drevon memory learn "Next.js 15 App Router; app/ pages+API, lib/ utils, components/ React" \
  --topic architecture
drevon memory learn "Prisma for DB, NextAuth for auth, Stripe for payments" --topic architecture
drevon memory decide "Use Prisma for the data layer" --why "type-safe queries, easy migrations"

Never Hand-Edit the Log — Let It Grow, Then Compact

Append to the log through drevon memory log (never edit log/ files by hand) so the monthly segments and the index stay consistent. The log is episodic and never loaded eagerly, so it can grow freely.

drevon memory compact             # Roll old months into summaries, archive their bodies

Run drevon memory compact periodically (or use the shipped memory-compact prompt) to keep the store fast. drevon doctor warns when the index exceeds its budget.

Instructions Best Practices

Separate Concerns

{
  "instructions": [
    {
      "id": "code-style",
      "title": "Code Style",
      "content": "Use ESLint and Prettier. Never disable rules inline."
    },
    {
      "id": "testing",
      "title": "Testing",
      "content": "Use vitest. 80% minimum coverage for new code."
    },
    {
      "id": "git",
      "title": "Git Workflow",
      "content": "Conventional commits. Squash merge to main."
    }
  ]
}

{
  "instructions": [
    {
      "id": "rules",
      "title": "Rules",
      "content": "Use ESLint and Prettier. Never disable rules inline. Use vitest. 80% minimum coverage. Conventional commits. Squash merge to main."
    }
  ]
}

Use Globs for Cursor Users

If your team uses Cursor, take advantage of conditional rules:

{
  "id": "react-rules",
  "title": "React Rules",
  "content": "Server components by default. Minimize 'use client'.",
  "globs": ["**/*.tsx"],
  "alwaysApply": false
}

Reference Files, Don’t Duplicate

Instead of copying your style guide into instructions, reference it:

{
  "content": "Follow the coding standards in docs/STANDARDS.md. Read it before making changes."
}

Skills Best Practices

Start with Essentials

Don’t install every skill at once. Start with:

find-skills (auto-installed)
One or two skills relevant to your current work

Review Before Installing

Always read a skill’s description and SKILL.md before installing. Skills inject instructions into your agent configs, so review them for:

Compatibility with your existing instructions
Quality and accuracy of guidance
Potential conflicts with other skills

Keep the Lock File Committed

skills-lock.json is your skill manifest. Commit it so teammates get the same skills.

Agent-Specific Tips

Claude — Configure allowedCommands

Be intentional about what Claude can run autonomously:

{
  "agents": {
    "claude": {
      "allowedCommands": ["git", "npm", "npx", "node"]
    }
  }
}

Only include commands you trust for autonomous execution.

Cursor — Use Multiple Rule Files

Cursor’s .mdc format shines with targeted rules. Create separate instructions for:

Frontend components (.tsx globs)
Backend logic (.ts globs in api/)
Test files (.test.ts globs)
Config files (.config.* globs)

Multi-Agent Workflows

Use extraInstructions to give agent-specific guidance:

{
  "agents": {
    "copilot": {
      "extraInstructions": ["Focus on code completion quality"]
    },
    "claude": {
      "extraInstructions": ["Explain reasoning before making changes"]
    }
  }
}

Sync Regularly

Make drevon sync part of your workflow. Run it after:

Editing drevon.config.json
Installing or removing skills
Creating or deleting prompts
Pulling changes from teammates

It’s fast, idempotent, and only writes changed files.

​Workspace Setup

​Commit Generated Files

​Use the Right Mode

​Choose the Right Preset

​Memory Best Practices

​Keep the Index Lean and Accurate

​Seed Important Context

​Never Hand-Edit the Log — Let It Grow, Then Compact

​Instructions Best Practices

​Separate Concerns

​Use Globs for Cursor Users

​Reference Files, Don’t Duplicate

​Skills Best Practices

​Start with Essentials

​Review Before Installing

​Keep the Lock File Committed

​Agent-Specific Tips

​Claude — Configure allowedCommands

​Cursor — Use Multiple Rule Files

​Multi-Agent Workflows

​Sync Regularly

Workspace Setup

Commit Generated Files

Use the Right Mode

Choose the Right Preset

Memory Best Practices

Keep the Index Lean and Accurate

Seed Important Context

Never Hand-Edit the Log — Let It Grow, Then Compact

Instructions Best Practices

Separate Concerns

Use Globs for Cursor Users

Reference Files, Don’t Duplicate

Skills Best Practices

Start with Essentials

Review Before Installing

Keep the Lock File Committed

Agent-Specific Tips

Claude — Configure allowedCommands

Cursor — Use Multiple Rule Files

Multi-Agent Workflows

Sync Regularly