My im perfect notes

IDEs like VS Code, Cursor, or Trae, along with CLI LLM clients such as Claude Code, Gemini, or Codex, can serve as interesting alternatives to web-based interfaces like ChatGPT. These tools offer a way to work with LLMs for text generation with one notable difference: results are saved locally by default, unlike web interfaces where conversations might be lost or stored on remote servers.

This doesn’t replace web-based ChatGPT entirely, it’s still very convenient on mobile devices—but for certain tasks like editing notes, drafting documents, or writing specialized texts, IDE-based and CLI LLM clients might be worth considering. They can fit naturally into an existing development workflow.

Some benefits I’ve noticed: you can edit project-specific rules directly from the chat interface, reference local documents from your project, and maintain context of your work environment. Features like web search and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations are also available in some of these tools.

A Practical Use Case: Corporate Reviews

I’ve been experimenting with a setup for writing corporate self-reviews and peer reviews using this approach. The workflow is fairly simple: a rules file acts as both instructions and context for the LLM, which helps avoid repeating the same explanations each time.

By referencing local documents with previous reviews, the LLM can take inspiration from existing examples, which seems to help with maintaining some consistency in style and tone. All outputs go into Markdown files, creating a searchable archive that sits alongside other project documentation.

For me, this has made what used to be a somewhat tedious task feel more like a collaborative writing process. The LLM helps with articulating ideas while I keep control over the final content—all without switching away from the IDE.

Creating Your Own Rules File

First thing to do is to create the actual rules file:

Tool	Configuration File Location (path relative to the root)
Claude Code (CLI)	CLAUDE.md
Codex CLI and Extension	AGENTS.md
Copilot Extension	.github/copilot-instructions.md
Cursor	.cursorrules

Or create universal one with symlinks:

#!/bin/bash

# Create the main rules file
touch AI_RULES.md

# Create symlinks for different tools
ln -sf AI_RULES.md CLAUDE.md
ln -sf AI_RULES.md AGENTS.md
ln -sf AI_RULES.md .cursorrules

# Create .github directory and symlink for Copilot
mkdir -p .github && ln -sf ../AI_RULES.md .github/copilot-instructions.md

The key to making this setup work is having a well-structured rules file. Based on my experience with corporate reviews, here’s an approach that might be helpful:

• Define the persona — Specify the role you want the LLM to take (e.g., HR consultant, technical writer, editor). This sets the tone for all interactions.

• Provide essential context — Include any frameworks, standards, or rating scales relevant to your task. For reviews, this might be your company’s culture values or performance criteria.

• Break down into sections — Create separate guidelines for different parts of your task. This helps the LLM understand what’s expected in each context.

• Add custom commands — Define shortcuts for common operations (like corp edit for editing text in a specific style). This saves time on repetitive instructions.

• Include real examples — Add a few good examples showing the desired output. This is often more effective than lengthy descriptions of what you want.

• Let the LLM help formulate rules — You can ask the LLM to help write rules for your rules file, then ask it to confirm understanding. This collaborative approach can help refine your instructions.

• Use the LLM as a reviewer — Ask the LLM to rate your inputs or its own generated results according to the scales or examples you’ve provided in the rules file. This helps ensure consistency and quality.

Different tools use different filenames for their instruction files:

The rules file becomes your “permanent instructions” that persist across sessions, so you don’t need to re-explain context each time you start working.

Я живу с MacOS с 2013 года, еще тогда это был хакинтош потому что денег не было особо а теперь с компьютерами от Apple.