AI-Assisted Development

Guide for using AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) to develop with LaunchSaaS

LaunchSaaS ships with a layered agent documentation structure that AI coding tools read automatically. No manual setup required for most tools.

Supported AI Tools

Tool	Configuration File	Status
Claude Code	`CLAUDE.md` → `AGENTS.md`	Fully Supported
Cursor	`AGENTS.md`	Fully Supported
GitHub Copilot	`AGENTS.md`	Supported
Other AI Agents	`AGENTS.md`	Supported

How the Agent Docs Work

AI tools automatically read AGENTS.md at the project root, which points to the rest:

File	Purpose
`AGENTS.md`	Entry point — project overview, monorepo rules, pointers to sub-docs
`apps/launchsaas/AGENTS.md`	App-specific critical rules, conventions, key wiring files
`docs/architecture.md`	Package map, provider interface pattern, path aliases
`docs/workflows.md`	DB changes, adding payment providers, SDD workflow
`CLAUDE.md`	Claude Code entry point — loads `AGENTS.md`

When asking AI to build a feature, reference apps/launchsaas/AGENTS.md explicitly if the AI isn't following project patterns.

Writing a Good CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md is injected into every Claude Code session — high leverage, but easy to overload. See Writing a Good CLAUDE.md for a full guide. Key principles:

Principle	Guidance
Less is more	~150–200 instructions max. Claude Code's system prompt already uses ~50.
Universal only	Every line appears in every session. Only include content that applies to all tasks.
Progressive disclosure	Put specialized context in `docs/` and reference it — don't duplicate.
No linting tasks	Use Biome/ESLint via hooks or CI, not Claude.

Common Tasks

Creating a Server Action

Create a server action to update user profile with email and name fields.
Use userActionClient since it requires authentication.
Follow the pattern in apps/launchsaas/src/actions/user.ts

Creating a Protected Page

Create a new protected page at /dashboard/settings that allows users to update their preferences.
Follow the pattern in apps/launchsaas/src/app/[locale]/(protected)/

Adding a Payment Provider

Add Polar as a new payment provider.
Follow the factory pattern in packages/capabilities/payment/src/
Check existing providers like Stripe for reference.

Database Migration

Add a new "preferences" column to the users table.
Create proper migration using Drizzle.
Remember: don't edit auth.ts manually - it's auto-generated.

Best Practices

Reference file paths — always include the exact file or directory the AI should follow
Point to existing code — "follow the pattern in src/actions/user.ts" beats a long description
Verify output — run pnpm run build for type errors, pnpm run format for style