ai-command-rules

AI Command Rules

A skill for writing precise, environment-aware shell commands and scripts that work correctly the first time across Windows, Linux, macOS, sandboxes, virtual environments, and containers.

Core Principle

Always detect the environment before writing a command. Never assume. A command that works on Linux bash will silently fail or behave differently on Windows CMD, PowerShell, or macOS zsh. When in doubt, ask or emit environment-adaptive commands.

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Step 1: Detect the Environment

Before writing any command, identify:

Signal	How to detect
OS	User mentions, file paths (C:\ vs /), or ask explicitly
Shell	bash / zsh / fish / PowerShell / CMD / sh
Runtime context	Local terminal, Docker container, CI/CD, sandbox, SSH session
Python env	venv, conda, pipenv, poetry, system Python, Docker
Privileges	Root/sudo available? Admin on Windows?

If uncertain, emit a detection snippet first:

# Universal OS+shell detector (paste in terminal first)
echo "OS: $(uname -s 2>/dev/null || echo Windows)"
echo "Shell: $SHELL"
echo "Python: $(python --version 2>&1 || python3 --version 2>&1)"

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Step 2: Environment-Specific Rules

Read the relevant reference file before emitting commands:

• Linux / macOS / bash / zsh → references/unix.md
• Windows CMD / PowerShell / WSL → references/windows.md
• Docker / containers / sandboxes → references/containers.md
• Python / virtual environments → references/python-env.md
• SSH / remote execution → references/ssh-remote.md
• Git → references/git.md

For cross-platform tasks, read all relevant files.

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Step 3: Command Writing Checklist

Before emitting any command block, verify:

✅ Shell Compatibility

• Correct quoting style for target shell (single vs double vs backtick)
• Path separator correct (/ vs \)
• Line continuation correct (\ bash vs ` PowerShell)
• Variable syntax correct ($VAR bash vs $env:VAR PowerShell vs %VAR% CMD)
• Logical operators correct (&& / || bash vs -and / -or PowerShell)