hierarchical_loading
Whether rules load from multiple directory levels with defined precedence. Enables project-root rules plus subdirectory-scoped overrides.
Type: bool Content type: rules
Provider Support
Section titled “Provider Support”| Provider | Supported | Mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| claude-code | ✓ | CLAUDE.md files load from all ancestor directories up to repo root (ancestor files load in full at launch; subdirectory CLAUDE.md files beyond 200 lines threshold load on demand when Claude reads files in those subdirectories); .claude/rules/ files discovered recursively; user-level rules (~/.claude/rules/) load before project rules; rules without paths frontmatter load unconditionally |
| codex | ✓ | hierarchical_agents_md: Codex loads AGENTS.md from subdirectories with defined precedence (deeper overrides higher) |
| copilot-cli | ✓ | Copilot CLI supports repo-wide instructions plus path-specific and personal instruction layers with defined precedence |
| cursor | ✓ | Rules can live in nested .cursor/rules/ directories within a project; rules in a subtree apply when working with files under that subtree, enabling monorepo-style scoping. AGENTS.md also supports nested files in subdirectories for granular context-specific guidance. |
| factory-droid | ✓ | Factory Droid loads global and project rule layers; innermost (most specific) layer takes precedence |
| gemini-cli | ✓ | hierarchical_context_loading: Gemini CLI loads GEMINI.md files from multiple directory levels with defined precedence |
| opencode | ✓ | OpenCode traverses up from the current directory collecting AGENTS.md (or CLAUDE.md fallback) at each level; global files at ~/.config/opencode/AGENTS.md and ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md are appended; all matching files are combined into context |
| roo-code | ✓ | mode_scoped_loading: files under .roo/rules/ load universally; files under .roo/rules-<mode>/ load conditionally based on the active mode |
| windsurf | ✓ | rules_hierarchical_discovery: Windsurf discovers .windsurf/rules/ directories in the current workspace, all sub-directories, and parent directories up to the git root; rules from all levels are merged and deduplicated |
| amp | ✗ | Amp rule files are project-scoped; no subdirectory hierarchy documented |
| cline | ✗ | Cline rules are project-scoped or global; no per-subdirectory loading hierarchy documented |
| crush | ✗ | Crush documents context files at the project root only; no hierarchical/subdirectory loading documented |
| kiro | ✗ | Kiro steering files are project-scoped; no multi-level subdirectory hierarchy documented |
| pi | ✗ | Pi rule files are not documented as supporting multi-level directory loading |
| zed | ✗ | Zed loads rule files from the project root only; no multi-tier hierarchical loading documented |