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Frequently Asked Questions

General​

What is a16n?​

a16n (short for "agent customization") is a tool for converting AI coding agent customization between different toolchains, such as Claude Code and Cursor. It lets you maintain your AI assistant preferences in one format and convert them to work with multiple tools.

What tools are supported?​

Currently supported:

  • Cursor - The AI-first code editor
  • Claude Code - Anthropic's AI coding assistant

Other toolchains may be supported via third-party plugins. See Plugin Development for more information.

Can I preview changes before writing?​

Yes, use the --dry-run flag:

npx a16n convert --from cursor --to claude --dry-run

What happens to my source files?​

By default, source files are preserved. Use --delete-source to remove them after conversion:

npx a16n convert --from cursor --to claude --delete-source

Can I use this in CI?​

Yes. Use --json for machine-readable output and check the exit code (non-zero if errors occurred):

a16n convert --from cursor --to claude . --json || echo "Conversion failed"

Conversions​

Will converting back and forth preserve everything?​

No. Some conversions are lossy. For example, three separate Cursor rules become one CLAUDE.md file. Converting back produces one Cursor rule, not three. a16n warns you when this happens.

See Understanding Conversions for details.

What if my target tool doesn't support a feature?​

a16n skips unsupported features and warns you. Your conversion still completes with everything that can be translated.

Troubleshooting​

Why are some files not converted?​

Some files may be:

  • Not recognized as agent customization
  • In an unsupported format
  • Already in the target format
  • Using features that can't be converted

Use --verbose to see detailed output:

npx a16n convert --from cursor --to claude --verbose

How do I report a bug?​

Please open an issue on GitHub.

Development​

How do I contribute?​

See the GitHub repository for contribution guidelines.

How do I add support for a new tool?​

Write a plugin! See Plugin Development. If it's useful to others, publish it to npm as a16n-plugin-<name>.

Can I build my own plugin?​

Yes, but the API is still in development. See Plugin Development for details.