AI-DLC is an intelligent software development workflow that adapts to your needs, maintains quality standards, and keeps you in control of the process. For learning more about AI-DLC Methodology, read this blog and the Method Definition Paper referred in it.

• Quick Start
• Platform-Specific Setup
• Usage
• Three-Phase Adaptive Workflow
• Key Features
• Extensions
• Tenets
• Prerequisites
• Troubleshooting
• Additional Resources

1. Download the latest release zip from the Releases page to a folder outside your project directory (e.g., ~/Downloads).
2. Extract the zip. It contains an aidlc-rules/ folder with two subdirectories:
   • aws-aidlc-rules/ — the core AI-DLC workflow rules
   • aws-aidlc-rule-details/ — supporting documents referenced by the rules
3. Copy both folders into your project, following the setup for your platform below.

Note: The extracted folder may contain a top-level directory (e.g., aidlc-workflows-0.1.0/). Navigate into it first so that aidlc-rules/ is directly accessible.

• Kiro
• Amazon Q Developer IDE Plugin
• Cursor IDE
• Cline
• Claude Code
• GitHub Copilot

AI-DLC uses Kiro Steering Files within your project workspace.

The commands below assume you extracted the zip to your Downloads folder. If you used a different location, replace Downloads with your actual folder path.

On macOS/Linux:

mkdir -p .kiro/steering
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules .kiro/steering/
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details .kiro/

On Windows (CMD):

mkdir .kiro\steering
xcopy %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules .kiro\steering\aws-aidlc-rules\ /E /I
xcopy %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details .kiro\aws-aidlc-rule-details\ /E /I

Your project should look like:

<project-root>/
    ├── .kiro/
    │     ├── steering/
    │     │      ├── aws-aidlc-rules/
    │     ├── aws-aidlc-rule-details/

To verify the rules are loaded:

Open the steering files panel and confirm you see an entry for core-workflow under Workspace as shown in the screenshot below.

We use Kiro IDE in Vibe mode to run the AI-DLC workflow. This ensures that AI-DLC workflow guides the development workflow in Kiro. At times, Kiro may nudge you to switch to spec mode. Select No to such prompts to stay in Vibe mode.

Run kiro-cli, then /context show, and confirm entries for .kiro/steering/aws-aidlc-rules.

AI-DLC uses Amazon Q Rules within your project workspace.

The commands below assume you extracted the zip to your Downloads folder. If you used a different location, replace Downloads with your actual folder path.

On macOS/Linux:

mkdir -p .amazonq/rules
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules .amazonq/rules/
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details .amazonq/

On Windows (CMD):

mkdir .amazonq\rules
xcopy %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules .amazonq\rules\aws-aidlc-rules\ /E /I
xcopy %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details .amazonq\aws-aidlc-rule-details\ /E /I

Your project should look like:

<project-root>/
    ├── .amazonq/
    │     ├── rules/
    │     │     ├── aws-aidlc-rules/
    │     ├── aws-aidlc-rule-details/

To verify the rules are loaded:

1. In the Amazon Q Chat window, click the Rules button in the lower right corner.
2. Confirm you see entries for .amazonq/rules/aws-aidlc-rules.

AI-DLC uses Cursor Rules to implement its intelligent workflow.

The commands below assume you extracted the zip to your Downloads folder. If you used a different location, replace Downloads with your actual folder path.

Unix/Linux/macOS:

mkdir -p .cursor/rules

cat > .cursor/rules/ai-dlc-workflow.mdc << 'EOF'
---
description: "AI-DLC (AI-Driven Development Life Cycle) adaptive workflow for software development"
alwaysApply: true
---

EOF
cat ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules/core-workflow.md >> .cursor/rules/ai-dlc-workflow.mdc

mkdir -p .aidlc-rule-details
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/* .aidlc-rule-details/

Windows PowerShell:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".cursor\rules"

$frontmatter = @"
---
description: "AI-DLC (AI-Driven Development Life Cycle) adaptive workflow for software development"
alwaysApply: true
---

"@
$frontmatter | Out-File -FilePath ".cursor\rules\ai-dlc-workflow.mdc" -Encoding utf8

Get-Content "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" | Add-Content ".cursor\rules\ai-dlc-workflow.mdc"

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".aidlc-rule-details"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details\*" ".aidlc-rule-details\" -Recurse

Windows CMD:

mkdir .cursor\rules

(
echo ---
echo description: "AI-DLC (AI-Driven Development Life Cycle) adaptive workflow for software development"
echo alwaysApply: true
echo ---
echo.
) > .cursor\rules\ai-dlc-workflow.mdc

type "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" >> .cursor\rules\ai-dlc-workflow.mdc

mkdir .aidlc-rule-details
xcopy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details" ".aidlc-rule-details\" /E /I

Unix/Linux/macOS:

cp ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules/core-workflow.md ./AGENTS.md
mkdir -p .aidlc-rule-details
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/* .aidlc-rule-details/

Windows PowerShell:

Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".\AGENTS.md"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".aidlc-rule-details"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details\*" ".aidlc-rule-details\" -Recurse

Windows CMD:

copy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".\AGENTS.md"
mkdir .aidlc-rule-details
xcopy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details" ".aidlc-rule-details\" /E /I

Verify Setup:

1. Open Cursor Settings → Rules, Commands
2. Under Project Rules, you should see ai-dlc-workflow listed
3. For AGENTS.md, it will be automatically detected and applied

Directory Structure (Option 1):

<my-project>/
├── .cursor/
│   └── rules/
│       └── ai-dlc-workflow.mdc
└── .aidlc-rule-details/
    ├── common/
    ├── inception/
    ├── construction/
    └── operations/

AI-DLC uses Cline Rules to implement its intelligent workflow.

The commands below assume you extracted the zip to your Downloads folder. If you used a different location, replace Downloads with your actual folder path.

Unix/Linux/macOS:

mkdir -p .clinerules
cp ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules/core-workflow.md .clinerules/
mkdir -p .aidlc-rule-details
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/* .aidlc-rule-details/

Windows PowerShell:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".clinerules"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".clinerules\"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".aidlc-rule-details"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details\*" ".aidlc-rule-details\" -Recurse

Windows CMD:

mkdir .clinerules
copy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".clinerules\"
mkdir .aidlc-rule-details
xcopy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details" ".aidlc-rule-details\" /E /I

Unix/Linux/macOS:

cp ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules/core-workflow.md ./AGENTS.md
mkdir -p .aidlc-rule-details
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/* .aidlc-rule-details/

Windows PowerShell:

Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".\AGENTS.md"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".aidlc-rule-details"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details\*" ".aidlc-rule-details\" -Recurse

Windows CMD:

copy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".\AGENTS.md"
mkdir .aidlc-rule-details
xcopy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details" ".aidlc-rule-details\" /E /I

Verify Setup:

1. In Cline's chat interface, look for the Rules popover under the chat input field
2. Verify that core-workflow.md is listed and active
3. You can toggle the rule file on/off as needed

Directory Structure (Option 1):

<my-project>/
├── .clinerules/
│   └── core-workflow.md
└── .aidlc-rule-details/
    ├── common/
    ├── inception/
    ├── construction/
    └── operations/

AI-DLC uses Claude Code's project memory file (CLAUDE.md) to implement its intelligent workflow.

The commands below assume you extracted the zip to your Downloads folder. If you used a different location, replace Downloads with your actual folder path.

Unix/Linux/macOS:

cp ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules/core-workflow.md ./CLAUDE.md
mkdir -p .aidlc-rule-details
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/* .aidlc-rule-details/

Windows PowerShell:

Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".\CLAUDE.md"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".aidlc-rule-details"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details\*" ".aidlc-rule-details\" -Recurse

Windows CMD:

copy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".\CLAUDE.md"
mkdir .aidlc-rule-details
xcopy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details" ".aidlc-rule-details\" /E /I

Unix/Linux/macOS:

mkdir -p .claude
cp ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules/core-workflow.md .claude/CLAUDE.md
mkdir -p .aidlc-rule-details
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/* .aidlc-rule-details/

Windows PowerShell:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".claude"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".claude\CLAUDE.md"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".aidlc-rule-details"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details\*" ".aidlc-rule-details\" -Recurse

Windows CMD:

mkdir .claude
copy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".claude\CLAUDE.md"
mkdir .aidlc-rule-details
xcopy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details" ".aidlc-rule-details\" /E /I

Verify Setup:

1. Start Claude Code in your project directory (CLI: claude or VS Code extension)
2. Use the /config command to view current configuration
3. Ask Claude: "What instructions are currently active in this project?"

Directory Structure (Option 1):

<my-project>/
├── CLAUDE.md
└── .aidlc-rule-details/
    ├── common/
    ├── inception/
    ├── construction/
    └── operations/

AI-DLC uses GitHub Copilot custom instructions to implement its intelligent workflow. The .github/copilot-instructions.md file is automatically detected and applied to all chat requests in the workspace.

The commands below assume you extracted the zip to your Downloads folder. If you used a different location, replace Downloads with your actual folder path.

Unix/Linux/macOS:

mkdir -p .github
cp ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rules/core-workflow.md .github/copilot-instructions.md
mkdir -p .aidlc-rule-details
cp -R ~/Downloads/aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/* .aidlc-rule-details/

Windows PowerShell:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".github"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".github\copilot-instructions.md"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path ".aidlc-rule-details"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details\*" ".aidlc-rule-details\" -Recurse

Windows CMD:

mkdir .github
copy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rules\core-workflow.md" ".github\copilot-instructions.md"
mkdir .aidlc-rule-details
xcopy "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\aidlc-rules\aws-aidlc-rule-details" ".aidlc-rule-details\" /E /I

Verify Setup:

1. Open VS Code with your project folder
2. Open the Copilot Chat panel (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I)
3. Select Configure Chat (gear icon) > Chat Instructions and verify that copilot-instructions is listed
4. Alternatively, type /instructions in the chat input to view active instructions

Directory Structure:

<my-project>/
├── .github/
│   └── copilot-instructions.md
└── .aidlc-rule-details/
    ├── common/
    ├── inception/
    ├── construction/
    └── operations/

AI-DLC works with any coding agent that supports project-level rules or steering files. The general approach:

1. Place aws-aidlc-rules/ wherever your agent reads project rules from (consult your agent's documentation).
2. Place aws-aidlc-rule-details/ at a sibling level so the rules can reference it.

If your agent has no convention for rules files, place both folders at your project root and point the agent to aws-aidlc-rules/ as its rules directory.

1. Start any software development project by stating your intent starting with the phrase "Using AI-DLC, ..." in the chat
2. AI-DLC workflow automatically activates and guides you from there
3. Answer structured questions that AI-DLC asks you
4. Carefully review every plan that AI generates. Provide your oversight and validation
5. Review the execution plan to see which stages will run
6. Carefully review the artifacts and approve each stage to maintain control
7. All the artifacts will be generated in the aidlc-docs/ directory

AI-DLC follows a structured three-phase approach that adapts to your project's complexity:

Determines WHAT to build and WHY

• Requirements analysis and validation
• User story creation (when applicable)
• Application Design and creating units of work for parallel development
• Risk assessment and complexity evaluation

Determines HOW to build it

• Detailed component design
• Code generation and implementation
• Build configuration and testing strategies
• Quality assurance and validation

Deployment and monitoring (future)

• Deployment automation and infrastructure
• Monitoring and observability setup
• Production readiness validation

AI-DLC supports an extension system that lets you layer additional rules on top of the core workflow. Extensions are markdown files organized under aws-aidlc-rule-details/extensions/ and are automatically loaded and enforced when enabled during the Requirements Analysis phase.

Extensions are grouped by category (e.g., security/, scalability/, accessibility/). Each category can contain its own rules and any number of subcategories you define.

Each extension should include an Applicability Question — a structured multiple-choice question that AI-DLC automatically presents during the Requirements Analysis phase. This lets the user decide whether to enable or skip that extension for the current project. For example, the built-in security extension includes:

## Question: Security Extensions
Should security extension rules be enforced for this project?

A) Yes — enforce all SECURITY rules as blocking constraints
B) No — skip all SECURITY rules
X) Other (please describe)

[Answer]:

When you create your own extensions, include a similar applicability question so users can opt in or out per project.

Here's the general flow once an extension is enabled:

1. During the Inception phase, AI-DLC presents the extension's applicability question.
2. If enabled, the extension's rules are loaded as mandatory, blocking constraints that apply across all AI-DLC phases.
3. At each stage, the model verifies compliance with all loaded extension rules before allowing the stage to proceed.

The workflow currently ships with a baseline security extension.

aws-aidlc-rule-details/
└── extensions/
    └── security/                      # Extension category
        └── baseline/
        │   └── security-baseline.md   # Baseline security rules
        ├── compliance/                # Proposed folder hierarchy
        │   ├── hipaa/                 # HIPAA compliance rules
        │   ├── pci-dss/               # PCI-DSS compliance rules
        │   └── soc2/                  # SOC 2 compliance rules
        └── internal-policies/         # Your organization's custom rules

You can extend an existing category or create an entirely new one.

To add rules to an existing category (e.g., security):

1. Create a new directory under extensions/security/ (e.g., compliance/hipaa/).
2. Add one or more markdown files with your rules. Follow the same structure as security-baseline.md:
   • Give each rule a unique ID.
   • Include an Applicabality Question described above
   • Include a Rule section describing the requirement.
   • Include a Verification section with concrete checks the model should evaluate.
3. Rules are blocking by default — if verification criteria are not met, the stage cannot proceed until the finding is resolved.

To create a new extension category, add a new directory under extensions/ (e.g., extensions/performance/) and place your rule markdown files inside it following the same format.

These are our core principles to guide our decision making.

• No duplication. The source of truth lives in one place. If we add support for new tools or formats that require specific files, we generate them from the source rather than maintaining separate copies.

• Methodology first. AI-DLC is fundamentally a methodology, not a tool. Users shouldn't need to install anything to get started. That said, we're open to convenience tooling (scripts, CLIs) down the road if it helps users adopt or extend the methodology.

• Reproducible. Rules should be clear enough that different models produce similar outcomes. We know models behave differently, but the methodology should minimize variance through explicit guidance.

• Agnostic. The methodology works with any IDE, agent, or model. We don't tie ourselves to specific tools or vendors.

• Human in the loop. Critical decisions require explicit user confirmation. The agent proposes, the human approves.

Have one of our supported platforms/tools for Assisted AI Coding installed:

• Use /context show to verify rules are loaded
• Check .amazonq/rules/ or .kiro/steering/ directory structure

• For "Apply Intelligently", ensure a description is defined in frontmatter
• Check Cursor Settings → Rules to ensure the rule is enabled
• If rule is too large (>500 lines), split into multiple focused rules

• Check the Rules popover under the chat input field
• Toggle rule files on/off as needed using the popover UI

• Use /config command to view current configuration
• Ask "What instructions are currently active in this project?"

• Select Configure Chat (gear icon) > Chat Instructions to verify instructions are loaded
• Type /instructions in the chat input to view active instruction files
• Check that .github/copilot-instructions.md exists in your workspace root

• Use forward slashes / in file paths within markdown files
• Windows paths with backslashes may not work correctly

Commit to repository:

# These should be version controlled
CLAUDE.md
AGENTS.md
.amazonq/rules/
.kiro/steering/
.cursor/rules/
.clinerules/
.github/copilot-instructions.md
.aidlc-rule-details/

Optional - Add to .gitignore (if needed):

# Local-only settings
.claude/settings.local.json

See CONTRIBUTING for more information.

This library is licensed under the MIT-0 License. See the LICENSE file.