Pack the AI memory

A minimal rulepack.json

Required fields: who the pack is (name), what version (version), the license and access policy (license, visibility), and which memory files it ships (memories).

{
  "name": "@ichi/nextjs",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "license": "MIT",
  "visibility": "public",
  "memories": {
    "claude": "CLAUDE.md"
  }
}

The full shape

Everything optional layered on: discovery metadata, custom memories, files to bundle, and consumer dependencies on other packs.

{
  "name": "@ichi/nextjs",
  "version": "1.4.0",
  "description": "Strict Next.js rules for Claude Code + Cursor",
  "license": "MIT",
  "visibility": "public",
  "keywords": ["nextjs", "typescript", "strict"],
  "memories": {
    "agents": "AGENTS.md",
    "claude": "CLAUDE.md",
    "cursor": ".cursor/rules/main.mdc",
    "custom": {
      "launch-plan": {
        "path": "docs/launch-plan.md",
        "description": "Launch and social media plan",
        "readWhen": "when planning launch posts or growth strategy",
        "priority": "normal",
        "tags": ["marketing", "launch"]
      }
    }
  },
  "files": ["rulepack.json", "CLAUDE.md", ".cursor/rules/**", "AGENTS.md", "docs/launch-plan.md", "LICENSE"],
  "dependencies": {
    "@rulepack/typescript": "^0.1.0"
  }
}

Where it lives

Always at the repository root — /rulepack.json. Tooling resolves it from the current working directory the same way npm finds package.json, so a root manifest is what rulepack publish and rulepack add expect.

Every field

A published pack is an author manifest: it needs name, version, license, visibility, and at least one memories entry. A consumer project can also use dependencies to record installed packs.

* Required for published packs.

Memory keys

Each standard key in memories points to one file. Use memories.custom for project plans, handoffs, research notes, or any Markdown memory that is not tied to a single agent.

Custom memories

memories.custom is for reusable Markdown that is not owned by one agent: project plans, architecture notes, launch docs, runbooks, prompts, research summaries, or handoff notes. A custom value can be a bare path string, or an object with metadata.

{
  "memories": {
    "agents": "AGENTS.md",
    "custom": {
      "plan": "docs/plan.md",
      "launch": {
        "path": "docs/launch-plan.md",
        "description": "Launch and social media plan",
        "readWhen": "when planning launch posts or growth strategy",
        "priority": "normal",
        "tags": ["marketing", "launch"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Visibility

visibility changes registry access, not the file format. Public, private, and pay packs all publish the same kind of rulepack.json and memory files.

files and tarballs

files is optional and behaves like npm pack allow-listing. rulepack publish always forces rulepack.json and every path declared in memories into the tarball, even if you forget to list them. Add README, LICENSE, and extra supporting files explicitly.

Consumer dependencies

The same filename is used in projects that install packs. In that role, dependencies records installed packs and semver ranges. A consumer-only rulepack.json does not need name, version, or memories.

{
  "dependencies": {
    "@rulepack/nextjs": "^0.1.0",
    "@rulepack/typescript": "^0.1.0"
  }
}

Validation rules

• name must be @scope/name. Scope is 1-39 chars; pack name is 1-64 chars; both use lowercase alphanumerics with internal hyphens.
• version must be valid semver, for example 1.0.0 or 1.2.0-beta.1.
• license is required and must be a non-empty string up to 64 characters.
• visibility must be exactly public, private, or pay.
• memories must declare at least one standard memory file or one custom memory.
• All paths must be relative, non-empty, under 512 characters, and cannot contain absolute paths, empty segments, dot segments, .., or NUL.
• custom memory keys must be 1-64 characters and start with an alphanumeric; ., _, and - are allowed after that.
• homepage must be an http(s) URL. javascript: and data: URLs are rejected.
• dependency keys must be @scope/name and values must be valid semver ranges such as ^1.2.3, ~1.0.0, or >=1.0.0 <2.0.0.