Using cix with your AI assistant

cix supports Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and Cursor through the same index and the same tools. Once a client is installed, it can query cix on its own — you mostly just work as usual. A few habits get better results.

Let it look before it writes

The biggest win is also the simplest: ask the assistant to check the index before generating code. "Does this helper already exist?" and "What does this table actually contain?" turn guesses into grounded answers.

Ask for impact before refactors

Before a rename or a move, ask what depends on the target. The assistant can pull callers, routes, and tests from the index and give you a real inventory instead of a hopeful sweep.

Trust the honesty signals

cix answers carry confidence signals, and the assistant will tell you when the index is unsure or a file could not be parsed. Treat that as a feature — it is the assistant declining to make something up.

Notes per client

• Claude Code has the deepest integration: with the guardrails profile (cix install --guardrails), convention violations are blocked at write time.
• Cursor gets the same write-time gate under guardrails, plus the cix skills. Cursor loads hooks and tools only in directories you have trusted.
• Codex and Gemini CLI use the same index and tools; under guardrails their built-in file tools are denied on indexed files, so edits route through cix.

Switching tools does not mean rebuilding context — the index and conventions are shared across all of them.