ar-sync

A Python CLI tool for synchronizing AI IDE configuration files across multiple machines. Uses Git as a storage backend to version control and synchronize configuration files.

Supported AI IDEs

ar-sync supports configuration synchronization for the following AI-powered development tools:

• Claude (.claude/, .clauderules)
• Cursor (.cursor/, .cursorrules)
• Windsurf (.windsurf/, .windsurfrules)
• Cline (.clinerules/)
• Kiro (.kiro/)
• Gemini (.gemini/)
• Qwen (.qwen/)
• Zed (.zed/)
• GitHub Copilot (.github/copilot-instructions.md)
• VSCode (.vscode/)
• Aider (.aider, .aiderignore)
• Custom Rules (AGENTS.md)

Key Features

• Automatic synchronization through Git
• Symlink-based architecture to protect original files while connecting to central storage
• Safe backup of existing files
• Cross-platform support: macOS, Linux, Windows
• Simple and intuitive CLI commands

Installation

Install via pip

pip install ar-sync

Install from source

git clone https://github.com/JINWOO-J/ar-sync.git
cd ar-sync
pip install -e .

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or higher
• Git 2.0 or higher
• GitHub account and repository

Quick Start

1. Initialize Global Configuration

First, create a GitHub repository to store configuration files, then initialize ar-sync:

# Create GitHub repository (via web or gh CLI)
gh repo create ar-sync-store --private

# Initialize ar-sync global configuration
ars setup \
  --backend git \
  --path ~/ar-sync-store \
  --repo-url git@github.com:username/ar-sync-store.git

2. Initialize Project

Add configuration files from your project directory to the store:

cd ~/my-project
ars init

By default, the following files/directories are synchronized:

• .claude/, .clauderules (Claude AI)
• .cursor/, .cursorrules (Cursor IDE)
• .windsurf/, .windsurfrules (Windsurf IDE)
• .clinerules/ (Cline extension)
• .kiro/ (Kiro IDE)
• .gemini/ (Gemini AI)
• .qwen/ (Qwen AI)
• .zed/ (Zed editor)
• .vscode/ (VSCode settings)
• .github/copilot-instructions.md (GitHub Copilot)
• .aider, .aiderignore (Aider AI)
• AGENTS.md (Custom AI rules)

Alternatively, to explicitly add only:

ars add

You can also specify a custom project name or custom targets:

# Specify project name
ars init --name my-custom-name

# Specify custom targets
ars init --targets .cursor,.kiro,.vscode,AGENTS.md

3. Connect from Another Machine

To use the same configuration on another machine:

# 1. Initialize ar-sync global configuration (use the same repository)
ars setup \
  --backend git \
  --path ~/ar-sync-store \
  --repo-url git@github.com:JINWOO-J/ar-sync-store.git

# 2. Navigate to project directory
cd ~/my-project

# 3. Link configuration (for git backend)
ars link

# Or use pull (file copy method)
ars pull

If existing files are present, use the --force option to overwrite:

ars link --force

4. Check Status

View registered projects and synchronization status:

ars status

Example output:

Store: /Users/username/ar-sync-store
Remote: git@github.com:JINWOO-J/ar-sync-store.git

Registered projects (2):

→ my-project
    Targets: .cursor, .kiro, .gemini, .qwen, AGENTS.md
    Machines (2):
      - macbook-pro (linked: 2025-01-21T10:00:00Z)
      - office-desktop (linked: 2025-01-22T09:00:00Z)

  other-project
    Targets: .cursor, AGENTS.md
    Machines (1):
      - macbook-pro (linked: 2025-01-20T15:00:00Z)

→ Current directory is registered as 'my-project'

5. Synchronization

Synchronize changes with the remote repository:

# Full synchronization (pull + push)
ars sync

# Specify commit message
ars sync -m "Update cursor rules"

# Pull only
ars sync --pull

# Push only
ars sync --push

6. Pull and Push (Project-Level Synchronization)

ars sync performs synchronization between the store and remote repository. Use pull and push commands for synchronization between project directory and store:

# Copy files from store to project (includes remote pull for git backend)
ars pull

# Copy files from project to store (includes remote push for git backend)
ars push

# Specify commit message (git backend)
ars push -m "Update project settings"

Workflow Example (git backend):

Changes on Machine A:

cd ~/my-project
# Modify files...
ars push -m "Update settings"  # project → store → remote

Synchronize on Machine B:

cd ~/my-project
ars pull  # remote → store → project

Command Reference

ars setup

Initialize global configuration and storage backend. This is a one-time setup command.

Options:

• --backend: Storage backend type (git or local)
• --path: Local path for the store
• --repo-url: Git repository URL (required for git backend)

Examples:

# Configure with git backend
ars setup --backend git --path ~/ar-sync-store --repo-url git@github.com:user/repo.git

# Configure with local backend (Dropbox, iCloud, etc.)
ars setup --backend local --path ~/Dropbox/ar-sync-store

ars init

Initialize current project and add to store. For local backend, symlinks are automatically created.

Options:

• --name: Project name (default: current directory name)
• --targets: Comma-separated target list (default: .cursor,.kiro,.gemini,.qwen,AGENTS.md)

Examples:

# Initialize with default targets
ars init

# Specify project name
ars init --name my-project

# Specify custom targets
ars init --targets .cursor,.kiro,.vscode,AGENTS.md

ars add

Add current project to store.

Options:

• --name: Project name (default: current directory name)
• --targets: Comma-separated target list (default: .cursor,.kiro,.gemini,.qwen,AGENTS.md)

Examples:

# Add with default targets
ars add

# Specify project name
ars add --name my-project

# Specify custom targets
ars add --targets .cursor,.kiro,.vscode,AGENTS.md

ars link

Link store configuration to current directory.

Options:

• --project: Project name (default: current directory name)
• --force, -f: Overwrite existing files without backup

Examples:

# Link using current directory name
ars link

# Link specific project
ars link --project my-project

# Overwrite existing files
ars link --force

ars status

Display registered projects and synchronization status.

Example:

ars status

ars sync

Synchronize with remote repository (store ↔ remote).

Options:

• -m: Commit message (default: auto-generated)
• --pull: Pull only
• --push: Push only

Examples:

# Full synchronization
ars sync

# Specify commit message
ars sync -m "Update settings"

# Pull only
ars sync --pull

# Push only
ars sync --push

ars pull

Copy files from store to current project directory (store → project). For git backend, pulls from remote to store first.

Options:

• --project: Project name (default: current directory name)

Examples:

# Pull to current directory
ars pull

# Pull specific project
ars pull --project my-project

ars push

Copy files from current project directory to store (project → store). For git backend, also pushes from store to remote.

Options:

• --project: Project name (default: current directory name)
• -m: Commit message (git backend only, default: "Update project: {project_name}")

Examples:

# Push from current directory
ars push

# Specify commit message
ars push -m "Update cursor rules"

# Push specific project
ars push --project my-project

ars config

View or modify configuration settings.

Options:

• --show: Display current configuration (same as running without options)
• --backend: Change backend (git or local)
• --path: Change store path
• --repo-url: Change repository URL
• --targets: Change default targets

Examples:

# View current configuration
ars config
ars config --show

# Change backend
ars config --backend local

# Change store path
ars config --path ~/new-store-path

# Change repository URL
ars config --repo-url git@github.com:user/new-repo.git

# Change default targets
ars config --targets .cursor,.kiro,.vscode

Configuration Files

Local Configuration (~/.config/ar-sync/config.yaml)

version: 1
backend: git  # 'git' or 'local'
store_path: /Users/username/ar-sync-store
repo_url: git@github.com:username/ar-sync-store.git  # git backend only
default_targets:
- .claude
- .clauderules
- .cursor
- .cursorrules
- .windsurf
- .windsurfrules
- .clinerules
- .kiro
- .gemini
- .qwen
- .zed
- .vscode
- .github/copilot-instructions.md
- .aider
- .aiderignore
- AGENTS.md
auto_sync: false
backup_originals: true
backup_dir: /Users/username/.config/ar-sync/backups

Store Metadata ({store_path}/.ar-sync.yaml)

version: 1
created_at: 2025-01-21T10:00:00Z
projects:
  my-project:
    added_at: 2025-01-21T10:00:00Z
    targets:
      - .cursor
      - .kiro
      - .gemini
      - .qwen
      - AGENTS.md
    machines:
      - hostname: macbook-pro
        linked_at: 2025-01-21T10:00:00Z
      - hostname: office-desktop
        linked_at: 2025-01-22T09:00:00Z

File Structure

~/.config/ar-sync/
├── config.yaml              # Local configuration
└── backups/                 # Backup directory
    └── my-project_20250121_100000/
        └── .cursor/

~/ar-sync-store/             # Store directory
├── .git/                    # Git repository
├── .ar-sync.yaml            # Store metadata
├── my-project/
│   ├── .cursor/
│   ├── .kiro/
│   ├── .gemini/
│   ├── .qwen/
│   └── AGENTS.md
└── other-project/
    ├── .cursor/
    └── AGENTS.md

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows

To create symlinks on Windows, Developer Mode must be enabled:

1. Settings > Update & Security > For developers
2. Enable "Developer Mode"
3. Restart terminal

Alternatively, run commands with administrator privileges.

macOS / Linux

Generally no additional configuration is required. If file permission issues occur:

chmod +w ~/my-project

Troubleshooting

Git Authentication Errors

Verify SSH keys are configured:

# Generate SSH key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# Add SSH key to GitHub
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Add to GitHub Settings > SSH and GPG keys

Symlink Creation Failures

• Windows: Enable Developer Mode or use administrator privileges
• macOS/Linux: Check directory write permissions

Conflicts

If Git conflicts occur, resolve manually:

cd ~/ar-sync-store
# Resolve conflicts
git add .
git commit
ars sync

Development

Development Environment Setup

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/JINWOO-J/ar-sync.git
cd ar-sync

# Install development dependencies
make install-dev
# or
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Makefile Commands

The project automates common development tasks through Makefile:

# View help
make help

# Install in development mode
make install-dev

# Run CLI (during development)
make run
# or run directly
python -m ar_sync.cli --help

# Testing
make test              # Run all tests
make test-cov          # Include coverage report
make test-verbose      # Verbose output

# Code quality
make lint              # Run Ruff linter
make type-check        # Run Mypy type checker
make format            # Format code

# Build and deployment
make clean             # Remove build artifacts
make build             # Build distribution package
make publish-test      # Deploy to TestPyPI
make publish           # Deploy to PyPI

# Full verification (CI/CD)
make verify            # Run all checks

Running Tests

# Using Makefile
make test
make test-cov

# Direct execution
pytest
pytest --cov=ar_sync --cov-report=html

# Run property-based tests only
pytest tests/test_properties*.py -v

Type Checking

make type-check
# or
mypy --strict ar_sync/

PyPI Deployment

# 1. Deploy to TestPyPI first for testing
make publish-test

# 2. Deploy to actual PyPI after testing
make publish