Google Antigravity vs Claude CodeUpdated 2026-03-18

SUMMARY

Google Antigravity (IDE) uses markdown configuration while Claude Code (CLI) uses markdown. They differ on 4 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

FeatureGoogle AntigravityClaude Code
Config formatmarkdownmarkdown
Hierarchy support
Global config
Project config
Subdirectory scoping
File inclusion / imports
Ignore file.claudeignore
IDE integrationCLI
Schema / structureFree-form (Markdown)Free-form (Markdown)
Git committed
EncodingUTF-8UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

PurposeGoogle AntigravityClaude Code
Project instructionsAGENTS.mdCLAUDE.md
skillsresources/*/SKILL.md.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Google Antigravity
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Project Instructions

## Architecture
- Monorepo with apps/ and packages/ directories
- Each app is a standalone Next.js deployment
- Shared packages use TypeScript project references

## Code Standards
- TypeScript strict mode everywhere
- Use Zod for runtime validation at API boundaries
- Prefer server components; use "use client" only when needed
- All database queries go through the data-access layer

## Testing
- Unit tests with Vitest for business logic
- Integration tests for API routes
- E2E tests with Playwright for critical user flows

## Deployment
- Preview deployments on every PR
- Production deploys from main branch only
- Environment variables managed via .env.local (never committed)
Claude Code
CLAUDE.md
markdown
# Project Name

> TypeScript + React monorepo. Deployed on Vercel.

## Code Style

- TypeScript strict mode — no `any`, no `ts-ignore`
- Named exports only (no default exports)
- Prefer functional patterns: map/filter/reduce over for-loops
- Error handling: use Result<T, E> from `src/lib/result.ts`

## Architecture

- `src/routes/`   — Route handlers (thin layer, delegates to services)
- `src/services/`  — Business logic, one file per domain entity
- `src/db/`        — Drizzle ORM schema and query helpers
- `src/lib/`       — Shared utilities (logger, result type, validation)

## Commands

```bash
pnpm install          # Install dependencies
pnpm dev              # Start dev server (port 3000)
pnpm test             # Run Vitest suite
pnpm test:e2e         # Run Playwright tests
pnpm lint             # ESLint + Prettier check
pnpm db:migrate       # Run pending Drizzle migrations
```

## Git Conventions

- Conventional Commits: `feat:`, `fix:`, `chore:`, `docs:`
- Branch naming: `feat/short-description`, `fix/issue-number`
- Squash merge to main; delete branches after merge

## Notes

- The `src/legacy/` directory is being migrated. Do not add new code there.
- All dates are stored as UTC. Never use local time.

@docs/api-patterns.md
@docs/database-conventions.md

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Global config

Google Antigravity: Not supported. Claude Code: Supported.

2. File inclusion / imports

Google Antigravity: Not supported. Claude Code: Supported.

3. Ignore file

Google Antigravity: Not supported. Claude Code: .claudeignore.

4. IDE integration

Google Antigravity: Supported. Claude Code: CLI.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Google Antigravity, configure AGENTS.md. If you use Claude Code, configure CLAUDE.md. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh
bash
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md

SEE ALSO

agentconfig.ing2026-03-18COMPARE(1)