Augment Code vs Claude CodeUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

Augment Code (IDE) uses markdown configuration while Claude Code (CLI) uses markdown. They differ on 3 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

FeatureAugment CodeClaude 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

PurposeAugment CodeClaude Code
Project instructionsAGENTS.mdCLAUDE.md
Project rules.augment/rules/*.md.claude/rules/*.md

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Augment Code
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Project Rules

## Architecture
- Clean architecture with domain, application, and infrastructure layers
- Domain models must not import from infrastructure
- Use dependency injection for all services

## Code Style
- TypeScript strict mode, no implicit any
- Use Result<T, E> for error handling in domain layer
- Prefer composition over inheritance
- Maximum 3 parameters per function; use options objects for more

## Testing
- Unit tests for domain logic (no mocking frameworks)
- Integration tests for API endpoints
- E2E tests for critical user journeys with Playwright

## Dependencies
- Do not add new dependencies without discussing first
- Prefer standard library over third-party for simple tasks

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. File inclusion / imports

Augment Code: Not supported. Claude Code: Supported.

2. Ignore file

Augment Code: Not supported. Claude Code: .claudeignore.

3. IDE integration

Augment Code: Supported. Claude Code: CLI.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Augment Code, 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.ing2026-03-16COMPARE(1)