Bolt vs JunieComparisonUpdated 2026-03-16
SUMMARY
Bolt (Platform) uses text configuration while Junie (Agent) uses markdown. They differ on 2 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.
FEATURE COMPARISON
| Feature | Bolt | Junie |
|---|---|---|
| Config format | text | markdown |
| Hierarchy support | ✗ | ✗ |
| Global config | ✗ | ✗ |
| Project config | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subdirectory scoping | ✗ | ✗ |
| File inclusion / imports | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ignore file | ✗ | ✗ |
| IDE integration | Platform | Agent |
| Schema / structure | Free-form (Markdown) | Free-form (Markdown) |
| Git committed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Encoding | UTF-8 | UTF-8 |
FILE MAPPING
| Purpose | Bolt | Junie |
|---|---|---|
| Project instructions | .bolt/prompt | .junie/guidelines.md |
| Project instructions | AGENTS.md | AGENTS.md |
SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES
Bolt
.bolt/prompt
text
You are building a SaaS dashboard application.
Stack: Remix with TypeScript, Prisma ORM, PostgreSQL, TailwindCSS.
Key rules:
- Use server loaders for data fetching, not client-side fetch
- All forms use Remix Form with progressive enhancement
- Use Prisma for all database operations
- Style with TailwindCSS utility classes, no custom CSS
- Components go in app/components/, routes in app/routes/
- Use zod for form validation on both client and server
Junie
.junie/guidelines.md
markdown
# Project Guidelines
## Language & Framework
- Kotlin with Spring Boot 3.x
- Gradle with Kotlin DSL
- JDK 21 with virtual threads
## Architecture
- Hexagonal architecture (ports & adapters)
- Domain events for cross-module communication
- CQRS for read-heavy endpoints
## Code Standards
- Follow Kotlin coding conventions
- Use data classes for DTOs
- Prefer sealed classes for domain errors
- Extension functions over utility classes
## Testing
- JUnit 5 with Kotest assertions
- Testcontainers for integration tests
- MockK for mocking (not Mockito)
## Build & Run
- Build: ./gradlew build
- Test: ./gradlew test
- Run: ./gradlew bootRun
KEY DIFFERENCES
Bolt: text. Junie: markdown.
Bolt: Platform. Junie: Agent.
WHICH SHOULD I USE?
Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Bolt, configure .bolt/prompt. If you use Junie, configure .junie/guidelines.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
File references:
agentconfig.ing2026-03-16COMPARE(1)