Fusion vs Gemini Code AssistComparisonUpdated 2026-03-18
SUMMARY
Fusion (IDE) uses mdc configuration while Gemini Code Assist (IDE) 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
| Feature | Fusion | Gemini Code Assist |
|---|---|---|
| Config format | mdc | markdown |
| Hierarchy support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Global config | ✗ | ✗ |
| Project config | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subdirectory scoping | ✗ | ✓ |
| File inclusion / imports | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ignore file | ✗ | ✗ |
| IDE integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema / structure | Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + Markdown) | Free-form (Markdown) |
| Git committed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Encoding | UTF-8 | UTF-8 |
FILE MAPPING
| Purpose | Fusion | Gemini Code Assist |
|---|---|---|
| Project instructions | AGENTS.md | GEMINI.md |
SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES
Fusion
.builder/rules/*.mdc
mdc
---
description: React component conventions
globs: src/components/**/*.tsx
alwaysApply: false
---
# React Component Rules
## Structure
- Use functional components with TypeScript
- Define props interface above the component
- Export components as named exports
## Styling
- Use the project design system tokens for spacing and colors
- Prefer utility classes over custom CSS
- Keep component-specific styles colocated
## Patterns
- Wrap async data in Suspense boundaries
- Use forwardRef for reusable interactive components
- Keep components under 150 lines; extract hooks for logic
## Accessibility
- All interactive elements need aria-labels
- Use semantic HTML elements (nav, main, section)
- Ensure keyboard navigation works for custom widgets
Gemini Code Assist
GEMINI.md
markdown
# Project Rules
## Overview
E-commerce platform built with Go microservices and React frontend.
All services communicate via gRPC with Protocol Buffers.
## Go Services
- Follow standard Go project layout (cmd/, internal/, pkg/)
- Use structured logging with slog (not log or fmt.Println)
- Error handling: always wrap errors with fmt.Errorf("%w", err)
- Database access through repository pattern in internal/repo/
- All public functions must have godoc comments
## API Design
- Proto files live in proto/ directory with buf for linting
- Use field masks for partial updates
- Pagination via cursor-based tokens, not offset
## Testing
- Table-driven tests for all business logic
- Use testcontainers-go for integration tests
- Minimum 80% coverage on internal/ packages
- Mock external services with gomock interfaces
## Do Not
- Use global variables or init() functions
- Import internal packages across service boundaries
- Commit generated .pb.go files (CI generates them)
KEY DIFFERENCES
Fusion: mdc. Gemini Code Assist: markdown.
Fusion: Not supported. Gemini Code Assist: Supported.
Fusion: Not supported. Gemini Code Assist: Supported.
Fusion: Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + Markdown). Gemini Code Assist: Free-form (Markdown).
WHICH SHOULD I USE?
Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Fusion, configure .builder/rules/*.mdc. If you use Gemini Code Assist, configure GEMINI.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
Tool pages:
File references:
agentconfig.ing2026-03-18COMPARE(1)