Gemini Code Assist vs JunieUpdated 2026-03-18

SUMMARY

Gemini Code Assist (IDE) uses markdown configuration while Junie (Agent) 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

FeatureGemini Code AssistJunie
Config formatmarkdownmarkdown
Hierarchy support
Global config
Project config
Subdirectory scoping
File inclusion / imports
Ignore file
IDE integrationAgent
Schema / structureFree-form (Markdown)Free-form (Markdown)
Git committed
EncodingUTF-8UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

PurposeGemini Code AssistJunie
Project instructionsGEMINI.md.junie/guidelines.md
Project instructionsAGENT.mdAGENTS.md

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

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)
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

1. Hierarchy support

Gemini Code Assist: Supported. Junie: Not supported.

2. Subdirectory scoping

Gemini Code Assist: Supported. Junie: Not supported.

3. IDE integration

Gemini Code Assist: Supported. Junie: Agent.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Gemini Code Assist, configure GEMINI.md. 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

agentconfig.ing2026-03-18COMPARE(1)