JetBrains AI / Junie vs Kilo CodeUpdated 2026-03-18

SUMMARY

JetBrains AI / Junie (IDE) uses markdown configuration while Kilo Code (IDE) uses markdown. They differ on 1 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

FeatureJetBrains AI / JunieKilo Code
Config formatmarkdownmarkdown
Hierarchy support
Global config
Project config
Subdirectory scoping
File inclusion / imports
Ignore file.aiignore
IDE integration
Schema / structureFree-form (Markdown)Free-form (Markdown)
Git committed
EncodingUTF-8UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

PurposeJetBrains AI / JunieKilo Code
Project rules.aiassistant/rules/*.md.kilorules
Settings / configuration.noai.kilocodemodes

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

JetBrains AI / Junie
.aiassistant/rules/*.md
markdown
# Kotlin Conventions

## Language Features
- Use Kotlin 2.x with coroutines for async work
- Prefer data classes for DTOs and value objects
- Use sealed classes/interfaces for domain errors
- Extension functions over utility classes

## Spring Boot
- Constructor injection (no field injection)
- Use @ConfigurationProperties over @Value
- Prefer WebFlux for reactive endpoints
- Use Spring Security with method-level security

## Testing
- JUnit 5 with Kotest assertions
- MockK for mocking (not Mockito)
- Testcontainers for integration tests
- Use @Nested for test organization

Kilo Code
.kilorules
markdown
# Project Rules

## Stack
- TypeScript 5.x with strict mode
- React 19 + Next.js 15 (App Router)
- Tailwind CSS v4 for styling
- Drizzle ORM for database access

## Code Standards
- Named exports only (no default exports)
- Prefer `const` assertions and satisfies operator
- Use Result<T, E> pattern for error handling
- Maximum 30 lines per function

## File Organization
- Colocate tests: `foo.ts` → `foo.test.ts`
- One component per file
- Barrel exports (index.ts) for public module APIs

## Git
- Conventional commits: feat|fix|chore|docs|test
- Squash merge feature branches
- Branch naming: type/description

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Ignore file

JetBrains AI / Junie: .aiignore. Kilo Code: Not supported.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use JetBrains AI / Junie, configure .aiassistant/rules/*.md. If you use Kilo Code, configure .kilocodemodes. 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.ing2026-03-18COMPARE(1)