Jules vs LovableUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

Jules (Agent) uses markdown configuration while Lovable (Platform) 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

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

FILE MAPPING

PurposeJulesLovable
Project instructionsAGENTS.mdAGENTS.md

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Jules
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Agent Instructions

## Project
A Django REST API serving a React frontend.

## Setup
- Python 3.12 with Poetry
- PostgreSQL 15
- Redis for caching and Celery broker

## Key Commands
- poetry run python manage.py runserver
- poetry run pytest
- poetry run mypy .

## Pull Request Guidelines
- Keep PRs focused on a single issue
- Add tests for all new functionality
- Update API docs in docs/api/ if endpoints change
- Run the linter: poetry run ruff check .

## Architecture Notes
- apps/core/ — shared models and utilities
- apps/api/v2/ — current API version
- apps/tasks/ — Celery background tasks

Lovable
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Project Instructions

## Stack
- React 19 with TypeScript
- Supabase for backend (auth, database, storage)
- TailwindCSS v4 + shadcn/ui components
- Vite for building

## Architecture
- Feature-based folder structure
- Each feature owns its components, hooks, and types
- Shared components in src/components/ui/
- All API calls go through src/lib/supabase.ts

## Conventions
- Use shadcn/ui components before creating custom ones
- Mobile-first responsive design
- Use Supabase RLS policies for authorization
- Prefer server-side filtering over client-side

## Brand
- Primary color: #6366F1 (indigo)
- Font: Inter for body, Cal Sans for headings
- Rounded corners (radius-lg) on all cards

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Hierarchy support

Jules: Supported. Lovable: Not supported.

2. Subdirectory scoping

Jules: Supported. Lovable: Not supported.

3. IDE integration

Jules: Agent. Lovable: Platform.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Jules, configure AGENTS.md. If you use Lovable, configure AGENTS.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)