ascii-fix-rules

AI rules that teach your coding assistant to generate correct ASCII art tables, boxes, and diagrams. Works with Cursor, Claude Code, and any AI that reads project rules.

Install

# For Cursor
npx ascii-fix-rules init

# For Claude Code
npx ascii-fix-rules init --claude

That's it. Your AI assistant will now follow ASCII art best practices automatically.

What it does

Installs a rules file that teaches your AI to:

• Align columns correctly — every row has delimiters at the same positions
• Use consistent style — never mix border characters in the same block
• Pad cells properly — 1 space on each side, always
• Match border widths — borders span the full width of the widest content
• Handle CJK/emoji — fullwidth characters count as 2 columns
• Self-check before outputting — verify alignment before showing ASCII art

Before (without rules)

+----------------------------+
|  Project Status             |
+----------------------------+
|  73 files . 52k lines  |
|  45 pages              |
+----------------------------+

After (with rules)

+----------------------+
| Project Status       |
+----------------------+
| 73 files . 52k lines |
| 45 pages             |
+----------------------+

Usage

npx ascii-fix-rules init              # Install for Cursor (.cursor/rules/)
npx ascii-fix-rules init --cursor     # Same as above
npx ascii-fix-rules init --claude     # Install for Claude Code (.claude/rules/)
npx ascii-fix-rules                   # Print rules to stdout

What gets installed

A single markdown file with:

• Rules for building correct tables and boxes
• Style reference (heavy, light, ASCII, rounded)
• Self-check checklist the AI runs before outputting
• Examples of correct formatting

Automated fixing

For programmatic/CLI fixing of existing broken ASCII art, see ascii-fix.

License

MIT

Made by Lubu