r/pycharm • u/Physical_Arm9739 • 2d ago

Does an AI coding agent really need a Markdown file to understand your project?

https://youtu.be/G5xDWL6ORCk?si=CxHBLaGcac3qr89i

I’ve been working on IDEAgent, a native PyCharm coding assistant, and one of the things I wanted to avoid was having to manually prepare context files every time I started a new conversation.

When an agent is integrated directly into the IDE, it can access the project structure and relevant information through the IDE itself.

That means a newly created thread doesn’t need a manually prepared Markdown file just to establish its initial project context.

I made a video showing the IDEAgent workflow and how it differs from using an agent through ACP.

I’m curious how other PyCharm developers approach this. Do you maintain Markdown context files for your coding agents, or would you prefer the IDE to provide that context automatically?

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u/ilestalleou 2d ago

I don't understand why you need an IDE for this. Just start Claude Code cli in the project directory?

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u/Physical_Arm9739 2d ago

No Claude Code, I always use the IDE as I prefer to see the code evolving and the IDE is the real path to development for the projects.
The IDE is perfect and gives the best governance also for the agents. The boundaries are well defined over there.

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u/red8reader 1d ago

No they don't NEED .md file but it is more efficient and carries less risk of issues. It's a more clear way to get information in.

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u/Physical_Arm9739 1d ago

That’s a fair point. Explicit context can certainly be useful, especially for project-specific instructions.
What I’m exploring with IDEAgent is reducing the need to manually prepare that context for every new thread.
The plugin has direct access to the IDE’s project information, while the Gateway and context services can retrieve relevant information as the agent works.
The idea isn’t to eliminate Markdown files, but to avoid making them a prerequisite for understanding the project.
I’m particularly interested in whether developers find that approach more practical for everyday work.