What project documents should be provided to an AI coding assistant?

What project documents should be provided to an AI coding assistant?

An AI coding assistant needs the documents that explain what to build, how the system fits together, and which constraints already apply. A small set of current references is more useful than a large collection of contradictory drafts.

Explain the product and its boundaries

Provide the Product Requirements Document with user roles, feature scope, user journeys, and acceptance criteria. Include explicit exclusions. For a wedding-management MVP, organizers might manage events while guests only respond to invitations. A seating-chart feature can remain outside the first release.

Attach the relevant design brief or approved screen references. Explain interactive states such as an empty dashboard, a failed save, and restricted access. A screenshot alone cannot describe these behaviors.

Supply the implementation contracts

The architecture document should identify application boundaries and major technology decisions. Database documentation explains entities, relationships, constraints, and ownership. API documentation describes operations, validation, response shapes, and permission rules.

Also provide repository conventions: where components belong, how configuration is loaded, and which commands run the application and relevant checks. Reference existing examples when the project already has established patterns. Avoid supplying credentials or real guest records as sample context.

Make the reading order explicit

Ask the assistant to read the relevant sections before editing. A focused prompt might say: “Use the event-management requirements, Event schema, and event API contract to scaffold the list page. Follow the existing dashboard layout.”

If two documents disagree, resolve the inconsistency before dependent implementation continues. State which version is authoritative and record the decision. Keep the initial task narrow enough that the assistant can connect each change to a requirement and a concrete verification step.