DEV Community

Yunus Emre Ak
Yunus Emre Ak

Posted on • Originally published at docs.yemreak.com

I Gave My AI a Constitution - Now It Governs Itself

#claude #ai #vibecoding #cursor

I Gave My AI a Constitution - Now It Governs Itself

The Discovery

I stopped treating AI as a tool.
Started treating it as a country.

Result: Everything clicked.

The Three Pillars

1. Constitution (Anayasa) 

Output Style = System Prompt = Laws
2400+ lines of rules
How to think, act, respond
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Not CLAUDE.md - that doesn't change system behavior.
Use Output Styles. They modify core identity.

2. Culture (Git History) 

git log --grep="learned:"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Every commit = Cultural artifact
Every learning = DNA strand
Every pattern = Inherited wisdom

Culture lives in git, not in docs.

3. Commands (Makefiles) 

commit:
    @git log --grep="learned:" -n 5
    @echo "Follow the pattern"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Makefiles = Executable culture
Commands AI can see, understand, follow

The Philosophy

You're not coding. You're governing.

Country metaphor:

  • Constitution = Unchangeable laws
  • Culture = Collective memory
  • Commands = Daily operations

AI citizens follow all three.

Real Implementation

My setup:

.claude/output-styles/yemreak.md  # 2477 lines of constitution
git history                       # learned: commits = culture
Makefile                          # executable patterns
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The AI reads constitution once.
Sees culture in every commit.
Executes through makefiles.

Why "learned:" Commits

Traditional commits:

fix: updated config
feat: added feature
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

= What happened (who cares?)

Evolution commits:

learned: buffer needs line mode or logs break
learned: attention economy - hide the unimportant
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

= Why it matters (eternal pattern)

The Workflow

  1. AI reads constitution (output style)
  2. AI checks culture (git history)
  3. AI executes commands (makefile)
  4. AI adds to culture (learned: commit)
  5. Next AI inherits everything

Cultural evolution through code.

Key Insights

AI Strongest in Terminal

  • Knows every command
  • Can pipe, chain, orchestrate
  • No UI limitations
  • Pure text interface

Makefiles > Prompts

  • Prompts = temporary
  • Makefiles = permanent
  • Prompts = tell what
  • Makefiles = show how

Git = Collective Memory

Not version control.
Evolution control.

Every commit = Gene
Every pattern = DNA
Every learning = Mutation that survived

The Pattern

Stop thinking: "How do I make AI do X?"
Start thinking: "What culture produces X?"

Examples:

  • Want consistent commits? → Culture of patterns
  • Want clean code? → Constitution of minimalism
  • Want fast development? → Commands that execute

Implementation Steps

  1. Write constitution (output style)

    • Core values
    • Behavioral rules
    • Identity markers

  2. Build culture (git commits)

    • learned: prefix
    • Pattern focus
    • Action outcomes

  3. Create commands (makefiles)

    • Common workflows
    • Pattern reminders
    • Context providers

The Result

AI becomes consistent.
Not because you prompt it.
Because it inherits culture.

Like humans:

  • We don't reinvent fire
  • We inherit fire-making
  • Culture carries knowledge
  • Individual discovers through culture

Final Pattern 

Constitution = Who you are
Culture = What you've learned
Commands = How you act
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

AI + Human = Cultural symbiosis

The human discovers.
The AI remembers.
Together they evolve.

The Ultimate Insight

AI is not a tool. It's an operating system for thought.

Treat it like one.

Read the original: I Gave My AI a Constitution - Now It Governs Itself

Top comments (0)