Tonto includes templates for AI coding assistants so they can understand .tonto syntax, OntoUML terminology, cardinalities, documentation conventions, and safe ontology extension workflows.
Add guidance during project initialization
Run:
tonto-cli init
The initializer asks which editor or agentic IDE you use:
Cursor
VS Code
Codex
Claude Code
Google (Gemini / Antigravity)
All
It writes guidance files into the target-specific folder.
Add guidance from VS Code
Use:
Tonto: Add Guidances to project (Work with LLMs)
This command writes project guidance without manually copying templates.
Add the Tonto ontology skill
Use the CLI:
tonto-cli add-skill . --target codex
tonto-cli add-skill . --target all
Or use the VS Code command:
Tonto: Add Tonto Skill to project
What the guidance covers
The generated materials cover:
- Basic Tonto syntax and project structure.
- How to choose OntoUML stereotypes.
- Cardinality guidance.
- How to create new ontology elements.
- How to analyze terminology consistency.
- How to summarize and document ontology packages.
Recommended agent workflow
When asking an AI assistant to modify a Tonto ontology:
- Point it to the project root and
tonto.json. - Ask it to inspect imports and existing package names before editing.
- Ask for stereotype rationale for new classes.
- Run
tonto-cli validate .after changes. - Review labels and descriptions for public packages.