Cline Users Wrestle Repeated Context Scans

Hot take: this looks less like a mystery bug and more like a context-scope problem that shows up when Cline’s rule system, workspace layout, and file noise are not tuned together.

• –Cline’s docs say `.clinerules/` is the primary project rule format, but rules only activate when the current context matches, so they are not a blanket force field.
• –In multi-root workspaces, Cline rules only work in the primary workspace folder, which can make them look “ignored” if the repo is split across folders.
• –`.clineignore` is the first practical fix when the agent keeps hoovering up generated files, dependencies, or other junk that bloats context.
• –Conditional rules are the better long-term setup when different parts of the codebase need different instructions, because they keep irrelevant guidance out of the prompt.
• –The behavior reported here is consistent with Cline re-evaluating context as the task changes, not necessarily with it failing to read the rules at all.