Customize Margo With AI

Customize Margo With AI

Skill level: Beginner · Works with: Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini, Windsurf, Codex, ChatGPT, and any other assistant

Margo is built so that an AI assistant can change it safely. Three things make that work:

1. Content is separate from code. Almost every change is an edit to a Markdown, TOML, or JSON file: site settings in config.toml, your projects in src/content/projects/, services in src/content/services/, section text in src/content/sections/. AI tools do this kind of task well.
2. Content files explain themselves. Section and collection files list their options and allowed values in comments, such as layout: "stack" # stack | panel | photo | centered | masthead in the hero. The assistant can see what is possible without guessing.
3. The theme ships instruction files for AI tools. They describe the folder structure and the rules for changing it. Most AI coding tools load them when you open the project folder.

The AI Instruction Files In Margo

Margo ships four instruction files at the top of the theme folder and three in hidden folders. Folders that start with a dot (.github/, .cursor/, .windsurf/) are hidden by default in Finder and File Explorer; your code editor shows them. You don’t need to edit any of these files. They are there for your assistant. README.md is written for you: it has the install commands, where the main files live, and a checklist for launch.

File	Read by	What it contains
AGENTS.md	OpenAI Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, and other tools that follow the AGENTS.md convention	The full rules: project structure, sections and layouts, page blocks, content and schema, validation limits, styling, components, forms, languages, copy, and customizing for your own site
SKILLS.md	No tool loads it on its own: mention it in your request	Step-by-step recipes: add a section or page, switch or add a layout, reorder the homepage, edit a collection, add or remove a language, rebrand, add an icon, verify
CLAUDE.md	Claude Code	Imports AGENTS.md (the @AGENTS.md line), then a short list of the most important rules
GEMINI.md	Gemini CLI	Imports AGENTS.md (the @./AGENTS.md line), then the same short list
.github/copilot-instructions.md	GitHub Copilot (coding agent, VS Code, CLI)	A short summary that points to AGENTS.md and SKILLS.md
.cursor/rules/theme-architecture.mdc	Cursor (always on)	The architecture rules, with a pointer to AGENTS.md
.windsurf/rules/theme-architecture.md	Windsurf (always on)	The same rules for Windsurf

The .vscode/ folder holds editor settings and recommended extensions (Astro, TOML, Tailwind CSS), not AI rules.

Chat assistants in a browser (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) can’t read your folder. You paste AGENTS.md into the conversation yourself: see AI Workflow.

These files tell an assistant to:

• keep editable text, links, images, buttons, and section options in src/content/, not in components
• make content changes in each language folder, and add new interface strings to each file in src/i18n/
• switch a section’s look with options.layout instead of building a new section
• reuse Margo’s Button.astro, DynamicIcon.astro, Icons.astro, and OptimizedImage.astro, and the tokens in src/styles/theme.css
• never invent testimonials, client names or logos, projects, metrics, ratings, certifications, or prices
• check changed pages at about 375 px and 1280 px wide, in light and dark mode
• run npm run astro-check when they finish

Two Ways To Work With AI

What AI Is Great At In Margo

• Rewriting the sample copy for your own practice, in every language
• Turning your notes into project case studies: the facts strip, the results, the client quote, and the image blocks
• Adding photo series from a folder of pictures, with alt text for each one
• Writing service pages with deliverables, process steps, and questions
• Filling the team, testimonials, FAQ, and journal
• Picking header, footer, and section layouts, and reordering homepage sections
• Translating the site, adding a language, or turning one off
• Explaining an error message and fixing it

What To Check Yourself

• Facts. AI writes convincing copy, and it can invent client quotes, ratings, review counts, project numbers, and awards you never gave it. The sample ratings and counts (for example “4.9 from 86 reviews”) are in several section files. Check every quote, number, and claim before you publish.
• Prices. Every price in src/content/pricing/ and in the service files is a sample. Give the assistant your own, and check the pricing page afterwards.
• Alt text. An assistant can’t see your photos unless you show them. Check that each imageAlt and alt describes what is really in the picture.
• Longer names and labels. A name, menu label, or button longer than the sample can wrap or crowd the layout. Check the header, the hero title, and the footer at phone width.
• Legal pages. The privacy policy, terms, and cookie policy are placeholders. Have them reviewed for your business.
• The result in the browser. npm run astro-check doesn’t validate the files in src/content/sections/, contact/, faq/, and pricing/, so a misspelled layout there shows only on the page.
• Forms. Send one message from the contact form on the live site, and check that it arrives.

Ready? Go to the Prompt Library for copy-paste prompts.