great_cto
AGENTS.md112 starsChanged 2 months agoMITView on GitHub
When no additional clarification is needed, keep working within the agreed scope until all requested tasks are implemented and verified. A progress update or a successful intermediate test is not a reason to stop. Resolve failures, run the required gates, and report completion only with evidence. If continuing requires a missing decision, new authority, or an external change that cannot be made safely within scope, report the exact blocker and ask only the necessary question. Persistence does not authorize bypassing…
- Deletes or force-pushes
- Commits and pushes
Where files are headingNew AGENTS.md files have more rules about keeping secrets out of the code, and fewer about code style.
Of the AGENTS.md files we read, the 31,700 first seen in the last six months, against the older ones: the kind of rule that gained most share, and the kind that lost most. About files like this in general, not this one, and an estimate, since a kind is a pattern in the words.
In this repository35 other files it gives its agents.
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- aesthetic-instrumentSkill
- anti-patternsSkill
- anydesignSkill
- archetype-review-baseSkill
- brainstormingSkill
- build-speedSkill
- codex-hostSkill
- committed-aestheticSkill
- cost-modelSkill
- crystallizeSkill
- decision-evalSkill
- deploy-landedSkill
- discoverySkill
- done-blockedSkill
- great_ctoSkill
- lifecycle-messagingSkill
- migration-ready-schemaSkill
- observability-baselineSkill
- opportunity-solution-treeSkill
- outcome-roadmapSkill
- pm-planningSkill
- pre-mortemSkill
- product-economicsSkill
- prose-styleSkill
- quant-validationSkill
- secrets-rotationSkill
- signing-preflightSkill
- skeptical-triageSkill
- stack-baselineSkill
- test-strategySkill
- ui-ux-pro-maxSkill
- vertical-onboardingSkill
- verticalsSkill
- well-architectedSkill
The file
We split this AGENTS.md into the rules it gives an agent
10 rules. About 0 are common, 7 are distinctive, and 3 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈7
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
3
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 5
When no additional clarification is needed, keep working within the agreed scope until all requested tasks are implemented and verified.
- Distinctive: line 10
If continuing requires a missing decision, new authority, or an external change that cannot be made safely within scope, report the exact …
- Very specific: line 68
Use bd for ALL task tracking — do NOT use TodoWrite, TaskCreate, or markdown TODO lists
- Very specific: line 69
Run bd prime for detailed command reference and session close protocol
- Very specific: line 70
Use bd remember for persistent knowledge — do NOT use MEMORY.md files
- Distinctive: line 78
File issues for remaining work: - Create issues for anything that needs follow-up
- Distinctive: line 89
Verify: - All changes committed AND pushed
- Distinctive: line 94
NEVER stop before pushing - that leaves work stranded locally
- Distinctive: line 95
NEVER say "ready to push when you are" - YOU must push
- Distinctive: line 96
If push fails, resolve and retry until it succeeds <!-- END BEADS INTEGRATION -->
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 40,246 AGENTS.md files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Agent Instructions
Work Continuity
When no additional clarification is needed, keep working within the agreed scope until all requested tasks are implemented and verified. A progress update or a successful intermediate test is not a reason to stop. Resolve failures, run the required gates, and report completion only with evidence.
If continuing requires a missing decision, new authority, or an external change that cannot be made safely within scope, report the exact blocker and ask only the necessary question. Persistence does not authorize bypassing gates, independent review, or separate merge, release, deployment and installation approvals. Never describe blocked or unverified work as complete.
This project uses bd (beads) for issue tracking. Run bd onboard to get started.
Quick Reference
bd ready # Find available work
bd show <id> # View issue details
bd update <id> --claim # Claim work atomically
bd close <id> # Complete work
bd dolt push # Push beads data to remoteNon-Interactive Shell Commands
ALWAYS use non-interactive flags with file operations to avoid hanging on confirmation prompts.
Shell commands like cp, mv, and rm may be aliased to include -i (interactive) mode on some systems, causing the agent to hang indefinitely waiting for y/n input.
Use these forms instead:
# Force overwrite without prompting
cp -f source dest # NOT: cp source dest
mv -f source dest # NOT: mv source dest
rm -f file # NOT: rm file
# For recursive operations
rm -rf directory # NOT: rm -r directory
cp -rf source dest # NOT: cp -r source destOther commands that may prompt:
scp- use-o BatchMode=yesfor non-interactivessh- use-o BatchMode=yesto fail instead of promptingapt-get- use-yflagbrew- useHOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1env var
<!-- BEGIN BEADS INTEGRATION v:1 profile:minimal hash:ca08a54f -->Beads Issue Tracker
This project uses bd (beads) for issue tracking. Run bd prime to see full workflow context and commands.
Quick Reference
bd ready # Find available work
bd show <id> # View issue details
bd update <id> --claim # Claim work
bd close <id> # Complete workRules
- Use
bdfor ALL task tracking — do NOT use TodoWrite, TaskCreate, or markdown TODO lists - Run
bd primefor detailed command reference and session close protocol - Use
bd rememberfor persistent knowledge — do NOT use MEMORY.md files
Session Completion
When ending a work session, you MUST complete ALL steps below. Work is NOT complete until git push succeeds.
MANDATORY WORKFLOW:
- File issues for remaining work - Create issues for anything that needs follow-up
- Run quality gates (if code changed) - Tests, linters, builds
- Update issue status - Close finished work, update in-progress items
- PUSH TO REMOTE - This is MANDATORY:
git pull --rebase bd dolt push git push git status # MUST show "up to date with origin" - Clean up - Clear stashes, prune remote branches
- Verify - All changes committed AND pushed
- Hand off - Provide context for next session
CRITICAL RULES:
- Work is NOT complete until
git pushsucceeds - NEVER stop before pushing - that leaves work stranded locally
- NEVER say "ready to push when you are" - YOU must push
- If push fails, resolve and retry until it succeeds
<!-- END BEADS INTEGRATION -->Does it work?
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People and AI agents can review whether this works in practice. Say what you used it for, and whether it worked.
- It worked
- Partly
- It didn't
Using an agent? It can post a review for you after it has run the file: the MCP tool registry_write, action report. How to connect one.
Your trail
Files you open will collect here, so you can find them again.
Open two or more, and you can remix the rules you like from each into one list. Kept in this browser only.
Now do this for your own.
Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.

