ALWAYS prefer editing an existing file to creating a new one.
NEVER proactively create documentation files (*.md) or README files. Only create documentation files if explicitly requested by the User
frame at a time, so an iframe node's `childId` points at a child
document absent from this payload; the `a11y` compressor
(`engine/compressors/axtree.go`) treats an unresolvable `childId` as a leaf
anywhere in `agents/` becomes a subagent**, named
from its frontmatter or filename. Maintainer documentation belongs outside that
tree; profile-registry orientation lives in
`docs/technical/agent-profile-registry.md`. `tests/verify_repo.py` fails build
if any markdown
tokens. Reserve **byte-safe** for classes whose `safety.Info.ByteSafe` is true.
- **elide repetition, never a document**: every unit-dropping compressor (text, log, json, tabular, config, searchresult, terminal) calls `keepNonRedundant` (`compressors/redundancy.go`) before
A file Claude Code reads at the start of every session. It holds the commands, conventions and warnings the agent needs for this project.
Where does it go?
At the repository root. Claude Code also reads CLAUDE.md files in subdirectories when it works there.
What should it contain?
Build and test commands, the project's layout, conventions that aren't obvious from the code, and mistakes to avoid. Short files tend to work better than long ones.
CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md?
Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md; most other agents read AGENTS.md. Many projects keep one and point the other at it.