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daniel-kindldaniel-kindl/dkstack/AGENTS.md

dkstack

AGENTS.md1 starsChanged 8 days agoMITView on GitHub

These are the dkstack guidelines for coding agents. dkstack is the repository daniel-kindl/dkstack. Follow these guidelines in each project that points to this file. 1. Read skills/triage/SKILL.md. It tells you which sections and skills apply to the task. 2. Read only those sections and skills. 3. If a rule is unclear, do not guess. Ask the owner. Use skills/clarify-intent/SKILL.md. Projects follow the v1 branch. Read this file from this URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/daniel-kindl/dkstack/v1/AGENTS.md The main branch has changes that are not released…

  • 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 31,774 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 repository12 other files it gives its agents.

The file

Show its rules and text

We split this AGENTS.md into the rules it gives an agent

15 rules. About 0 are common, 11 are distinctive, and 4 are very specific to this project.

  • ≈0

    Common · estimate

    Many files like this have a rule of this kind.

  • ≈11

    Distinctive · estimate

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 4

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Very specific:

    Read skills/triage/SKILL.md.

    line 9
  2. Distinctive:

    Read only those sections and skills.

    line 11
  3. Very specific:

    If a rule is unclear, do not guess.

    line 12
  4. Very specific:

    If two dkstack rules conflict, follow the more specific rule.

    line 34
  5. Distinctive:

    Every rule in workflow/safety.md is a hard limit.

    line 38
  6. Distinctive:

    Do not bypass branch protection or a ruleset.

    line 41
  7. Distinctive:

    Do not start a production deploy.

    line 42
  8. Distinctive:

    Do not publish or release without the owner's explicit OK for that release.

    line 43
  9. Distinctive:

    Consider coherence, coupling, complexity, compatibility and ease of future change while you work.

    line 62
  10. Distinctive:

    Write a failing test first.

    line 65
  11. Distinctive:

    Write each commit title as a conventional commit of 50 characters or fewer.

    line 66
  12. Distinctive:

    Never weaken a quality gate.

    line 68
  13. Distinctive:

    Keep components independent.

    line 69
  14. Distinctive:

    Do not invent facts, citations or personal experience.

    line 70
  15. Very specific:

    Do not change dkstack from another project.

    line 79

≈ “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.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md

These are the dkstack guidelines for coding agents. dkstack is the repository daniel-kindl/dkstack. Follow these guidelines in each project that points to this file.

Start here

  1. Read skills/triage/SKILL.md. It tells you which sections and skills apply to the task.
  2. Read only those sections and skills.
  3. If a rule is unclear, do not guess. Ask the owner. Use skills/clarify-intent/SKILL.md.

Version

Projects follow the v1 branch. Read this file from this URL:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/daniel-kindl/dkstack/v1/AGENTS.md

The main branch has changes that are not released yet. The links in this file resolve against the ref in your URL, so you read all files on the same version. The skills link to v1. See ADR 0001.

Precedence

  • A dkstack rule wins over a project rule.
  • A project can differ from a dkstack rule only through a documented exception. Record the exception in the project's AGENTS.md or CONTRIBUTING.md. The exception names the dkstack rule, the project rule and the reason. For example, a project can use a dev branch if it records this exception.
  • The rules in workflow/safety.md have no exceptions. A rule that allows an action with the owner's OK is not an exception.
  • If two dkstack rules conflict, follow the more specific rule.

Hard limits

Every rule in workflow/safety.md is a hard limit. For example:

  • Do not force-push.
  • Do not bypass branch protection or a ruleset.
  • Do not start a production deploy. Only the owner starts one.
  • Do not publish or release without the owner's explicit OK for that release.

Sections

  • architecture/index.md: Architecture principles.
  • coding/index.md: Coding standards and practices.
  • tdd/index.md: Test-driven development.
  • version-control/index.md: Conventional commits and feature branches.
  • versioning/index.md: Semantic versioning.
  • writing/index.md: Writing style (ASD-STE100).
  • skills/index.md: Skills to apply.
  • tips/index.md: Short tips.
  • workflow/index.md: Workflow: work, roles, review and merge, and safety.
  • workflow/feature-plans.md: Feature plans. If a feature has a plan, find it and compare it with the repository before you implement.

Key rules

  • Select the smallest design that works. See architecture/design.md.
  • Consider coherence, coupling, complexity, compatibility and ease of future change while you work. Read architecture/stewardship.md when triage says to read it.
  • Write a failing test first. Tests must prove behavior. See tdd/index.md.
  • Write each commit title as a conventional commit of 50 characters or fewer. See version-control/index.md.
  • Never weaken a quality gate. See coding/quality-gates.md.
  • Keep components independent. See architecture/orthogonality.md.
  • Do not invent facts, citations or personal experience.

Owner

The owner of dkstack is Daniel Kindl (GitHub: daniel-kindl). Only the owner approves a change to dkstack and a release of it. See workflow/safety.md.

Changes

Do not change dkstack from another project. To propose a rule, open an issue in daniel-kindl/dkstack or tell the owner.

A shared rule set must change only through review. An agent edit from another project skips that review. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the change flow.

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