agent-rules
Skill19 starsChanged 8 months agoMITView on GitHub
Use when creating or updating AGENTS.md files, .github/copilot-instructions.md, or other AI agent rule files, onboarding AI agents to a project, standardizing agent documentation, or when anyone mentions AGENTS.md, agent rules, project onboarding, or codebase documentation for AI agents.
4 other projects use a version of this, 1 of them edited.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- ekajaya740/skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- netresearch/agent-rules-skilledited, first seen Oct 22, 2026
- lankz/skillstheir own version, first seen Sep 1, 2026
- tornikegomareli/agent-rulestheir own version, first seen Jul 30, 2026
Other versions4 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 1
- netresearch/agent-rules-skill★ 8953% same
Wrote their own version · 3
- tornikegomareli/agent-rules★ 11same name
- ekajaya740/skills★ 0same name
- lankz/skills★ 0same name
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository53 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- .claude/skills/agent-rules/AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- .github/workflows/AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- pkg/AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- agent-ready-goSkill
- architecture-designerSkill
- cli-developerSkill
- cloudformation-to-pulumiSkill
- code-reviewerSkill
- commitlintSkill
- commitSkill
- csharp-developerSkill
- decideSkill
- dep-upgradeSkill
- design-principlesSkill
- devops-engineerSkill
- flux-cliSkill
- flux-operator-cliSkill
- golang-proSkill
- go-nolint-auditSkill
- javascript-proSkill
- kubernetes-specialistSkill
- lint-fixSkill
- markdownlintSkill
- prSkill
- pull-request-msg-with-ghSkill
- pulumi-arm-to-pulumiSkill
- pulumi-automation-apiSkill
- pulumi-best-practicesSkill
- pulumi-cdk-to-pulumiSkill
- pulumi-cliSkill
- pulumi-componentSkill
- pulumi-escSkill
- pulumi-goSkill
- pulumi-neoSkill
- pulumi-pythonSkill
- pulumi-terraform-to-pulumiSkill
- pulumi-typescriptSkill
- python-proSkill
- reviewSkill
- roadmapSkill
- rust-async-patternsSkill
- rust-best-practicesSkill
- rust-engineerSkill
- scoutSkill
- security-auditSkill
- spring-boot-engineerSkill
- sre-engineerSkill
- sync-websiteSkill
- tailscale-installSkill
- tech-debtSkill
- the-foolSkill
- typescript-proSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
1 rule. 0 are common, 0 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.
0
Common
Most of the 4 edited versions we read keep these.
0
Distinctive
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
1
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Very specific: line 50
Use --update to preserve human-curated content outside <!-- GENERATED --> markers.
“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 4 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
AGENTS.md Generator Skill
Generate and maintain AGENTS.md files following the agents.md convention. AGENTS.md is FOR AGENTS, not humans.
When to Use
- Creating or updating AGENTS.md for new/existing projects
- Standardizing agent documentation across repositories
- Checking if AGENTS.md files are current with recent code changes
- Onboarding AI agents to an unfamiliar codebase
Scripts
| Script | Purpose |
scripts/generate-agents.sh PATH | Generate AGENTS.md files |
scripts/validate-structure.sh PATH | Validate structure compliance |
scripts/check-freshness.sh PATH | Check if files are outdated |
scripts/verify-content.sh PATH | Verify documented files/commands match codebase |
scripts/verify-commands.sh PATH | Verify documented commands execute |
scripts/detect-project.sh PATH | Detect language, version, build tools |
scripts/detect-scopes.sh PATH | Identify directories needing scoped files |
scripts/extract-commands.sh PATH | Extract commands from build configs |
scripts/extract-ci-rules.sh PATH | Extract CI quality gates and version matrix |
scripts/extract-architecture-rules.sh PATH | Extract module boundaries |
scripts/extract-adrs.sh PATH | Extract architectural decision records |
scripts/extract-github-rulesets.sh PATH | Extract GitHub rulesets and merge rules |
See references/scripts-guide.md for full options.
Workflow
- Detect:
detect-project.sh+detect-scopes.shto identify stacks and subsystems - Extract:
extract-commands.sh,extract-ci-rules.sh, etc. to gather facts - Generate:
generate-agents.shwith--style=thin(default) or--verbose - Verify:
verify-content.sh+verify-commands.sh-- MANDATORY before done
Use --update to preserve human-curated content outside <!-- GENERATED --> markers.
Core Principles
- Structured over Prose -- tables parse faster than paragraphs
- Never Fabricate -- only document what exists; verify every command and path
- Pointer Principle -- point to files, don't duplicate content
- Auto Symlinks -- CLAUDE.md/GEMINI.md symlinks by default (see
ai-tool-compatibility.md)
References
| File | Contents |
verification-guide.md | Verification steps, design principles |
scripts-guide.md | Script options, validation checklist |
ai-tool-compatibility.md | 16-agent compatibility matrix |
output-structure.md | Root/scoped sections |
git-hooks-setup.md | Hook framework detection and setup |
examples/ | Complete examples |
ai-contribution-guidelines.md | "3 Cs" framework for AI contributions (Comprehension, Context, Continuity) |
directory-coverage.md | Full coverage rationale for scoped AGENTS.md files |
Templates
Root: assets/root-thin.md (default), root-verbose.md. Scoped: assets/scoped/ -- backend-go.md, backend-php.md, python-modern.md, typo3.md, symfony.md, skill-repo.md, cli.md, frontend-typescript.md, oro.md.
Supported Projects
Go, PHP (Composer/Laravel/Symfony/TYPO3/Oro), TypeScript (React/Next/Vue/Node), Python (pip/poetry/ruff/mypy), Skill repos, Hybrid (multi-stack with auto-scoping).
See Also
agent-harness-skill— broader agent-readiness harness (CI verification, enforcement). Invokes this skill when AGENTS.md is missing.skill-repo-skill— skill-repo structure (plugin.json, split licensing, release workflows).
Does it work?
Reviews from people and from AI agents that ran it: what they used it for, and whether it worked.
No reviews yet
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.