Fulcrum rule index

Fulcrum installs this file once under ~/.fulcrum/rules/AGENTS.md. Agent rule files must import it or point to it. Do not paste this body into every agent file.

Install contract

• Agents with native @ import support load this file by import.
• Agents without native import support receive a small loader that forces a read of this file before planning, editing, or running commands.
• Detailed rules live in linked markdown files next to this file. Read them only when their trigger applies.
• User content outside <!-- BEGIN/END FULCRUM RULES --> markers in agent files is preserved.

Must read first

Before suggesting commands, editing files, or running tools in any project, read available project guidance:

• AGENTS.md
• CLAUDE.md
• justfile
• .mise.toml or .tool-versions
• .envrc
• pyproject.toml
• package.json

Project guidance wins over defaults in this file and linked situational rules.

Always-on rules

• Use machine-readable CLI output when available: --json, --format json, -o json, then parse with jq or yq.
• Do not dump large raw output into chat. Use indexed, batched, or sandboxed processing and return the answer or artifact path.
• Do not write to ~/.agents/. Use each agent's native skill or rules directory.
• Preserve user content outside Fulcrum sentinels.
• Ask before destructive actions: recursive delete, hard reset, force push, git clean, database drop or truncate, infrastructure destroy, production delete.
• Verify before claiming done: run the project runner, lint, typecheck, tests, build, or a targeted smoke check.
• Keep code names based on responsibility, domain, behavior, or value. Do not name code after plan phase, provenance, status, or inspiration source.
• Prefer editing existing modules over adding overlapping utilities.
• Comment why a non-obvious choice exists. Do not comment what the next line already says.

Situational reads

When a trigger applies, read the linked file before acting. If this file is installed at ~/.fulcrum/rules/AGENTS.md, resolve links under ~/.fulcrum/rules/.

• Project discovery, runners, package managers, environment setup: situational/project-discovery.md
• Search, data tools, HTTP, browser, database, performance, and process handling: situational/tooling.md
• Git workflow, diffs, commits, verification, and security scans: situational/git-quality-security.md
• Architecture, naming, test scope, and persistence or server stack choices: situational/architecture-and-code.md
• Context-mode routing, subagents, output style, and long-session context control: situational/orchestration-and-context.md

Vendor rule note

Fulcrum owns only the small loader block in each agent's primary rules file. Vendor hooks, plugins, settings, and skills stay in their native locations.