Maintaining AGENTS.md

Maintaining AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md is the canonical agent-facing documentation. Keep it minimal—agents are capable and don't need hand-holding.

File Setup

1. Create AGENTS.md at project root
2. Create symlink: ln -s AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md

Before Writing

Discover local skills to reference:

find .claude/​skills -name "SKILL.md" 2>/​dev/​null
ls plugins/​*/​skills/​*/​SKILL.md 2>/​dev/​null

Read each skill's frontmatter to understand when to reference it.

Writing Rules

• Headers + bullets - No paragraphs
• Code blocks - For commands and templates
• Reference, don't duplicate - Point to skills: "Use db-migrate skill. See .claude/​skills/​db-migrate/​SKILL.md"
• No filler - No intros, conclusions, or pleasantries
• Trust capabilities - Omit obvious context

Required Sections

Package Manager

Which tool and key commands only:

## Package Manager
Use **pnpm**: `pnpm install`, `pnpm dev`, `pnpm test`

Commit Attribution

Always include this section. Agents should use their own identity:

## Commit Attribution
AI commits MUST include:

Co-Authored-By: (the agent model's name and attribution byline)

Example: `Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4 <[email protected]>`

Key Conventions

Project-specific patterns agents must follow. Keep brief.

Local Skills

Reference each discovered skill:

## Database
Use `db-migrate` skill for schema changes. See `.claude/​skills/​db-migrate/​SKILL.md`

## Testing
Use `write-tests` skill. See `.claude/​skills/​write-tests/​SKILL.md`

Optional Sections

Add only if truly needed:

• API route patterns (show template, not explanation)
• CLI commands (table format)
• File naming conventions

Anti-Patterns

Omit these:

• "Welcome to..." or "This document explains..."
• "You should..." or "Remember to..."
• Content duplicated from skills (reference instead)
• Obvious instructions ("run tests", "write clean code")
• Explanations of why (just say what)
• Long prose paragraphs

Example Structure

# Agent Instructions

## Package Manager
Use **pnpm**: `pnpm install`, `pnpm dev`

## Commit Attribution
AI commits MUST include:

Co-Authored-By: (the agent model's name and attribution byline)

## API Routes
[Template code block]

## Database
Use `db-migrate` skill. See `.claude/​skills/​db-migrate/​SKILL.md`

## Testing
Use `write-tests` skill. See `.claude/​skills/​write-tests/​SKILL.md`

## CLI
| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `pnpm cli sync` | Sync data |