agent-md-refactor

Refactor bloated AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, or similar agent instruction files to follow progressive disclosure principles. Splits monolithic files into organized, linked documentation.

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Repository: davila7/claude-code-templates
Last source activity: January 25, 2026 at 00:56
Detected SKILL.md language: English
Stars: 30,563
Forks: 3,465

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name	agent-md-refactor
description	Refactor bloated AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, or similar agent instruction files to follow progressive disclosure principles. Splits monolithic files into organized, linked documentation.
license	MIT

Agent MD Refactor

Refactor bloated agent instruction files (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, COPILOT.md, etc.) to follow progressive disclosure principles - keeping essentials at root and organizing the rest into linked, categorized files.

Triggers

Use this skill when:

"refactor my AGENTS.md" / "refactor my CLAUDE.md"
"split my agent instructions"
"organize my CLAUDE.md file"
"my AGENTS.md is too long"
"progressive disclosure for my instructions"
"clean up my agent config"

Quick Reference

Phase	Action	Output
1. Analyze	Find contradictions	List of conflicts to resolve
2. Extract	Identify essentials	Core instructions for root file
3. Categorize	Group remaining instructions	Logical categories
4. Structure	Create file hierarchy	Root + linked files
5. Prune	Flag for deletion	Redundant/vague instructions

Process

Phase 1: Find Contradictions

Identify any instructions that conflict with each other.

## Contradiction Found

**Instruction A:** [quote]
**Instruction B:** [quote]

**Question:** Which should take precedence, or should both be conditional?

Category	Example
Project description	One sentence: "A React dashboard for analytics"
Package manager	Only if not npm (e.g., "Uses pnpm")
Non-standard commands	Custom build/test/typecheck commands
Critical overrides	Things that MUST override defaults
Universal rules	Applies to 100% of tasks

Category	Contents
`typescript.md`	TS conventions, type patterns, strict mode rules
`testing.md`	Test frameworks, coverage, mocking patterns
`code-style.md`	Formatting, naming, comments, structure
`git-workflow.md`	Commits, branches, PRs, reviews
`architecture.md`	Patterns, folder structure, dependencies
`api-design.md`	REST/GraphQL conventions, error handling
`security.md`	Auth patterns, input validation, secrets
`performance.md`	Optimization rules, caching, lazy loading

project-root/
├── CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md)     # Minimal root with links
└── .claude/                      # Or docs/agent-instructions/
    ├── typescript.md
    ├── testing.md
    ├── code-style.md
    ├── git-workflow.md
    └── architecture.md

# Project Name

One-sentence description of the project.

## Quick Reference

- **Package Manager:** pnpm
- **Build:** `pnpm build`
- **Test:** `pnpm test`
- **Typecheck:** `pnpm typecheck`

## Detailed Instructions

For specific guidelines, see:
- [TypeScript Conventions](.claude/typescript.md)
- [Testing Guidelines](.claude/testing.md)
- [Code Style](.claude/code-style.md)
- [Git Workflow](.claude/git-workflow.md)
- [Architecture Patterns](.claude/architecture.md)

# {Topic} Guidelines

## Overview
Brief context for when these guidelines apply.

## Rules

### Rule Category 1
- Specific, actionable instruction
- Another specific instruction

### Rule Category 2
- Specific, actionable instruction

## Examples

### Good
\`\`\`typescript
// Example of correct pattern
\`\`\`

### Avoid
\`\`\`typescript
// Example of what not to do
\`\`\`

Criterion	Example	Why Delete
Redundant	"Use TypeScript" (in a .ts project)	Agent already knows
Too vague	"Write clean code"	Not actionable
Overly obvious	"Don't introduce bugs"	Wastes context
Default behavior	"Use descriptive variable names"	Standard practice
Outdated	References deprecated APIs	No longer applies

## Flagged for Deletion

| Instruction | Reason |
|-------------|--------|
| "Write clean, maintainable code" | Too vague to be actionable |
| "Use TypeScript" | Redundant - project is already TS |
| "Don't commit secrets" | Agent already knows this |
| "Follow best practices" | Meaningless without specifics |

[ ] Phase 1: All contradictions identified and resolved
[ ] Phase 2: Root file contains ONLY essentials
[ ] Phase 3: All remaining instructions categorized
[ ] Phase 4: File structure created with proper links
[ ] Phase 5: Redundant/vague instructions removed
[ ] Verify: Each linked file is self-contained
[ ] Verify: Root file is under 50 lines
[ ] Verify: All links work correctly

Avoid	Why	Instead
Keeping everything in root	Bloated, hard to maintain	Split into linked files
Too many categories	Fragmentation	Consolidate related topics
Vague instructions	Wastes tokens, no value	Be specific or delete
Duplicating defaults	Agent already knows	Only override when needed
Deep nesting	Hard to navigate	Flat structure with links

# CLAUDE.md

This is a React project.

## Code Style
- Use 2 spaces
- Use semicolons
- Prefer const over let
- Use arrow functions
... (200 more lines)

## Testing
- Use Jest
- Coverage > 80%
... (100 more lines)

## TypeScript
- Enable strict mode
... (150 more lines)

# CLAUDE.md

React dashboard for real-time analytics visualization.

## Commands
- `pnpm dev` - Start development server
- `pnpm test` - Run tests with coverage
- `pnpm build` - Production build

## Guidelines
- [Code Style](.claude/code-style.md)
- [Testing](.claude/testing.md)
- [TypeScript](.claude/typescript.md)