codex-project-hygiene

name	codex-project-hygiene
description	Use when creating, recovering, organizing, or standardizing a Codex project folder, including AGENTS.md manual memory, output folders, artifact naming, project-local context, and keeping generated work discoverable on the user's computer.

Codex Project Hygiene

Use this to keep Codex work from turning into a junk drawer.

Folder Standard

For project-style work, prefer this shape unless the repo already has a stronger convention:

project/
  AGENTS.md
  README.md
  outputs/
    docs/
    sheets/
    slides/
    images/
    apps/
    research/
  sources/
  scratch/

Only create folders that are useful for the current work.

AGENTS.md Manual Memory

Use AGENTS.md for stable project preferences:

• Business/project purpose.
• Audience and tone.
• Design preferences.
• Recurring workflows.
• File organization rules.
• Things to avoid.
• Known integrations.

Do not store secrets, temporary chatter, or unverified assumptions as durable memory.

Output Rules

• Put generated artifacts in outputs/ with a meaningful subfolder.
• Use descriptive filenames with dates or task names when useful.
• Keep source inputs in sources/ when they are needed for reproduction.
• Keep disposable experiments in scratch/.
• Before finishing, tell the user where the important files live.

Recovery Rules

When recovering a project:

1. Check local folder, Git remote, installed/global copies, and synced cloud folders if available.
2. Rebuild from the most authoritative surviving source.
3. Commit recovery changes if the folder is Git-backed.
4. Add a short recovery note to README.md or AGENTS.md when it helps future you.

Source Notes

Distilled from the Codex capabilities transcript: local files, projects, project-scoped chats, and AGENTS.md as manual memory.