agents-md

name	agents-md
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to \\"create AGENTS.md\\", \\"update AGENTS.md\\", \\"maintain agent docs\\", \\"set up CLAUDE.md\\", or needs to keep agent instructions concise. Enforces research-backed best practices for minimal, high-signal agent documentation.
type	skill
created	2026-02-27T00:00:00.000Z
domain	productivity
category	developer-experience
risk	unknown
source	community
tags	["skill","productivity","developer-experience","agents"]

Maintaining AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md is the canonical agent-facing documentation. Keep it minimal—agents are capable and don't need hand-holding. Target under 60 lines; never exceed 100. Instruction-following quality degrades as document length increases.

When to Use

• The user asks to create, update, or audit AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md.
• The project needs concise, high-signal agent instructions derived from the actual toolchain and repo layout.
• Existing agent documentation is too long, duplicated, or drifting away from real project conventions.

File Setup

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

Before Writing

Analyze the project to understand what belongs in the file:

1. Package manager — Check for lock files (pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, package-lock.json, uv.lock, poetry.lock)
2. Linter/formatter configs — Look for .eslintrc, biome.json, ruff.toml, .prettierrc, etc. (don't duplicate these in AGENTS.md)
3. CI/build commands — Check Makefile, package.json scripts, CI configs for canonical commands
4. Monorepo indicators — Check for pnpm-workspace.yaml, nx.json, Cargo workspace, or subdirectory package.json files
5. Existing conventions — Check for existing CONTRIBUTING.md, docs/, or README patterns

Writing Rules

• Headers + bullets — No paragraphs
• Code blocks — For commands and templates
• Reference, don't embed — Point to existing docs: "See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup" or "Follow patterns in src/api/routes/"
• No filler — No intros, conclusions, or pleasantries
• Trust capabilities — Omit obvious context
• Prefer file-scoped commands — Per-file test/lint/typecheck commands over project-wide builds
• Don't duplicate linters — Code style lives in linter configs, not AGENTS.md