agents-md-improver

name	agents-md-improver
description	Audit and improve AGENTS.md files in repositories. Use when user asks to check, audit, update, improve, or fix AGENTS.md files. Scans for all AGENTS.md files, evaluates quality against templates, outputs quality report, then makes targeted updates. Also use when the user mentions "AGENTS.md maintenance" or "project memory optimization".
metadata	{"ai-assistant-harness-adaptation.claude-code":"references/ai-assistant-harnesses/claude-code.md","ai-assistant-harness-adaptation.codex":"references/ai-assistant-harnesses/codex.md"}

AGENTS.md Improver

Audit, evaluate, and improve AGENTS.md files so AI Assistant has useful project context.

This skill can write targeted AGENTS.md updates after reporting and user approval.

Harness Adaptation

Depending on who you are as an AI agent, load exactly one metadata-linked reference and skip every non-matching file.

Workflow

Phase 1: Discovery

Find all AGENTS.md files in the repository:

find . -name "AGENTS.md" 2>/dev/null | head -50

File Types & Locations:

Type	Location	Purpose
Project root	./AGENTS.md	Primary project context (checked into git, shared with team)
Package-specific	./packages/*/AGENTS.md	Module-level context in monorepos
Subdirectory	Any nested location	Feature/domain-specific context

Phase 2: Quality Assessment

For each AGENTS.md file, evaluate against quality criteria. See references/quality-criteria.md for detailed rubrics.

Quick Assessment Checklist:

Criterion	Weight	Check
Commands/workflows documented	High	Are build/test/deploy commands present?
Architecture clarity	High	Can AI Assistant understand the codebase structure?
Non-obvious patterns	Medium	Are gotchas and quirks documented?
Conciseness	Medium	No verbose explanations or obvious info?
Currency	High	Does it reflect current codebase state?
Actionability	High	Are instructions executable, not vague?

Quality Scores:

• A (90-100): Comprehensive, current, actionable
• B (70-89): Good coverage, minor gaps
• C (50-69): Basic info, missing key sections
• D (30-49): Sparse or outdated
• F (0-29): Missing or severely outdated

Phase 3: Quality Report Output

ALWAYS output the quality report BEFORE making any updates.

Format:

## AGENTS.md Quality Report

### Summary
- Files found: X
- Average score: X/100
- Files needing update: X

### File-by-File Assessment

#### 1. ./AGENTS.md (Project Root)
**Score: XX/100 (Grade: X)**

| Criterion | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Commands/workflows | X/20 | ... |
| Architecture clarity | X/20 | ... |
| Non-obvious patterns | X/15 | ... |
| Conciseness | X/15 | ... |
| Currency | X/15 | ... |
| Actionability | X/15 | ... |

**Issues:**
- [List specific problems]

**Recommended additions:**
- [List what should be added]

#### 2. ./packages/api/AGENTS.md (Package-specific)
...

Phase 4: Targeted Updates

After outputting the quality report, ask user for confirmation before updating.

Update Guidelines (Critical):

1. Propose targeted additions only - Focus on genuinely useful info:

   • Commands or workflows discovered during analysis
   • Gotchas or non-obvious patterns found in code
   • Package relationships that weren't clear
   • Testing approaches that work
   • Configuration quirks

2. Keep it minimal - Avoid:

   • Restating what's obvious from the code
   • Generic best practices already covered
   • One-off fixes unlikely to recur
   • Verbose explanations when a one-liner suffices

3. Show diffs - For each change, show:

   • Which AGENTS.md file to update
   • The specific addition (as a diff or quoted block)
   • Brief explanation of why this helps future sessions

Diff Format:

### Update: ./AGENTS.md

**Why:** Build command was missing, causing confusion about how to run the project.

```diff
+ ## Quick Start
+
+ ```bash
+ npm install
+ npm run dev  # Start development server on port 3000
+ ```

### Phase 5: Apply Updates

After user approval, apply changes. Preserve existing content structure.

## Templates

See [references/templates.md](references/templates.md) for AGENTS.md templates by project type.

## Common Issues to Flag

1. **Stale commands**: Build commands that no longer work
2. **Missing dependencies**: Required tools not mentioned
3. **Outdated architecture**: File structure that's changed
4. **Missing environment setup**: Required env vars or config
5. **Broken test commands**: Test scripts that have changed
6. **Undocumented gotchas**: Non-obvious patterns not captured

## User Tips to Share

When presenting recommendations, remind users:

- **Keep it concise**: AGENTS.md should be human-readable; dense is better than verbose
- **Actionable commands**: All documented commands should be copy-paste ready
- **Separate personal preferences**: Keep local or user-scoped preferences out of shared project context unless the AI agent's runtime expects them there

## What Makes a Great AGENTS.md

**Key principles:**
- Concise and human-readable
- Actionable commands that can be copy-pasted
- Project-specific patterns, not generic advice
- Non-obvious gotchas and warnings

**Recommended sections** (use only what's relevant):
- Commands (build, test, dev, lint)
- Architecture (directory structure)
- Key Files (entry points, config)
- Code Style (project conventions)
- Environment (required vars, setup)
- Testing (commands, patterns)
- Gotchas (quirks, common mistakes)
- Workflow (when to do what)