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AGENTS.md rules file

AGENTS.md is an open Markdown file for coding agents, stewarded by the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation. It is a README for the agent: commands, boundaries, and tests, without the product pitch you put in README.md.

AGENTS.md

Who reads it

Codex, Cursor, Copilot CLI, Devin Desktop, Amp, Jules, Factory, and a long list of other agents look for this filename. Tool-specific files (.cursor/rules, CLAUDE.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md) still matter when you want features only that tool has. AGENTS.md is the file you add when more than one agent will touch the repo.

There are no required fields. The closest AGENTS.md to the file being edited wins when instructions disagree. A direct message in the chat wins over the file. Nested files are how monorepos avoid one giant instruction set. The OpenAI repo itself carries many of them.

What to include

  • How to install, run, test, and lint, with the exact commands.
  • The stack choices an agent would otherwise guess: router, ORM, styling, package manager.
  • Boundaries: secrets, generated folders, migrations, and how much testing you want.
  • Leave the product overview and contribution welcome in README.md.

Sample for a Next.js app

Swap the stack in the generator if this is not yours. Open this sample in the generator.

AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md

AGENTS.md
# Project rules Stack: TypeScript, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Vitest, pnpm. Follow these rules on every task. If a rule disagrees with existing code, match the code and mention the difference. If a rule disagrees with a direct user instruction, follow the user. ## Working agreement - Read the files you will change before editing them. Do not invent the project layout from memory.- Change only what the task needs. No drive-by refactors, renames, or formatting of untouched lines.- Match the patterns already in the repo over a generic style guide.- Do not add dependencies, config files, or abstractions the task did not ask for.- Do not commit secrets, and do not paste `.env` values, tokens, or private keys into code or chat.- If a requirement is ambiguous, choose the smallest reading, state that assumption, and continue. ## Commands - JavaScript package manager is pnpm. The lockfile to commit is pnpm-lock.yaml. Do not add a second lockfile.- Install: `pnpm install`.- Dev server: `pnpm dev` when that script exists.- Lint: `pnpm lint` when that script exists. Typecheck with the project's typecheck script or `tsc --noEmit` if the repo uses it.- Build: `pnpm build` when you changed a build path.- Tests: `pnpm test`. Single pass, not watch mode: `pnpm exec vitest run`.- Run the narrowest command that checks the change. Do not loop install, build, or the full test suite. ## TypeScript - Leave `strict` on. Do not weaken `tsconfig` to make a build pass.- No new `any`, and no `// @ts-ignore`. Use `unknown` and narrow. `@ts-expect-error` needs a reason on that line.- Match the file's style for `type` versus `interface`. Prefer a string union over a new `enum` unless the file already uses enums.- Use `import type` for type-only imports. Await promises. Do not leave a promise floating.- Do not use a non-null assertion on a value that came from outside the function. Narrow it instead. ## Next.js - Use the App Router. Do not add a `pages/` router unless this repo already has one.- Server Components are the default. Add `"use client"` only for state, effects, browser APIs, or event handlers.- Await `params`, `searchParams`, `cookies()`, `headers()`, and `draftMode()`. On Next.js 15 and later they are async.- Do not assume `fetch` is cached. Add a cache flag or the `use cache` directive only where the surrounding code already does.- Mutations go through Server Actions or route handlers and are validated on the server. Client checks are not the source of truth.- Set metadata with the Metadata API. Use `next/link` for links and `next/image` with width and height, or `fill` plus `sizes`.- Do not import the database or secret env vars into a client component. A module that must stay on the server starts with `import "server-only"`.- Only `NEXT_PUBLIC_` variables may reach client code. Never prefix a secret with `NEXT_PUBLIC_`. ## Tailwind CSS - Style with Tailwind utilities. Do not add a CSS file or a CSS-in-JS library for a one-off.- Tailwind v4 is configured in CSS with `@theme` and usually has no `tailwind.config.js`. Tailwind v3 uses that config file. Do not add the other version's config.- Use the project's color, spacing, and radius tokens. Do not invent a second palette of arbitrary values.- Mobile-first breakpoints. Every control keeps a visible focus style. Icon-only buttons need an accessible name.- If `prettier-plugin-tailwindcss` is installed, let it order classes. Use `dark:` only when the project already has a dark theme. ## Vitest - Put tests next to the code as `*.test.ts`, or in the folder the repo already uses.- Use `describe`, `it`, and `expect`. A test name states the behavior.- Assert on values, text, or roles. Do not snapshot a whole component tree.- Mock only network, time, or the filesystem. Do not mock the function under test.- Run one pass with `vitest run` or the project's test script. Do not leave watch mode running. ## pnpm - pnpm is the package manager. The lockfile is `pnpm-lock.yaml`. Do not commit another JavaScript lockfile.- Add packages with `pnpm add <pkg>` and dev packages with `pnpm add -D <pkg>`. Run scripts with `pnpm <script>`. ## Testing expectations - When you fix a bug, add a test that fails before the fix and passes after, in the repo's current test style.- When you change behavior a caller can observe, update or add a test for that behavior.- Do not test private helpers, framework internals, or third-party libraries. ## Code style - Keep strict type and lint settings on. Do not weaken them to get a green build.- No new `any`, and no empty catch blocks. Prefer `unknown` and narrowing. Handle every fallible call.- Give exported functions an explicit type when the inferred type is not obvious.- Follow the repo formatter. Do not hand-format files the formatter owns.- Do not add comments that restate the code.- Comment only a constraint, invariant, or tradeoff the code itself cannot show.- No file-header banners and no changelog comments. ## Safety - Never commit `.env`, keystores, or credential files. When a new variable is required, add an empty placeholder to the example env file.- Do not disable authentication, authorization, or TLS checks to make a test pass.- Do not force-push, `reset --hard`, drop a database, or delete a directory tree unless the user asked for that exact action.- Do not edit vendored or generated output (`node_modules`, `dist`, `.next`, `vendor`, `Library`, `.godot`). Change the source and regenerate. ## Done when - The change does what was asked and nothing extra.- New or changed behavior is covered at the level in Testing expectations.- The commands in this file that apply to the touched files have been run, or you say which command you could not run.- The diff has no unrelated files, lockfile churn, or secrets. 

Install

  1. Save as `AGENTS.md` in the project root. Codex, Cursor, Copilot CLI, Devin, and many other agents look for this name.
  2. The file is plain Markdown. Do not add frontmatter.
  3. In a monorepo, add a nested AGENTS.md next to a service that needs different commands. Do not leave an empty `AGENTS.override.md` beside it. Codex treats that empty file as the instructions for the folder.
  4. Commit it and start a new agent session.

Questions

Is AGENTS.md the same as CLAUDE.md?

No. They are both Markdown instructions, but different tools look for different names. Generate each file you need. RulePaste uses the same rules text inside each wrapper so they do not drift.

Can I replace my README with AGENTS.md?

Keep both. The README is for people. AGENTS.md is for the commands and constraints you do not want to make a human read first.