diff --git a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/README.md b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/README.md
index fb5915e..e7ec1d5 100644
--- a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/README.md
+++ b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/README.md
@@ -23,4 +23,5 @@ Provide the target repo root (defaults to the current directory) and, if relevan
 | File | Purpose |
 |------|---------|
 | `SKILL.md` | Skill instructions for agents |
+| `references/content-guide.md` | Section-by-section AGENTS.md content guidance, a worked example, and monorepo/nested-file precedence rules |
 | `references/sources.md` | Provenance record — sources that informed this skill and which files each contributed to |
diff --git a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/SKILL.md b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/SKILL.md
index 895699a..a38604d 100644
--- a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/SKILL.md
+++ b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/SKILL.md
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ metadata:
     - agents-md-official
     - context7-websites-agents-md
     - context7-agentsmd-agents-md
-  version: "0.1.0"
+  version: "0.1.1"
 ---
 
 ## Gotchas
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Before writing anything, gather real facts: package manager and scripts (`packag
 
 ## Step 3 — Write or update
 
-Use only sections that reflect something real about the repo. Common sections from the agents.md standard — setup/build commands, code style, testing instructions, security considerations, commit/PR conventions — are a checklist to consider, not a template to fill blindly. Prefer concrete commands and file paths over general advice.
+Use only sections that reflect something real about the repo — never fill in every common-sections-checklist heading just because it exists. Read `references/content-guide.md` for section-by-section guidance, a worked example, and what separates useful content from generic padding, before writing.
 
 ## Step 4 — Check for an existing provider file
 
diff --git a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/references/content-guide.md b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/references/content-guide.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19ebad1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/references/content-guide.md
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+---
+source_keys:
+  - agents-md-official
+  - context7-websites-agents-md
+  - context7-agentsmd-agents-md
+---
+
+# What good AGENTS.md content looks like
+
+AGENTS.md has no required schema — there's no field to fill in, only sections that either
+earn their place or don't. Agents treat this file as a set of live directives, not
+documentation: they will actually run the commands it lists and fix failures before
+finishing a task. That means a wrong or stale line is worse than a missing one. Verify
+every command against something real in the repo before writing it down.
+
+## Section-by-section guidance
+
+**Setup / build commands** — the install and dev-server commands, exactly as they appear
+in `package.json` scripts, a `Makefile`, or a `Cargo.toml`/`pyproject.toml` equivalent. One
+line per command, each with a one-clause note on what it does if the name alone isn't
+obvious. Skip this section if there's genuinely nothing beyond "clone and run" — don't pad
+it with a restated `git clone`.
+
+**Code style** — only conventions that aren't already enforced by a linter/formatter config
+the agent will pick up on its own (a `.eslintrc`, `rustfmt.toml`, etc. speaks for itself).
+Write down the conventions that live only in people's heads: naming patterns, module
+boundaries, patterns to avoid, anything a linter can't catch. If the repo has no
+undocumented conventions beyond what tooling enforces, skip this section.
+
+**Testing instructions** — the exact command(s) to run the suite, where to find
+per-package or per-workflow test configuration (e.g. `.github/workflows/`), and any
+non-obvious requirement (a service that must be running, an env var that must be set).
+State plainly that the agent should run tests before considering a change done and fix
+failures — don't leave this implicit.
+
+**Security considerations** — only repo-specific hazards: a data-handling boundary, a
+credential pattern to never hardcode, a destructive command that needs a confirmation
+step. Do not restate general security advice ("don't commit secrets") that any agent
+already assumes — that's padding, not a directive.
+
+**Commit / PR conventions** — the title/format convention if one exists (e.g. a
+Conventional Commits type prefix, a ticket-number requirement), and any check that must
+pass before a PR is opened (lint, test, type-check). Point at the real command, not
+"make sure it passes."
+
+**Dev environment tips** — the handful of things that save real time and are easy to miss:
+how to jump to a specific package in a monorepo without `ls`-ing around, how to register a
+new package so the toolchain sees it, where to look up a canonical name/id. This section
+is for genuine friction points observed in this repo, not generic advice.
+
+## What separates useful content from padding
+
+A useful section names a real file, command, or path that exists in this repo right now.
+A padded section could be pasted into any repo unchanged and still "make sense" — that's
+the tell. If a sentence would read the same in a different codebase, it doesn't belong.
+Prefer four accurate lines over twelve generic ones.
+
+## Worked example (minimal project)
+
+```markdown
+# AGENTS.md
+
+## Setup commands
+- Install deps: `pnpm install`
+- Start dev server: `pnpm dev`
+- Run tests: `pnpm test`
+
+## Code style
+- TypeScript strict mode
+- Single quotes, no semicolons
+- Use functional patterns where possible
+
+## Dev environment tips
+- Use `pnpm dlx turbo run where <project_name>` to jump to a package instead of scanning with `ls`.
+- Run `pnpm install --filter <project_name>` to add the package to your workspace so Vite, ESLint, and TypeScript can see it.
+- Check the `name` field inside each package's `package.json` to confirm the right name.
+
+## Testing instructions
+- Find the CI plan in the `.github/workflows` folder.
+- Run `pnpm turbo run test --filter <project_name>` to run every check defined for that package.
+- From the package root you can just call `pnpm test`. The commit should pass all tests before you merge.
+- Fix any test or type errors until the whole suite is green.
+- Add or update tests for the code you change, even if nobody asked.
+
+## PR instructions
+- Title format: [<project_name>] <Title>
+- Always run `pnpm lint` and `pnpm test` before committing.
+```
+
+Every line above names a real command or path — that's the standard to hold this repo's
+version to, not the specific tooling shown (a Python/Cargo/Go repo's AGENTS.md should look
+nothing like this one in its specifics, only in how concrete each line is).
+
+## Monorepo / nested placement
+
+```
+my-monorepo/
+├── AGENTS.md              # Root-level: applies to the whole repo
+├── packages/
+│   ├── api/
+│   │   └── AGENTS.md      # API-specific instructions; overrides root for this package
+│   ├── web/
+│   │   └── AGENTS.md      # Web app-specific instructions
+│   └── shared/
+│       └── AGENTS.md      # Shared library instructions
+```
+
+Precedence rule: the file nearest the edited path wins. Nested files are **not** merged
+with the root file — an agent editing inside `packages/api/` reads only
+`packages/api/AGENTS.md`, never the root file in addition. Consequences:
+
+- A nested file must stand alone. Don't write "also see the root file" — write what the
+  agent needs, full stop.
+- Don't duplicate root content in a nested file "just in case." If a nested file repeats
+  root-level setup instructions verbatim, that's a sign it shouldn't exist as a separate
+  file at all — the subtree isn't actually different enough to warrant one.
+- Only create a nested file when the subtree has a genuinely different stack, build tool,
+  or convention than the root (see `SKILL.md` Step 2 for the placement decision itself).
diff --git a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/references/sources.md b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/references/sources.md
index 68849f0..5fec8fc 100644
--- a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/references/sources.md
+++ b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-author/references/sources.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 - **URL:** https://agents.md/
 - **Description:** Official agents.md website — format spec, common-sections checklist, precedence rules (nearest-file-wins, no merge across files), monorepo nesting patterns
 - **Research doc:** plugins/core/docs/research/docs/agentsmd/sources.md
-- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/content-guide.md
 - **Status:** `extracted`
 
 ## context7-websites-agents-md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 - **URL:** context7:/websites/agents_md
 - **Description:** Context7 index of the official agents.md website — overview, governance, cross-tool compatibility, configuration examples
 - **Research doc:** plugins/core/docs/research/docs/agentsmd/sources.md
-- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/content-guide.md
 - **Status:** `extracted`
 
 ## context7-agentsmd-agents-md
@@ -21,5 +21,5 @@
 - **URL:** context7:/agentsmd/agents.md
 - **Description:** Context7 index of the agentsmd/agents.md repository — format spec, nested monorepo patterns, file structure examples
 - **Research doc:** plugins/core/docs/research/docs/agentsmd/sources.md
-- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/content-guide.md
 - **Status:** `extracted`