3 Commits
Author SHA1 Message Date
Defame1297andClaude Code 6328816584 fix(kyberforge): bump forge and apm-workflow skill versions for #148
ADR-0022 requires a metadata.version raise on every changed skill; the
routing row and compile pointer added for instructions-author touched both.

Refs #148

Co-Authored-By: Claude Code <[email protected]>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01KkT7RSDwDbmrM9T34b6sTi
2026-10-01 07:01:57 +00:00
Defame1297andClaude Code c52e351954 feat(kyberforge): add instructions-author skill for .apm/instructions files
Scaffolds and revises apm instructions files, with a throwaway-package
verification recipe because `apm compile --validate` always exits 0 and
Claude Code drops `description`. Routed from forge and linked from
apm-workflow's compile reference. Bumps kyberforge to 2.1.0 and the catalog
to 0.5.2.

Fixes #148

Co-Authored-By: Claude Code <[email protected]>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01KkT7RSDwDbmrM9T34b6sTi
2026-10-01 06:46:39 +00:00
Defame1297andClaude Code 529ed31cef docs(kyberforge): refresh apm instructions primitive research for #148
The existing schema doc covered only Claude and Copilot and called missing
description and empty content errors when apm 0.28.0 only warns. Rewrite it
with the applyTo grammar and add per-target compile/install mapping and a
gotchas doc (unquoted globs, install-vs-compile discovery, dedup and
overwrite behaviour), all verified against the apm 0.28.0 binary.

Refs: #148

Co-Authored-By: Claude Code <[email protected]>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01KkT7RSDwDbmrM9T34b6sTi
2026-10-01 06:37:20 +00:00
25 changed files with 971 additions and 60 deletions

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+2 -2
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@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
{
"name": "holocron",
"description": "AI development skills for Claude Code, and for GitHub Copilot through apm — factory, design, implement, review, and cross-cutting workflows.",
"version": "0.5.1",
"version": "0.5.2",
"owner": {
"name": "Defame1297",
"email": "[email protected]",
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
{
"name": "kyberforge",
"description": "Skills and agents for creating, maintaining, and managing an apm plugin marketplace for Claude Code and GitHub Copilot.",
"version": "2.0.2",
"version": "2.1.0",
"category": "Developer Tools",
"source": "./plugins/kyberforge"
},
+3 -3
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@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
name: holocron
version: 0.5.1
version: 0.5.2
description: AI development skills for Claude Code, and for GitHub Copilot through apm — factory, design, implement, review, and cross-cutting workflows.
license: MIT
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ dependencies:
# an apm mechanic.
executables:
allow:
kyberforge#2.0.2:
kyberforge#2.1.0:
hooks: true
bin: true
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ marketplace:
# top-level apm.yml description:/version: above are NOT inherited into the
# compiled output despite being used elsewhere (e.g. by `apm audit`).
description: AI development skills for Claude Code, and for GitHub Copilot through apm — factory, design, implement, review, and cross-cutting workflows.
version: 0.5.1
version: 0.5.2
owner:
name: Defame1297
email: [email protected]
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ description: >
the dependencies it declares, or an apm marketplace — even when the user does
not say "apm". Not the apm binary or an agent runtime -> `apm-install`.
metadata:
version: "1.0.1"
version: "1.0.2"
category: apm
source_keys:
- context7-microsoft-apm
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ apm compile --clean # zero-write sanity check; use for skill/agent-o
apm compile --clean --dry-run # pure preview, no writes
```
Compiles `.apm/instructions/` + `.apm/agents/*.agent.md` primitives into consumer-side context files (AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md CONTEXT files) for the deployment target, per the `compilation:` block in `apm.yml`. This is the consumer/deployment side — it is NOT the producer of `plugin.json`/`marketplace.json`; that's `apm pack`'s job (below). Run `apm compile` after any change to `.apm/instructions/`/`.apm/agents/` content or to `compilation:`/`targets:` in `apm.yml`.
Compiles `.apm/instructions/` + `.apm/agents/*.agent.md` primitives into consumer-side context files (AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md CONTEXT files) for the deployment target, per the `compilation:` block in `apm.yml`. This is the consumer/deployment side — it is NOT the producer of `plugin.json`/`marketplace.json`; that's `apm pack`'s job (below). Run `apm compile` after any change to `.apm/instructions/`/`.apm/agents/` content or to `compilation:`/`targets:` in `apm.yml`. To author an instructions file, use `instructions-author` — it covers which fields each target drops.
## Pack
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ description: >
skill -> `skill-author`. Not a named agent -> `agent-author`. Not a named
plugin -> `apm-workflow`.
metadata:
version: "1.0.2"
version: "1.0.3"
category: factory
source_keys:
- claude-code-subagents-docs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Call `grill-with-docs` unless a grill session has already run and is available i
`grill-with-docs` ships in a sibling plugin kyberforge does not declare as an apm dependency, so it can be absent where kyberforge is installed alone. If it does not resolve, grill inline yourself rather than skipping the step: what problem the artifact solves, who invokes it and how, what it must refuse, and which existing skill or plugin already owns part of the job. Say which path you took.
Grilling regularly overturns the artifact type assumed at the start, or splits one idea into several artifacts, so it runs before classification rather than confirming it. Run it inline in the current conversation — grilling is interactive and a subagent cannot hold the back-and-forth.
Grilling often overturns the assumed artifact type or splits one idea into several, so it runs before classification. Run it inline: a subagent cannot hold the back-and-forth.
## Step 2 — Classify and dispatch
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ Match the grilled intent against exactly one row — or more than one, if the in
|---|---|---|---|
| A reusable capability the agent loads inline in the main conversation, triggered by description-matching, free to bundle its own `references/`, `scripts/` or `assets/` | Skill | `skill-author` | `references/author-routes.md` |
| A recurring task needs its own reusable definition — dedicated system prompt, tools and description, invokable by name across sessions | Agent / subagent | `agent-author` | `references/author-routes.md` |
| Always-on or path-scoped agent guidance in `.apm/instructions/*.instructions.md` | Instructions file | `instructions-author` | `references/author-routes.md` |
| A new distributable unit — no existing plugin is the right home for the skill, agent, hook or MCP server being built, or the bundle needs its own manifest, versioning and install lifecycle | Plugin | `apm-workflow` (`apm plugin init`) | `references/apm-routes.md` |
| The plugin already exists and only its marketplace-facing metadata changes — a first listing, or a version/description update, never the plugin's contents | Marketplace entry | `apm-workflow` (`apm marketplace package add`) | `references/apm-routes.md` |
@@ -47,4 +48,4 @@ When the intent spans several rows, chain the routes in dependency order — an
## Step 3 — Closing gates, common to every route
- **Resolve before closing.** A route is finished only when its verification reports nothing unresolved. An actionable finding reopens the route; it is never reported onward as a caveat.
- **Bump the package version.** A skill route always lands here: `skill-author` moves only a skill's own `metadata.version`, which is not the package `apm.yml`'s number — so read `references/version-bump.md` after one. `agent-author` and the apm routes bump the package themselves at plugin scope; after those, read it only when their output does not say they did.
- **Bump the package version.** A skill route always lands here: `skill-author` moves only a skill's own `metadata.version`, which is not the package `apm.yml`'s number — so read `references/version-bump.md` after one. `agent-author`, `instructions-author` and the apm routes bump the package themselves at plugin scope; after those, read it only when their output does not say they did.
@@ -4,12 +4,14 @@ source_keys:
- context7-websites-code-claude
---
# Routing a skill or agent to its author skill
# Routing a skill, agent or instructions file to its author skill
Reached from `SKILL.md` Step 2 when the classified artifact is a skill or an agent/subagent
definition. Route a skill to `skill-author` and an agent to `agent-author`. The two branches
differ on the author skill only — both verify the result with `factory-audit`, which detects the
artifact type itself — and everything below applies to both.
Reached from `SKILL.md` Step 2 when the classified artifact is a skill, an agent/subagent
definition or an instructions file. Route a skill to `skill-author`, an agent to `agent-author` and
an instructions file to `instructions-author`. The branches differ on the author skill only, and
everything below applies to all three — except that `factory-audit` has no instructions flow yet, so
an instructions file is verified by `instructions-author`'s own throwaway-package check and the
clean-context rerun below is skipped for it.
## Gotcha: `context: fork` is not `/fork`
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ source_keys:
Reached from `SKILL.md` Step 3 after a route has finished. A skill route always lands here:
`skill-author` moves only a skill's own `metadata.version`, which is not the package manifest's
number, so the package version is still behind when it reports done. `agent-author` bumps the
resolved package's `apm.yml` itself at plugin/APM scope, and `apm-workflow`'s configure flow
number, so the package version is still behind when it reports done. `agent-author` and `instructions-author` bump the
resolved package's `apm.yml` themselves (`agent-author` at plugin/APM scope), and `apm-workflow`'s configure flow
carries the same policy — read those routes' output before acting here, because a second bump for
one change is wrong.
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
---
name: instructions-author
description: >
Use when creating or revising an apm instructions file
(`.apm/instructions/*.instructions.md`). Not read-only review ->
`factory-audit`. Not skills -> `skill-author`. Not agents -> `agent-author`.
Not AGENTS.md -> `agentsmd-author`.
compatibility: Requires the apm CLI; behaviour verified against apm 0.28.0.
allowed-tools: Bash Read Write Edit
metadata:
version: "0.1.0"
category: factory
source_keys:
- apm-docs-site
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- claude-code-memory-docs
---
## Gotchas
- Claude Code drops `description`; only Copilot and Cursor keep it. Write a body that explains itself.
- Quote every `applyTo`. An unquoted `**/*.py` fails to parse, compile skips the file, and `apm install` still deploys it with no `paths:`, so it loads in every session and nothing errors.
- `apm compile --validate` always exits 0 and hides the missing-`description`, missing-`applyTo` and empty-body warnings. It is not a lint gate.
- Once rules sit in `.claude/rules/`, `apm compile --target claude` writes no `CLAUDE.md` and still exits 0; an exit-code check verifies nothing.
- A source must be flat in `.apm/instructions/` and end `.instructions.md`; anything else is ignored or never installed.
## Step 1 — Dispatch
| Condition | Flow | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| No file at the target path | Create | `references/create.md` |
| A file exists, at least one improvement signal present | Improve | `references/improve.md` |
| A file exists, no signals | Stop and ask | — |
Signals: grill output, audit findings, inline feedback, a session describing a rule that loaded when it should not or failed to load. With none, ask whether the user meant to create a new file or has feedback to apply.
Read only the reference for the resolved flow. Capture `rtk git log --oneline -1` before touching the filesystem; Step 3 needs it.
## Step 2 — Contract
Gates on every file, whichever flow wrote it:
- **One topic per file.** Two topics are two files.
- **Scope.** Omit `applyTo` only for a rule that must load in every session, and tell the user it then costs context at every launch.
- **Stem.** It becomes the deployed filename, and install overwrites a hand-authored rule of the same name on most targets without a prompt. Check for a collision before choosing it.
- **Body.** Bullets, paths in backticks, nothing assuming another file is loaded, under 200 lines.
If a field, glob or location is in question, read `references/schema.md`. If the question is which target keeps which field, or what compile does, read `references/target-mapping.md`.
## Step 3 — Validate and close
- [ ] Verify with a real compile and a throwaway deploy: read `references/verify.md`. Resolve every warning and confirm a scoped rule deploys with `paths:`.
- [ ] Bump the owning package's `apm.yml` `version` — **minor** on create, **patch** on improve — because consumers compare it to detect updates.
`factory-audit` has no instructions checks yet, so nothing else gates the file; report only what the verification showed.
**Commit verification.** Once verification is clean, run `rtk git add` and `rtk git commit`. Re-run `rtk git log --oneline -1` and confirm the hash changed from Step 1's. A non-empty `git diff --stat` is not proof: staged-but-uncommitted work is lost if the tree is cleaned up. Report done only once the hash has changed.
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
# assets/
## templates/
- **`instructions.md`** — minimal valid `.apm/instructions/<name>.instructions.md`, copied by `scripts/new-instructions.sh`. Carries a `description`, a quoted `applyTo` and a one-topic body, each marked `FILL IN:`. The `applyTo` comment is the only guidance it carries; field semantics are in `references/schema.md`.
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
---
# Delete these comments once filled in; Copilot receives this file verbatim.
description: FILL IN: one line on what this rule covers. Only Copilot and Cursor keep it.
applyTo: "FILL IN: quoted glob, e.g. **/*.py"
# applyTo is always quoted: an unquoted ** is a YAML alias error and the rule
# deploys unscoped. Several globs: "**/*.css,**/*.scss". Delete the line only
# for a rule that must load in every session.
---
# FILL IN: one topic per file
- FILL IN: the first rule, stated as a bullet.
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
---
source_keys:
- apm-docs-site
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
---
# Creating a new instructions file
Return to `SKILL.md` Step 3 once Step 3 below is done.
## Before touching the filesystem
Confirm, and ask the user for anything missing:
- [ ] The one topic the file covers. Two topics are two files.
- [ ] Which files it governs, as a glob, or that it must load in every session.
- [ ] A kebab-case stem. It becomes the deployed filename.
## Step 1 — Check the stem
Install overwrites a hand-authored file at `.claude/rules/<stem>.md`, `.cursor/rules/<stem>.mdc`, `.windsurf/rules/<stem>.md`, `.kiro/steering/<stem>.md` and `.agents/rules/<stem>.md` without a prompt. List those paths in the consuming project and choose another stem on any hit.
## Step 2 — Scaffold
```bash
bash scripts/new-instructions.sh <name> <path-inside-the-package>
```
The script walks up for a `type:`-bearing `apm.yml`. With none it exits 1 and names `/apm-workflow configure`; run that first, then retry. It never overwrites an existing file.
## Step 3 — Fill in
Replace every `FILL IN:` and delete the template's comments.
- `applyTo`: quoted. Omit it only for a rule that must load in every session, and say so to the user; it costs context at every launch.
- `description`: one line. Write the body as if it were absent, because Claude Code never sees it.
- Body: bullets, one topic, paths in backticks, nothing that assumes another file is loaded.
For glob syntax or a field question, read `references/schema.md`.
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
---
source_keys:
- apm-docs-site
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
---
# Improving an existing instructions file
Return to `SKILL.md` Step 3 once the edits are made.
## Step 1 — Read the file and the signals
Read the file whole. Signals are grill output, audit findings, inline feedback, or a session describing a rule that loaded when it should not, or failed to load. Apply what the signals name and nothing else.
## Step 2 — Diagnose by symptom
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A scoped rule loads in every Claude session | `applyTo` is unquoted or malformed, so install deployed no `paths:` | Quote it, then confirm with `references/verify.md` |
| Compile warns "Failed to parse" | Broken frontmatter YAML | Repair the YAML; do not delete the field |
| The rule is in `CLAUDE.md` but not `.claude/rules/` | The file is nested under `.apm/instructions/` | Move it up to the flat directory |
| The rule appears nowhere | The name lacks `.instructions.md` | Rename it |
| Claude ignores guidance written in `description` | Claude Code drops `description` | Move the substance into the body |
| A hand-written rule vanished after install | The stem collided with a deployed name | Restore it from version control and rename the source stem |
| The same rule reaches the agent twice | Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro, Codex and OpenCode get both a native file and an `AGENTS.md` copy | State it to the user; it is apm behaviour, not a defect in the file |
Cases not in the table: read `references/target-mapping.md`.
## Step 3 — Split or trim
A file covering two topics, or longer than 200 lines, becomes several files. Do the split only when a signal names it.
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
---
source_keys:
- apm-docs-site
- apm-github-repo
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- claude-code-memory-docs
---
# The instructions source file
Verified against apm 0.28.0. Reached from `SKILL.md` Step 2 when a frontmatter field, a glob or the file's location is in question.
## Location and name
`.apm/instructions/<name>.instructions.md`, flat. The double extension is the discovery key and the stem is the primitive's name; there is no `name` field.
- A plain `.md` in that directory is ignored by both `apm compile` and `apm install`.
- A file in a subdirectory is folded into compiled root files by compile but never deployed by install, so it reaches `CLAUDE.md` and `AGENTS.md` and no native rules directory.
- The stem becomes the deployed filename: `<stem>.md`, `<stem>.mdc`, or `<stem>.instructions.md`, by target.
## Frontmatter
Only `description` and `applyTo` carry meaning. `author` and `version` are parsed and never emitted to any target.
- `description`: one line. The apm docs call it required; the binary only warns. Copilot and Cursor keep it; Claude Code, Windsurf, Kiro, Antigravity and every compiled root file drop it. Cursor auto-generates one from the first body sentence when it is missing.
- `applyTo`: a glob scoping the rule. The apm docs list it as both required and optional; the binary treats it as optional, with a warning. Empty or absent means an unconditional rule.
### `applyTo` grammar
- One glob: `"**/*.py"`.
- Several globs in one string, comma-separated: `"**/*.css,**/*.scss"`. Whitespace around segments is trimmed.
- A YAML sequence is joined into the same comma form.
- Brace alternation is never split: `"**/*.{css,scss},**/*.py"` is two patterns.
- A literal comma in a pattern is `\,`; a literal backslash is `\\`.
- Always quote the value. An unquoted `**/*.py` is a YAML alias error; see `SKILL.md` Gotchas for what apm then does.
## Body
Plain markdown. Official guidance: bullets over prose, one topic per file (`python-style` and `python-testing` are two files), paths in backticks, no greetings or meta-commentary, no assumption that other files are loaded. apm sets no size limit. The downstream tools do: Claude Code recommends under 200 lines per file and Cursor under 500.
## Validation
`Instruction.validate()` yields three findings, all demoted to warnings: missing `description`, missing `applyTo` ("will apply globally") and empty content. A broken relative link in the body is a fourth, also non-fatal.
- A real `apm compile` prints them. `apm compile --validate` prints none and exits 0 even for a file with all three problems.
- `apm install` prints none.
- `apm audit --ci` checks lockfile, deployed-file presence, content hash and hidden Unicode, not instruction content.
- A file whose frontmatter does not parse is skipped by compile ("Failed to parse") but still deployed by install.
No standalone instructions validator exists, so enforcement is this skill's checks and `references/verify.md`.
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
---
source_keys:
- apm-docs-site
- apm-github-repo
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- claude-code-memory-docs
- github-copilot-custom-instructions-docs
- cursor-rules-docs
---
# Sources
## apm-docs-site
- **URL:** https://microsoft.github.io/apm/
- **Research doc:** plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/sources.md (digest: plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/instructions-primitive-schema.md)
- **Description:** Official apm documentation, the instructions-and-agents authoring page plus targets and compile pages: frontmatter requirements, per-target deploy paths, compile behaviour and flags.
- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/schema.md, references/target-mapping.md, references/create.md, references/improve.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## apm-github-repo
- **URL:** https://github.com/microsoft/apm
- **Research doc:** plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/sources.md (digest: plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/instructions-primitive-schema.md)
- **Description:** apm's own Python source read for the Instruction model, discovery globs and per-target integrators.
- **Contributing files:** references/schema.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- **URL:** https://pypi.org/project/apm-cli/0.28.0/
- **Research doc:** plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/sources.md (digest: plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/instructions-gotchas.md)
- **Description:** The installed apm-cli 0.28.0 package plus throwaway install, compile and audit experiments confirming validation severity, unquoted-glob handling, discovery asymmetry, dedup and overwrite behaviour.
- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/schema.md, references/target-mapping.md, references/verify.md, references/create.md, references/improve.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## claude-code-memory-docs
- **URL:** https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
- **Research doc:** plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/sources.md (digest: plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/instructions-target-mapping.md)
- **Description:** Claude Code memory documentation: `.claude/rules/` loading, the `paths` field as the only field read, invalid YAML ignored, size guidance.
- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/schema.md, references/target-mapping.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## github-copilot-custom-instructions-docs
- **URL:** https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-custom-instructions/add-repository-instructions
- **Research doc:** plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/sources.md (digest: plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/instructions-target-mapping.md)
- **Description:** GitHub Copilot repository custom instructions: `.github/instructions/*.instructions.md`, `applyTo` and `excludeAgent`, the separate repo-wide file.
- **Contributing files:** references/target-mapping.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## cursor-rules-docs
- **URL:** https://cursor.com/docs/context/rules
- **Research doc:** plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/sources.md (digest: plugins/kyberforge/docs/research/docs/microsoft-apm/instructions-target-mapping.md)
- **Description:** Cursor project rules: the `.mdc` requirement, `description`, `globs` and `alwaysApply`, rule types, size guidance.
- **Contributing files:** references/target-mapping.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
---
source_keys:
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- apm-docs-site
- claude-code-memory-docs
- github-copilot-custom-instructions-docs
- cursor-rules-docs
---
# What each target receives
Verified against apm 0.28.0 and throwaway installs. Reached from `SKILL.md` Step 2 when the question is which target keeps which field. Source-file syntax is in `references/schema.md`.
## Two output paths
`apm install` writes one native file per instruction into each target's rules directory. `apm compile` writes root context files that concatenate instruction bodies, grouped by `applyTo`. Treat install as the primary path for Claude Code and Copilot, and compile as the path for targets with no native instructions directory.
## Install: deployed path and transform
| Target | Deployed path | Transform |
|---|---|---|
| copilot | `.github/instructions/<n>.instructions.md` | Verbatim copy |
| claude | `.claude/rules/<n>.md` | `applyTo` becomes a `paths:` list; `description` dropped; no frontmatter at all without `applyTo` |
| cursor | `.cursor/rules/<n>.mdc` | `applyTo` becomes `globs`; `description` kept; no `alwaysApply` written |
| windsurf | `.windsurf/rules/<n>.md` | `trigger: glob` plus `globs`, or `trigger: always_on`; `description` dropped |
| kiro | `.kiro/steering/<n>.md` | `inclusion: fileMatch` plus `fileMatchPattern`, or `inclusion: always`; `description` dropped |
| antigravity | `.agents/rules/<n>.md` | `trigger: glob` plus `globs`, or no frontmatter; `description` dropped |
| grok-build | `.grok/rules/<n>.instructions.md` | Verbatim copy |
| codex, gemini, opencode and the rest | none | Reach instructions only through compile |
Windsurf, Kiro, Antigravity and Cursor do not deploy at user scope.
## Field survival
| Field | Claude | Copilot | Cursor | Windsurf, Kiro, Antigravity | Compiled root file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `applyTo` | as `paths` | verbatim | as `globs` | as each target's glob key | grouping only |
| `description` | dropped | kept | kept | dropped | dropped |
| `author`, `version` | dropped | kept only because the file is verbatim | dropped | dropped | dropped |
For Claude Code the body's first line or heading is the only descriptive text that survives, so the body must explain itself.
## Ownership and overwrite
- Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro and Antigravity treat each deployed file as apm-owned: install replaces a hand-authored file at the same path without a prompt. Copilot skips an unmanaged file ("local files exist, not managed by APM") until `apm install --force`.
- Removing or renaming a source makes the next install delete the file it deployed.
## Compile
- `--target claude` writes `CLAUDE.md`; Gemini writes `GEMINI.md` and `AGENTS.md`; every other target writes `AGENTS.md`.
- Compile skips instructions already deployed natively, for Claude, Copilot and Antigravity only. With rules populated, `--target claude` exits 0, prints "produced no output files" and writes nothing. `--force-instructions` (alias `--no-dedup`) overrides.
- Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro, Grok, Codex and OpenCode have no dedup: compile writes `AGENTS.md` that repeats rules the tool already loads natively.
- A compile with no instruction primitives exits 0.
## Native format facts
- Claude Code reads `.claude/rules/**/*.md` recursively. `paths` is the only field it reads, as a list or a comma-separated string; other fields are ignored. A rule without `paths` loads at every launch. Frontmatter that fails to parse is ignored and the rule loads without `paths`.
- Copilot path-specific files need `applyTo` as a quoted comma-joined string; `excludeAgent` is the only other documented key. Repository-wide instructions are the separate `.github/copilot-instructions.md`.
- Cursor ignores a plain `.md` in `.cursor/rules`. A rule with only a `description` is "Apply Intelligently", not always-on.
## Unverified
Cursor's handling of a YAML-list `globs`, Copilot's handling of unknown frontmatter keys, and runtime behaviour on Windsurf, Kiro and Antigravity. Say so rather than asserting any of them.
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
---
source_keys:
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
---
# Verifying a file in a throwaway package
Reached from `SKILL.md` Step 3. Run step 2 outside the repo: `apm install` writes `apm_modules/`, `apm.lock.yaml` and a rules directory, and install overwrites hand-authored rule files without warning.
1. From the package root, a real compile, never `--validate`:
```bash
apm compile --dry-run --target claude
```
Resolve every warning it prints: missing `description`, missing `applyTo`, empty content, broken link, "Failed to parse".
2. For a scoped rule, deploy it where nothing else can be overwritten:
```bash
d=$(mktemp -d)
printf 'name: scratch\nversion: 0.1.0\ntype: instructions\ntargets:\n - claude\n' > "$d/apm.yml"
mkdir -p "$d/.apm/instructions"
cp <package-root>/.apm/instructions/<name>.instructions.md "$d/.apm/instructions/"
(cd "$d" && apm install && cat .claude/rules/<name>.md)
```
3. The deployed file must open with `paths:` listing the intended globs. No frontmatter block at all means `applyTo` was missing or did not parse: the rule would load in every session.
4. To check the compiled root file instead, compile in that same clean directory *before* installing, or pass `--force-instructions`; after an install, `--target claude` writes nothing.
Delete the directory afterwards. Report only what was observed; Cursor's list-form `globs` and the Windsurf, Kiro and Antigravity runtimes stay unverified.
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
# scripts/
- **`new-instructions.sh <name> <root>`** — scaffolds `<package-root>/.apm/instructions/<name>.instructions.md` from `assets/templates/instructions.md`. Walks up from `<root>` for the nearest `type:`-bearing `apm.yml`; exits 1 with a pointer to `/apm-workflow configure` when there is none. Never overwrites an existing file. Run `--help` for the full contract.
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
SKILL_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
TEMPLATE="$SKILL_DIR/../assets/templates/instructions.md"
usage() {
cat <<USAGE
Usage: new-instructions.sh <name> <root>
Scaffold an apm instructions file from the bundled template.
Arguments:
name Kebab-case stem. Becomes <name>.instructions.md and, after install,
the deployed rule's filename.
root Existing path at or below the target package. The script walks up for
the nearest apm.yml with a top-level type: field (instructions, skill,
hybrid or prompts); an apm.yml without type: is a marketplace-only
manifest and is skipped. Creates
<package-root>/.apm/instructions/<name>.instructions.md
Exit codes:
0 File created, or already existed (no-op)
1 Invalid arguments, missing root, no package found, or template not found
USAGE
}
if [[ "${1:-}" == "--help" || "${1:-}" == "-h" ]]; then
usage
exit 0
fi
if [[ $# -lt 2 ]]; then
echo "Error: name and root are required." >&2
echo "" >&2
usage >&2
exit 1
fi
NAME="$1"
ROOT="${2/#\~/$HOME}"
if ! grep -qE '^[a-z0-9]+(-[a-z0-9]+)*$' <<< "$NAME"; then
echo "Error: name must use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only." >&2
echo " No leading, trailing, or consecutive hyphens." >&2
echo " Received: '$NAME'" >&2
exit 1
fi
if [[ ! -f "$TEMPLATE" ]]; then
echo "Error: template not found at '$TEMPLATE'." >&2
echo " Run this script from its original location inside the instructions-author skill." >&2
exit 1
fi
if [[ ! -d "$ROOT" ]]; then
echo "Error: root directory '$ROOT' does not exist." >&2
exit 1
fi
ROOT="$(cd "$ROOT" && pwd)"
# Same marker as agent-author's new-agent.sh: a top-level type: naming one of
# the four package types, with matching quotes if quoted.
is_apm_package_manifest() {
local apm_yml="$1" line
while IFS= read -r line || [[ -n "$line" ]]; do
if [[ "$line" =~ ^type:[[:space:]]*(instructions|skill|hybrid|prompts)([[:space:]]|$) ]]; then
return 0
fi
if [[ "$line" =~ ^type:[[:space:]]*([\"\'])(instructions|skill|hybrid|prompts)([\"\'])([[:space:]]|$) ]] \
&& [[ "${BASH_REMATCH[1]}" == "${BASH_REMATCH[3]}" ]]; then
return 0
fi
done < "$apm_yml"
return 1
}
PACKAGE_ROOT=""
current="$ROOT"
while true; do
if [[ -f "$current/apm.yml" ]] && is_apm_package_manifest "$current/apm.yml"; then
PACKAGE_ROOT="$current"
break
fi
if [[ -e "$current/.git" ]]; then
break
fi
parent="$(dirname "$current")"
[[ "$parent" == "$current" ]] && break
current="$parent"
done
if [[ -z "$PACKAGE_ROOT" ]]; then
echo "Error: no apm package found at or above '$ROOT'." >&2
echo " Instructions only deploy from a package's .apm/instructions/. Run" >&2
echo " /apm-workflow configure (apm plugin init) there first, then retry." >&2
exit 1
fi
DEST_DIR="$PACKAGE_ROOT/.apm/instructions"
DEST="$DEST_DIR/$NAME.instructions.md"
if [[ -f "$DEST" ]]; then
echo "Skipping '$DEST' — already exists." >&2
exit 0
fi
mkdir -p "$DEST_DIR"
cp "$TEMPLATE" "$DEST"
echo "Created: $DEST" >&2
echo "" >&2
echo "Next steps:" >&2
echo " 1. Fill in $DEST — replace every FILL IN: placeholder and delete the comments." >&2
echo " 2. Check '$NAME' does not collide with a hand-authored rule: install overwrites" >&2
echo " <target>/rules/$NAME.* on most targets without warning." >&2
echo " 3. Verify with a real compile, not --validate: apm compile --dry-run --target <target>" >&2
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
# tests/
- **`new-instructions.bats`** — covers `scripts/new-instructions.sh` (name validation, package walk-up, no-package refusal, no-op on an existing file, template placeholders) and the apm behaviour the skill's gotchas rest on, run against throwaway packages: a filled scaffold compiles into `CLAUDE.md` and installs into `.claude/rules/` with `description` dropped, compile writes nothing once rules are installed, an unquoted `applyTo` installs unscoped, and `--validate` hides the warnings a real compile prints.
## Dependencies
The test file loads `bats-support` and `bats-assert` from the repo root's `tests/test_helper/`, and runs on the repo's bats submodule at `tests/bats/`. The first `bash tests/run-bats.sh` initialises the submodules.
The apm tests need the `apm` CLI on `PATH` and skip when it is absent. They assert apm 0.28.0 behaviour, so a failure after an apm upgrade is a finding about the skill's gotchas, not a flaky test.
From the repo root:
```bash
tests/bats/bin/bats plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/instructions-author/tests/new-instructions.bats
```
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
#!/usr/bin/env bats
setup() {
REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../../../../../../" && pwd)"
load "$REPO_ROOT/tests/test_helper/bats-support/load"
load "$REPO_ROOT/tests/test_helper/bats-assert/load"
SCRIPT="$(cd "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts" && pwd)/new-instructions.sh"
ROOT="$(mktemp -d)"
}
teardown() {
rm -rf "$ROOT"
}
make_package() {
printf 'name: my-package\nversion: 0.1.0\ntype: instructions\ntargets:\n - claude\n' > "$ROOT/apm.yml"
}
# Replace every placeholder and drop the template's comments, leaving a valid file.
fill() {
sed -i -E \
-e '/^#/{/^# FILL IN/!d}' \
-e 's/^description: FILL IN.*/description: Python style rules/' \
-e 's/^applyTo: .*/applyTo: "**\/*.py"/' \
-e 's/^# FILL IN.*/# Python style/' \
-e 's/^- FILL IN.*/- Use type hints./' \
"$1"
}
need_apm() {
command -v apm >/dev/null 2>&1 || skip "apm CLI not installed"
}
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Help and arguments
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@test "--help exits 0" {
run bash "$SCRIPT" --help
assert_success
assert_output --partial "Usage:"
}
@test "missing arguments exits 1" {
run bash "$SCRIPT"
assert_failure
assert_output --partial "name and root are required"
}
@test "nonexistent root exits 1" {
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT/missing"
assert_failure
assert_output --partial "does not exist"
}
@test "rejects names that are not kebab-case" {
make_package
for bad in My-Rule my_rule -leading trailing- double--hyphen; do
run bash "$SCRIPT" "$bad" "$ROOT"
assert_failure
assert_output --partial "lowercase letters"
done
assert [ ! -d "$ROOT/.apm" ]
}
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Package resolution
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@test "creates <name>.instructions.md under .apm/instructions/" {
make_package
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
assert_success
assert [ -f "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md" ]
}
@test "walks up from a subdirectory to the package root" {
make_package
mkdir -p "$ROOT/deep/er"
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT/deep/er"
assert_success
assert [ -f "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md" ]
assert [ ! -d "$ROOT/deep/er/.apm" ]
}
@test "skips a type-less apm.yml and keeps walking up" {
make_package
mkdir -p "$ROOT/marketplace"
printf 'name: catalog\nmarketplace:\n packages: []\n' > "$ROOT/marketplace/apm.yml"
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT/marketplace"
assert_success
assert [ -f "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md" ]
assert [ ! -d "$ROOT/marketplace/.apm" ]
}
@test "accepts a quoted type value" {
printf 'name: p\ntype: "hybrid"\n' > "$ROOT/apm.yml"
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
assert_success
assert [ -f "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md" ]
}
@test "no package: exits 1, points at apm-workflow configure, writes nothing" {
mkdir -p "$ROOT/.git"
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
assert_failure
assert_output --partial "apm-workflow configure"
assert [ ! -d "$ROOT/.apm" ]
}
@test "does not walk above a .git boundary" {
make_package
mkdir -p "$ROOT/repo/.git"
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT/repo"
assert_failure
assert [ ! -d "$ROOT/.apm" ]
}
@test "no-op when the file already exists" {
make_package
mkdir -p "$ROOT/.apm/instructions"
echo "existing" > "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md"
run bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
assert_success
run cat "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md"
assert_output "existing"
}
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Template contents
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@test "scaffold carries FILL IN placeholders and a quoted applyTo" {
make_package
bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
file="$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md"
run grep -c 'FILL IN' "$file"
assert_success
run grep -E '^applyTo: "' "$file"
assert_success
}
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# apm behaviour the skill's gotchas rest on (verified against apm 0.28.0)
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@test "filled scaffold compiles for the Claude target into CLAUDE.md without the description" {
need_apm
make_package
bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
fill "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md"
cd "$ROOT"
run apm compile --target claude
assert_success
assert [ -f "$ROOT/CLAUDE.md" ]
run grep -F 'Use type hints.' "$ROOT/CLAUDE.md"
assert_success
run grep -F 'Python style rules' "$ROOT/CLAUDE.md"
assert_failure
}
@test "install deploys .claude/rules with paths: and drops the description" {
need_apm
make_package
bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
fill "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md"
cd "$ROOT"
run apm install
assert_success
rule="$ROOT/.claude/rules/my-rule.md"
assert [ -f "$rule" ]
run grep -F 'paths:' "$rule"
assert_success
run grep -F '**/*.py' "$rule"
assert_success
run grep -F 'Python style rules' "$rule"
assert_failure
}
@test "once rules are installed, compile --target claude writes no CLAUDE.md and exits 0" {
need_apm
make_package
bash "$SCRIPT" my-rule "$ROOT"
fill "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/my-rule.instructions.md"
cd "$ROOT"
apm install
run apm compile --target claude
assert_success
assert [ ! -f "$ROOT/CLAUDE.md" ]
}
@test "an unquoted applyTo still installs, as a rule with no paths:" {
need_apm
make_package
mkdir -p "$ROOT/.apm/instructions"
printf -- '---\ndescription: x\napplyTo: **/*.py\n---\n# T\n\n- a\n' > "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/bad.instructions.md"
cd "$ROOT"
run apm install
assert_success
assert [ -f "$ROOT/.claude/rules/bad.md" ]
run grep -F 'paths:' "$ROOT/.claude/rules/bad.md"
assert_failure
}
@test "compile --validate exits 0 and hides the warnings a real compile prints" {
need_apm
make_package
mkdir -p "$ROOT/.apm/instructions"
printf -- '---\napplyTo: "**/*.py"\n---\n' > "$ROOT/.apm/instructions/bare.instructions.md"
cd "$ROOT"
run apm compile --validate
assert_success
refute_output --partial "Missing 'description'"
run apm compile --dry-run --target claude
assert_success
assert_output --partial "Missing 'description'"
assert_output --partial "Empty content"
}
+1 -1
View File
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
name: kyberforge
version: 2.0.2
version: 2.1.0
description: Skills and agents for creating, maintaining, and managing an apm plugin marketplace for Claude Code and GitHub Copilot.
author:
name: Defame1297
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
---
topic: instructions-gotchas
source_keys:
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- apm-docs-site
- claude-code-memory-docs
- cursor-rules-docs
- github-copilot-custom-instructions-docs
---
Surprising behaviours and source contradictions for the instructions primitive. "Verified" means observed with the installed apm 0.28.0 in a throwaway directory outside the repo. Everything else is stated as sourced or inferred.
## Verified failure modes
### Unquoted glob silently widens scope
`applyTo: **/*.py` (unquoted) is a YAML alias error. Verified outcome:
- `apm compile` and `apm compile --validate` print "Failed to parse" and skip the file, exit 0; the validated-primitive count is one lower.
- `apm install` still deploys the file, to `.claude/rules/<name>.md` with no `paths:` frontmatter. A rule meant for Python files becomes an unconditional rule loaded in every session. Nothing errors.
- Any frontmatter that is broken YAML (for example `description: [broken`) behaves the same way.
- Claude Code itself behaves consistently: invalid frontmatter is ignored and the rule loads without `paths`.
Rule for the skill: always quote `applyTo`, and after scaffolding check that the deployed file has the expected `paths:`; a missing frontmatter block is the symptom.
### Validation never fails
Missing `description`, missing `applyTo` and an empty body are warnings only. `apm compile --validate` prints "All primitives validated successfully" and exits 0 even for those, and shows none of the warnings. Only a real `apm compile` prints them. `apm install` and `apm audit --ci` print nothing about instruction content. The official docs call `description` and `applyTo` required; the binary does not enforce either. Any enforcement has to live in this repo's own checks.
### Nested files: compile sees them, install does not
`.apm/instructions/sub/x.instructions.md` is folded into compiled root files but never deployed natively. A plain `x.md` (no `.instructions` infix) is ignored by both.
### Compile writes nothing when native rules exist (Claude, Copilot, Antigravity)
`apm compile --target claude` after an install exits 0, prints "produced no output files" and creates no `CLAUDE.md`. Use `--force-instructions` or compile in a project with no native rules. A test that only checks the exit code passes without testing anything.
### Compile duplicates content for the other targets
For cursor, windsurf, kiro, codex (and grok, opencode by source) compile still writes `AGENTS.md` even though native rules exist, so the same instruction reaches the agent twice.
### Install overwrites hand-authored rule files
For claude, cursor, windsurf, kiro and antigravity, an existing file at the deployed path is replaced without warning. Copilot skips it and asks for `--force`.
### Empty-source compile is not an error
Plain `apm compile` and `--target all` in a project with no instruction primitives print "no source primitives remain" and exit 0. The apm-workflow compile reference currently says this hard-fails with exit 1 and "No instruction files found in .apm/ directory"; that does not hold in 0.28.0 (see contradictions).
## Cursor-specific
- Install emits `globs` plus `description` and never `alwaysApply`. Per the Cursor docs a rule with only a `description` is "Apply Intelligently", so an unscoped apm instruction does not become always-on in Cursor (inferred from docs plus verified output; Cursor runtime not tested).
- Multiple globs are emitted as a YAML list (Kiro likewise). The Cursor docs show only a comma-separated string. Unverified whether Cursor honours the list form.
## Claude-specific
- `description` is dropped, so it can never appear in a `.claude/rules/` file; do not rely on it for Claude Code. Source: the apm source transform and verified deployed output. The apm docs do not state this.
- A rule with no `applyTo` becomes a file with no frontmatter and loads at every launch, which costs context. Claude Code guidance is to keep each file short (under 200 lines).
- The documented Claude `paths` budget is 1,000 brace-expanded patterns and 4 MiB.
## Contradictions between sources
| Point | Official apm docs | Installed 0.28.0 behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| `description` | Required | Warning only |
| `applyTo` | Listed as required and also as optional | Optional, warning only |
| Instruction with no `applyTo` | Folded into compiled root files instead of a per-file rule | Still deployed per-file on every rule-directory target (Claude: no frontmatter; Cursor: description only; Windsurf: `always_on`; Kiro: `always`) and also compiled |
| Grok deployed name | `.grok/rules/<name>.md` | `.grok/rules/<name>.instructions.md` |
| Compile with nothing to compile | apm-workflow compile reference: exit 1 with a "No instruction files found" message | Exit 0 |
| Compile scope | Docs say compile "only handles instructions" | Consistent for content, but compile also emits GEMINI.md and honours the agents_md mode |
| Cursor and Windsurf at user scope | Two fetches of the docs disagreed | Source excludes both at user scope; the source was preferred |
An earlier version of this topic's schema file described missing `description` and empty content as errors and `skip_instructions` as a config flag; both were wrong for 0.28.0 (warnings; internal variable).
## Unverified
- Whether Cursor accepts a YAML list for `globs`.
- Whether Copilot ignores unknown frontmatter keys such as `description`; its docs list only `applyTo` and `excludeAgent`.
- Runtime behaviour of Windsurf, Kiro and Antigravity on the emitted frontmatter; no downstream docs were fetched.
- Windsurf user-scope global rules.
- The Context7 step was unavailable (invalid API key), so the registry carries no fresh Context7 pull. Doc pages were summarised by a smaller model before reaching this file and can be lossy.
- Apm versions other than 0.28.0 were not tested.
@@ -3,64 +3,72 @@ topic: instructions-primitive-schema
source_keys:
- context7-microsoft-apm
- apm-github-repo
- apm-docs-site
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
---
## File location, naming, and frontmatter
Scope of this file: what an instructions source file is, where it lives, what its frontmatter means, how `applyTo` is parsed, and what validation exists. Per-target output is in `instructions-target-mapping.md`; behaviours that surprised us and where sources disagree are in `instructions-gotchas.md`. Everything here was re-checked against apm 0.28.0 (the installed binary) in this revision.
`.apm/instructions/*.instructions.md`. Confirmed as the genuine required extension (not assumed) via APM's own discovery glob in `apm_cli/primitives/discovery.py`: `**/.apm/instructions/*.instructions.md` (and the `.github/instructions/` mirror, plus a bare `**/*.instructions.md` fallback).
## File location, naming, and discovery
Unlike prompts and hooks, instructions **do** have a small, concretely modeled dataclass — `apm_cli.primitives.models.Instruction` — because instructions feed APM's own compile pipeline (they get folded into root context files), not just pass-through deployment:
Source files live at `.apm/instructions/<name>.instructions.md`. The `.instructions.md` double extension is the real discovery key: the parser strips `.instructions.md` to get the primitive name, and a plain `.md` file in `.apm/instructions/` is ignored by both compile and install (verified by experiment).
```python
@dataclass
class Instruction:
name: str
file_path: Path
description: str
apply_to: str # from frontmatter key "applyTo"; empty means global/unconditional
content: str
author: str | None = None
version: str | None = None
source: str | None = None
```
Discovery is not identical in compile and install:
Frontmatter fields: `description` (required by convention — its absence is a validation error) and `applyTo` (a glob or comma-separated glob list, or a YAML sequence — APM normalizes all three input shapes into one canonical comma-separated form internally via `normalize_apply_to`/`parse_apply_to`). No `applyTo` means the rule is treated as **unconditional** — folded into root context files as always-on guidance rather than scoped to specific paths.
- `apm install` (the per-target deploy step) looks only in `.apm/instructions/` of the package, non-recursively. An instruction placed in a subdirectory such as `.apm/instructions/sub/x.instructions.md` is not deployed to any target (verified by experiment).
- `apm compile` (the root-context fold-in) discovers with a wider glob set: `.apm/instructions/`, a `.github/instructions/` mirror, and a bare `**/*.instructions.md` fallback. The same nested file that install ignores is picked up by compile (verified by experiment). An author who nests files therefore gets them in `CLAUDE.md`/`AGENTS.md` but not in `.claude/rules/` or any other native rules directory.
- Dependency packages are scanned the same way: `instructions/*.instructions.md` under the dependency's `.apm/` (and `.github/` as a fallback).
- Primitive name collisions across local and dependency sources are tracked as conflicts; local wins.
`Instruction.validate()` produces these built-in errors/warnings:
- Missing `description` → error: `"Missing 'description' in frontmatter"`.
- Missing `applyTo` → warning-level: `"No 'applyTo' pattern specified -- instruction will apply globally"` (not fatal — it's accepted, just broad).
- Empty body → error: `"Empty content"`.
The deployed filename derives from the source stem: `<stem>.instructions.md` becomes `<stem>.md`, `<stem>.mdc`, or stays `<stem>.instructions.md`, depending on target.
## Compile-time mapping: two entirely different mechanisms per target
## Frontmatter fields
This is the biggest divergence from the agent/skill/prompt primitives, and the one most likely to surprise: **Claude Code does not get a verbatim copy of the `.instructions.md` file at all.**
The parser reads exactly these keys from the frontmatter into the `Instruction` model: `description`, `applyTo`, plus optional `author` and `version`. Nothing else is modelled. There is no `name` field; the name always comes from the filename.
**Copilot CLI — verbatim, native primitive.** `PrimitiveMapping("instructions", ".instructions.md", "github_instructions")` on the `copilot` target has no `output_compare` flag, so `InstructionIntegrator` copies content through unchanged, preserving the original `applyTo:` frontmatter byte-for-byte (per the integrator's own docstring: "Copilot: `.github/instructions/` (verbatim, preserving applyTo:)"). This is deployed by `apm install`, not `apm compile`.
- `description`: one-line summary. The official authoring page lists it as required. In the binary it is only a warning when missing (see Validation). It is consumed by Cursor (kept in the `.mdc`, and auto-generated from the first body sentence when missing) and by Copilot (verbatim file). It is discarded for Claude Code, Windsurf, Kiro, Antigravity, and in all compiled root files.
- `applyTo`: a glob that scopes the rule. See the grammar below. The official authoring page labels it required for instructions, yet states elsewhere that omitting it is supported and yields an unconditional rule. The binary treats it as optional with a warning.
- `author`, `version`: parsed into the model but never emitted to any target.
At **Copilot user scope only** (`~/.copilot/`), individual files are not deployed — Copilot CLI at user scope reads a single `copilot-instructions.md`, so APM concatenates all instructions into that one file instead (`user_primitive_overrides: {"instructions": PrimitiveMapping("", ".md", "copilot_user_instructions")}`). Project-scope behavior (per-file, `.github/instructions/`) is unaffected.
Body is plain markdown. An empty body is a validation warning. The official guidance for body style is: bullets over prose, one topic per file (split `python-style` from `python-testing`), cite paths in backticks, no greetings or meta-commentary, and do not assume other context is loaded. No numeric size limit is documented by apm; the downstream tools give their own (Claude Code recommends under 200 lines per instruction file; Cursor recommends under 500 lines per rule; Copilot says repository-wide instructions should be no longer than two pages).
**Claude Code — real reconstruction into `.claude/rules/`, with field-dropping.** `PrimitiveMapping("rules", ".md", "claude_rules", output_compare=True)` marks this as one of APM's four "rule formats" (`RULE_FORMATS = {cursor_rules, claude_rules, windsurf_rules, kiro_steering}`) that transform their source rather than copy it. `InstructionIntegrator._convert_to_claude_rules()`:
## applyTo grammar
- Parses the source frontmatter and pulls only `applyTo` — **`description` is dropped entirely**, not carried into the output in any form.
- Converts `applyTo` into a `paths:` YAML list (one `parse_apply_to()`-split glob per line), e.g. `applyTo: "**/*.py"` → `paths:\n - "**/*.py"`.
- If there was no `applyTo` (unconditional instruction), the output has **no frontmatter at all** — just the raw body, matching Claude's convention that files without `paths:` in `.claude/rules/` apply unconditionally.
- Filename is renamed: `<x>.instructions.md` → `<x>.md` (the primitive's `extension` field, `.md`, replaces the source suffix — this is the general rule for every `output_compare=True` "rule format").
`applyTo` is normalised to one comma-separated string and then split by `parse_apply_to`:
This is architecturally the same category of lossy, real transformation the prior agent-primitive research found for Codex/Kiro agents — except here it's the default behavior for Claude specifically (not an opt-out edge case), and it applies even though Claude and Copilot are both first-class, actively-supported targets.
- A single glob: `"**/*.py"`.
- A comma-separated list in one string: `"**/*.css,**/*.scss"`. Whitespace around segments is trimmed and empty segments are dropped, so `"**/*.py, **/*.go"` is fine.
- A YAML sequence: every non-null entry is kept and joined into the same comma form; an entry that itself contains a top-level comma is escaped so it stays one pattern.
- Brace alternation `{a,b}` is never split: `"**/*.{css,scss},**/*.py"` yields two patterns.
- A literal top-level comma in a pattern is written `\,`; a literal backslash is `\\`.
- Always quote glob values in YAML. An unquoted value starting with `*` (for example `applyTo: **/*.py`) is a YAML alias token and fails to parse. What apm then does is the most dangerous failure mode in this primitive; see `instructions-gotchas.md`.
## Compile-time file placement
When `applyTo` is empty or absent the instruction is unconditional ("global"). Distributed compile places it in the root `AGENTS.md`/`CLAUDE.md`; native deploy produces an always-on rule in the target's own syntax.
| Target | Output path | Transform |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot CLI (project scope) | `.github/instructions/<name>.instructions.md` | Verbatim byte copy, `applyTo:` preserved as-is |
| Copilot CLI (user scope, `~/.copilot/`) | `~/.copilot/copilot-instructions.md` | Concatenated — all instructions merged into one file, because Copilot CLI at user scope reads only that single file |
| Claude Code | `.claude/rules/<name>.md` | Reconstructed: `applyTo` → `paths:` YAML list; `description` dropped; no frontmatter at all if unconditional |
Scoped patterns in distributed compile may match files under dot-directories apm knows about (`.agents`, `.apm`, `.claude`, `.codex`, `.cursor`, `.gemini`, `.github`, `.kiro`, `.opencode`, `.windsurf`); other hidden directories are excluded from matching.
Additionally, **`apm compile`** (distinct from `apm install`) can also fold instruction content directly into root context files — `AGENTS.md` (single-file or per-directory "distributed" mode) and the Claude-specific parallel format `CLAUDE.md`/per-directory `CLAUDE.md` — grouped by directory using `applyTo` pattern analysis (`context_optimizer.optimize_instruction_placement`). To avoid duplicating content between the native `.claude/rules/`+`.github/instructions/` deployment (from `apm install`) and this root-context fold-in (from `apm compile`), a `skip_instructions` config flag (and `compilation.placement.min_instructions_per_file` in `apm.yml`) actively suppresses the redundant copy in AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md once native per-target files exist — `apm compile --target claude --force-instructions` overrides this dedup when an author explicitly wants both.
## Validation
## Validation constraints and gotchas
`Instruction.validate()` returns up to three findings:
- **The `description` field is real for Copilot but silently discarded for Claude.** An author who relies on `description` to explain *why* a rule exists (common practice, since Copilot's `.instructions.md` UI can surface it) gets that context deleted on every Claude compile — there's no config to keep it as a comment or otherwise.
- **No content-level validation for the `paths:` conversion** — if `applyTo` contains a pattern `parse_apply_to` can't split sensibly, the resulting `paths:` list is whatever falls out; no dedicated schema check catches a malformed glob before deploy.
- **Directory-distribution logic for AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md is heuristic, not declarative** — `context_optimizer.optimize_instruction_placement` picks placement directories from `applyTo` patterns algorithmically; `compilation.placement.min_instructions_per_file` in `apm.yml` (default effectively 1) is the only tuning knob, and setting it above 1 causes under-populated directories to have their instructions bubbled up to the parent directory rather than dropped.
- **Same "no dedicated primitive validation function" gap noted for agents** — `Instruction.validate()` in `primitives/models.py` is the only validation, and it is invoked as part of the generic primitive-discovery/compile pipeline, not as a standalone `apm audit` check comparable to what exists for `apm.yml` itself.
- Missing `description`: "Missing 'description' in frontmatter".
- Missing `applyTo`: "No 'applyTo' pattern specified -- instruction will apply globally".
- Empty body: "Empty content".
All three are demoted to warnings by the compiler, so none of them fails any command. Verified by experiment: a file with no `description` and an empty body compiles with exit 0 and three warnings, and `apm install` deploys it (to `.claude/rules/` it produces a file holding only the `paths:` frontmatter). `apm compile --validate` calls the same code but discards warnings: it prints "All primitives validated successfully!" and exits 0 even for the bad file, so it is not a usable lint gate for instruction content. The warnings appear only on a real `apm compile` run, and `apm install` prints none of them.
Markdown links in the body are also checked at compile time; a broken relative link is a warning with the same non-fatal behaviour.
Files whose frontmatter does not parse as YAML are skipped by compile with a "Failed to parse" message (and `--validate` then counts one fewer primitive), but are still deployed by install. This asymmetry is covered in the gotchas file.
There is no standalone instructions validator and `apm audit` does not check instruction content; `apm audit --ci` checks lockfile consistency, deployed-file presence, content hash drift, and hidden Unicode only (verified by experiment on a clean install).
## Instructions versus AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md
An instruction is an input primitive; `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, and `GEMINI.md` are outputs that `apm compile` generates from instructions (and, in this repo, hand-authored root files are a separate concern owned by the AGENTS.md skills). Generated root files carry a "Generated by APM CLI" header and a build id, and must not be hand-edited. Hand-authored files are never deleted by `apm compile --clean`.
Claude Code's own side of the story: it reads `.claude/rules/*.md` natively; `paths` is the only frontmatter field it reads and any other field is ignored without error; a rule without `paths` loads unconditionally at launch; if the frontmatter YAML does not parse, the frontmatter is ignored and the rule loads as if it had no `paths`. Claude Code reads `AGENTS.md` only when no `CLAUDE.md` exists on the path (unless configured otherwise), which is one reason apm emits `CLAUDE.md` for the claude target instead of relying on `AGENTS.md`.
## Package type
`apm.yml` `type: instructions` is a routing hint documented as "compiles to AGENTS.md only". It validates nothing about what is in `.apm/`; see the apm-workflow configure reference for the confirmed behaviour. An install with `targets:` set deploys instructions regardless of the declared type.
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
---
topic: instructions-target-mapping
source_keys:
- apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- apm-docs-site
- claude-code-memory-docs
- github-copilot-custom-instructions-docs
- cursor-rules-docs
---
What each target receives from an instruction file, at install time (native per-file deploy) and at compile time (folded into a root context file). Verified against apm 0.28.0 source and throwaway installs unless marked otherwise. Field syntax of the source file is in `instructions-primitive-schema.md`.
## Two separate output paths
`apm install` writes native files, one per instruction, into each target's own rules directory. `apm compile` writes root context files (`CLAUDE.md`, `AGENTS.md`, `GEMINI.md`) that concatenate instruction bodies. The two overlap, which is why compile has a dedup rule (below). A skill author should treat install as the primary path for Claude Code and Copilot, and compile as the path for targets that have no native instructions directory.
## Install-time mapping
| Target | Deployed path | Transform |
|---|---|---|
| copilot | `.github/instructions/<n>.instructions.md` | Verbatim copy, frontmatter untouched |
| copilot, user scope | `~/.copilot/copilot-instructions.md` | All bodies concatenated into one file, frontmatter stripped, provenance markers added |
| claude | `.claude/rules/<n>.md` | `applyTo` becomes a `paths:` list; `description` dropped; no frontmatter at all when there is no `applyTo` |
| cursor | `.cursor/rules/<n>.mdc` | `applyTo` becomes `globs:` (scalar for one pattern, list for several); `description` kept, auto-generated from the first body sentence when missing; no `alwaysApply` is written; not deployed at user scope |
| windsurf | `.windsurf/rules/<n>.md` | `trigger: glob` plus `globs:`, or `trigger: always_on` when unscoped; `description` dropped; not deployed at user scope |
| kiro | `.kiro/steering/<n>.md` | `inclusion: fileMatch` plus `fileMatchPattern`, or `inclusion: always` when unscoped; `description` dropped |
| antigravity | `.agents/rules/<n>.md` | `trigger: glob` plus `globs`, or no frontmatter when unscoped; not deployed at user scope |
| grok-build | `.grok/rules/<n>.instructions.md` | Verbatim copy; keeps the `.instructions.md` name |
| codex, gemini, opencode, agent-skills, openclaw, hermes, grok-cloud, copilot-cowork, copilot-app | none | No instructions mapping; these targets receive instructions only through compile |
Rename rule: the source suffix `.instructions.md` is replaced by the target's extension (`.md`, `.mdc`) except for Copilot and Grok, which keep the full suffix.
### Ownership and overwrite
The rule-directory targets (cursor, claude, windsurf, kiro, antigravity) are treated as APM-owned per file: install overwrites an existing hand-authored file with the same deployed name without a prompt (verified: a hand-written `.claude/rules/u.md` was replaced). Copilot behaves differently: an existing unmanaged file is skipped with the message "local files exist, not managed by APM" and needs `apm install --force` to overwrite. A name collision with a hand-authored rule in `.claude/rules/` is therefore silent data loss, so authors should not reuse stems of existing hand-written rules.
Removing or renaming a source instruction makes the next install delete the previously deployed file ("Cleaned N stale files"), and `apm audit --ci` passes after a clean install.
Install with explicit `targets:` in `apm.yml` creates the target directories (`.claude/`, `.github/`) if they do not exist.
## Per-target field survival
| Field | Claude | Copilot | Cursor | Windsurf | Kiro | Antigravity | Compiled root file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `applyTo` | as `paths` | kept verbatim | as `globs` | as `globs` | as `fileMatchPattern` | as `globs` | used for grouping only |
| `description` | dropped | kept (verbatim file) | kept | dropped | dropped | dropped | dropped |
| `author`, `version` | dropped | kept only because the file is verbatim | dropped | dropped | dropped | dropped | dropped |
Consequence for authors: a `description` is useful only for Copilot and Cursor. For Claude Code the first line or heading of the body is the only descriptive text that survives, so the body must be self-explanatory.
## Native format facts from the downstream tools
Claude Code: `.claude/rules/*.md` is found recursively. `paths` is the only field read; it accepts a YAML list or a comma-separated string. Other fields are ignored with no error. Rules without `paths` load unconditionally at launch; path-scoped rules load when matching files are read. Invalid frontmatter YAML is ignored and the rule loads without `paths`. Brace expansion in `paths` is capped at 1,000 patterns and 4 MiB.
Copilot: path-specific files live at `.github/instructions/**/NAME.instructions.md`. `applyTo` is required and is a quoted, comma-joined string. An optional `excludeAgent` takes `"code-review"` or `"cloud-agent"`. The docs do not mention a `description` key. Repository-wide instructions use the separate `.github/copilot-instructions.md`, which has no frontmatter. Path-specific files apply on GitHub.com only to the cloud agent and code review; IDE use differs.
Cursor: project rules must have the `.mdc` extension; a plain `.md` in `.cursor/rules` is ignored. Fields are `description`, `globs` (documented as a comma-separated string) and `alwaysApply` (boolean). A rule with only a `description` is "Apply Intelligently" (the agent decides), not always-on. The documented limit is 500 lines per rule.
Windsurf, Kiro, Antigravity: the apm source emits their trigger keys, but no downstream documentation was fetched for them, so runtime behaviour is unverified.
## Compile-time behaviour
Output file by target:
- `--target claude` writes `CLAUDE.md`.
- Gemini writes `GEMINI.md` (which imports `AGENTS.md`) and `AGENTS.md`.
- Every other target writes `AGENTS.md`.
Instructions are grouped by `applyTo`: a "Global Instructions" section for unscoped ones and one "Files matching `<pattern>`" section per distinct pattern. Descriptions are omitted. In distributed strategy, scoped instructions are placed in nested directory files near the matching files, subject to `placement.min_instructions_per_file` (default 1); `single-file` strategy puts everything in one root file.
### Dedup against native files
Compile skips instructions already deployed natively, but only for three targets: Claude (`.claude/rules/`), Copilot (`.github/instructions/`) and Antigravity (`.agents/rules/`). With populated native rules, `apm compile --target claude` prints a dedup message and "produced no output files" and exits 0 without writing `CLAUDE.md`. `--force-instructions` (alias `--no-dedup`) overrides it and writes the file. Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro, Grok, Codex and OpenCode have no dedup, so compile writes `AGENTS.md` that duplicates the native rules already loaded by the tool (verified for cursor, windsurf, kiro, codex).
Test implication: a compile-based test for the Claude target must run in a project with no populated `.claude/rules/`, or pass `--force-instructions`; otherwise it produces no file and silently asserts nothing.
### apm.yml compilation block
Keys: `target`, `strategy` (`distributed` or `single-file`), `single_file`, `output`, `chatmode`, `resolve_links`, `source_attribution`, `exclude`, `placement.min_instructions_per_file`, and `agents_md.mode` (`full` or `managed_section`; the latter writes only between markers and leaves the rest of the file alone).
### Relevant compile flags
`--validate` (parse only; see schema file for why it is a weak check), `--dry-run`, `--clean` (removes orphaned generated files, never hand-authored ones), `--target`, `--all`, `--root`, `-g`, `--local-only`, `--single-agents`, `--no-links`, `--with-constitution`, `--force-instructions`. Documented exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 2 conflicting flags. A compile with no instruction primitives at all exits 0 in 0.28.0.
@@ -15,3 +15,38 @@
- **Status:** `extracted`
Note: `releasing.md`'s `--check-clean`/`--check-versions` scope, `apm pack` exit-code semantics, and the `.apm/`-vs-root-flat-dir mutual exclusivity referenced there were additionally cross-checked directly against `apm_cli/bundle/plugin_exporter.py`, `apm_cli/commands/pack.py`, and `apm_cli/marketplace/drift_check.py` in the installed `apm-cli` 0.28.0 package (`/root/.local/pipx/venvs/apm-cli/`), not just Context7 doc snippets — confirmed by a live `apm pack --format plugin` run inside `plugins/bin` that reproduced the documented `[!] Skipping root-level skills/ because .apm/ is present` warning.
## apm-docs-site
- **URL:** https://microsoft.github.io/apm/
- **Description:** Official apm documentation site, specifically the instructions-and-agents authoring page and the targets and compile pages: frontmatter requirements, unconditional-rule wording, per-target deploy paths, compile behaviour and flags. Fetched through subagent summaries, so lossy.
- **Contributing files:** instructions-primitive-schema.md, instructions-target-mapping.md, instructions-gotchas.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## claude-code-memory-docs
- **URL:** https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
- **Description:** Claude Code memory documentation: `.claude/rules/` loading, the `paths` frontmatter field (only field read, invalid YAML ignored), AGENTS.md versus CLAUDE.md precedence, size guidance.
- **Contributing files:** instructions-primitive-schema.md, instructions-target-mapping.md, instructions-gotchas.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## github-copilot-custom-instructions-docs
- **URL:** https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-custom-instructions/add-repository-instructions
- **Description:** GitHub Copilot repository custom-instructions documentation: `.github/instructions/*.instructions.md`, the `applyTo` and `excludeAgent` frontmatter, the separate repo-wide `copilot-instructions.md`, where path-specific files apply.
- **Contributing files:** instructions-target-mapping.md, instructions-gotchas.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## cursor-rules-docs
- **URL:** https://cursor.com/docs/context/rules
- **Description:** Cursor project rules documentation: `.mdc` requirement, `description`, `globs` and `alwaysApply` frontmatter, rule types (always, auto-attached, apply intelligently, manual), size guidance.
- **Contributing files:** instructions-target-mapping.md, instructions-gotchas.md
- **Status:** `extracted`
## apm-cli-0-28-0-experiments
- **URL:** https://pypi.org/project/apm-cli/0.28.0/
- **Description:** The installed apm-cli 0.28.0 package (source under the pipx venv for apm-cli) read for integrator, target-table and pattern-parsing code, plus throwaway install, compile and audit experiments run in a scratchpad outside the repo to confirm validation severity, unquoted-glob handling, discovery asymmetry, dedup, overwrite and exit-code behaviour.
- **Contributing files:** instructions-primitive-schema.md, instructions-target-mapping.md, instructions-gotchas.md
- **Status:** `extracted`