---
name: agentsmd-author
description: >
  Use when the user wants a repo's AGENTS.md written or updated, root or
  nested, including "document this for AI coding tools". Writes only verified
  conventions. Not review-only -> `agentsmd-audit`. Not for CLAUDE.md ->
  `provider-adapter-author`.
allowed-tools: Bash Read Write Edit
metadata:
  category: docs
  source_keys:
    - agents-md-official
    - context7-websites-agents-md
    - context7-agentsmd-agents-md
  version: "0.1.2"
---

## Gotchas

- Never invent a command. Every line under a setup/test/build section must come from something you actually found in the repo (`package.json` scripts, a `Makefile` target, a CI workflow step, a README). If you can't verify a command, don't include it.
- Never write to a provider file yourself, in any circumstance: `CLAUDE.md`, `.cursor/rules/*.mdc`, `.github/copilot-instructions.md` and their equivalents are `provider-adapter-author`'s to own. That holds even when the user asks for one in the same breath as AGENTS.md, and even when the file is merely stale or missing a pointer rather than duplicating anything. Detect it and hand off.

## Step 1 — Explore the target repo

Before writing anything, gather real facts: package manager and scripts (`package.json`, `pyproject.toml`, `Cargo.toml`, etc.), a `Makefile` or task runner, CI config (`.github/workflows/`, etc.) for the commands it actually runs, linter/formatter config files, and any existing docs (`README.md`, existing `AGENTS.md`) describing conventions. Note whether any subdirectory looks like its own package with a different stack.

## Step 2 — Decide placement

- No `AGENTS.md` at the repo root yet → create one there first, covering whole-repo conventions.
- A subdirectory has materially different build/test tooling or conventions than the root → create or update a nested `AGENTS.md` there, scoped to what's different. Convenience is not a reason to create one — without a distinct stack you are duplicating content the root already covers. **Don't repeat root-level content** in a nested file: the nearest-file-wins rule means it is read alone, never merged back with the root.
- Otherwise → update the existing file(s) in place.

## Step 3 — Write or update

AGENTS.md has no required schema. Use only sections that reflect something real about the repo — never fill in every common-sections-checklist heading just because it exists, because a thin accurate file beats a padded generic one. 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

Look for `CLAUDE.md`, `.cursor/rules/*.mdc`, `.github/copilot-instructions.md`, or similar in the target repo. If one exists and now duplicates content the AGENTS.md you just wrote/updated already owns, invoke the `provider-adapter-author` skill on it to reconcile.

## Step 5 — Audit and report

Invoke the `agentsmd-audit` skill directly on the AGENTS.md file(s) you just wrote or updated. This closeout is mandatory, not optional, even when the change looks trivial — never sign the work off on your own judgment. Resolve any FAIL findings before considering the work done — re-invoke this skill's own writing steps to fix them, then re-run the audit, same as any other close-the-loop check. Report what was created/changed, whether a provider file was reconciled, and the audit's final result.