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- Add agentskillsio/ reference docs (8 topic files, agentskills- prefix stripped) - Add agentsmd/ reference docs (4 topic files) - Add skill-write examples: skill-creator (Anthropic), writing-great-skills (mattpocock), writing-skills (obra/superpowers) with canonical sources.md files Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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What AGENTS.md Is
AGENTS.md is an open format that serves as a dedicated README for AI coding agents — a single, predictable file where developers place context and instructions that help agents work effectively on a project. It is now stewarded by the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation, having emerged from collaboration between OpenAI Codex, Amp, Jules (Google), Cursor, and Factory.
The format intentionally complements rather than replaces README.md. README stays focused on human contributors; AGENTS.md carries the agent-specific detail — build steps, test commands, conventions, security gotchas — that would clutter a README or is irrelevant to humans.
Over 60,000 open-source projects use it.
Format
AGENTS.md is plain Markdown placed at the root of a repository. There are no required fields, no schema, and no special syntax — agents parse the text. Developers use any headings appropriate to their project.
Common sections include:
- Project overview
- Build and test commands
- Code style guidelines
- Testing instructions
- Security considerations
- Commit message conventions
- Pull request guidelines
- Deployment steps
Precedence Rules
When multiple AGENTS.md files exist (common in monorepos), the file closest to the edited file in the directory tree takes precedence. Explicit user chat prompts override all AGENTS.md instructions.
Monorepo Support
Place additional AGENTS.md files inside individual packages or subdirectories. Agents automatically read the nearest file, so subprojects can carry tailored instructions that supplement or override the root-level file. OpenAI's main repository contains 88 AGENTS.md files as an example of this pattern.
Cross-Tool Compatibility
A single AGENTS.md works across the majority of AI coding tools. Confirmed compatible agents include: GitHub Copilot, VS Code AI, Cursor, Aider, Devin (Cognition), Windsurf (Cognition), OpenAI Codex, Google Jules, Gemini CLI, Zed, RooCode, Kilo Code, Warp, opencode, Amp, Factory, Augment Code, Junie (JetBrains), Semgrep, goose, Phoenix, Ona, UiPath Autopilot & Coded Agents, and Claude Code (Anthropic). The standard is designed to be vendor-neutral.