# Project instructions and AGENTS.md

## Add repository guidance

Create `AGENTS.md` at the workspace root. Describe how to work in the project,
not a transcript of everything that has happened.

```markdown
# Project guidance

## About
This repository contains the web application and its tests.

## Working rules
Keep changes scoped to the requested feature.
Preserve unrelated work.
Do not deploy without explicit approval.

## Verification
Read package.json for the available scripts.
Run the tests relevant to the files changed.
Report checks that could not be run.
```

These instructions help the agent understand conventions. They are not a security
boundary and do not replace tool approvals.

## Files the native agent reads

The shipped editor loads workspace-root `AGENTS.md`, `.github/AGENTS.md`,
`.github/copilot-instructions.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, `.voidrules`, `.v3coderules`,
and `.cursorrules`. Existing compatibility filenames can be retained.

Do not assume nested instruction files have the same discovery rules as another
agent. For an ACP agent, check that agent's instructions and configuration separately.

## Keep instructions small

Large files consume context. The editor caps instruction injection; root AGENTS.md
has a smaller cap and some history-oriented sections are treated separately.
Keep active guidance short and link to longer reference documents.

Use [Memory](/editor/memory) for durable project facts and [Skills](/editor/skills)
for reusable task procedures. Avoid putting secrets or stale task lists in either.

## Check what the agent understood

Ask it to summarize the applicable project rules and identify their files before a
sensitive change. If the summary is wrong, correct the instructions or explicitly
attach the relevant document. A model repeating a rule does not prove compliance.