AGENTS.md

SkillFiles & storage

Author and maintain AGENTS.md files — the open, tool-agnostic format for giving coding agents project context. Use when: creating AGENTS.md; writing an agent instructions file; root or nested AGENTS.md for monorepos; migrating CLAUDE.md, AGENT.md, .cursor/rules, or copilot-instructions.md to AGENTS.md; greenfield project setup before code exists; brownfield onboarding for an existing codebase; documenting build/test/lint commands, code style, PR/commit conventions, and security considerations for agents; AGENTS.md discovery and precedence rules. Works for any language, framework, or project size. DO NOT USE FOR: authoring SKILL.md skill files (use create-skill); APM package/plugin authoring (use apm-producer); language-specific style rules (use language skills e.g. csharp-best-practices).

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the AGENTS.md skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by netfabric/netfabric.numerics in .agents/skills/agents-md/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

A README for agents: plain Markdown, no required fields, read by 20+ coding agents (Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Aider, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Devin, and more).

Quick Facts

FactDetail
LocationAGENTS.md at repo root; additional copies nested per package/subproject
DiscoveryAgent reads the nearest AGENTS.md up the directory tree from the file it's editing
PrecedenceClosest file to the edited file wins; explicit chat/user instructions override everything
FormatStandard Markdown, any headings, no schema to validate
ExecutionAgents run commands listed in it (tests, lint) and try to fix failures before finishing

Workflow Picker

flowchart TD
    A[Writing AGENTS.md] --> B{Code, CI, or docs already exist?}
    B -- No --> C[Greenfield workflow]
    B -- Yes --> D[Brownfield workflow]
    C --> E{≥2 packages?}
    D --> E
    E -- Yes --> F[Nest AGENTS.md per package]
    E -- No --> G[Single root AGENTS.md]
SituationUse
No code yet / scaffolding a new repoGreenfield workflow
Existing codebase, README/CI/CLAUDE.md already existBrownfield workflow
Monorepo with multiple packagesNesting rules
Migrating from AGENT.md, CLAUDE.md, .cursor/rules, copilot-instructions.mdLegacy migration

Core Principle

Never hardcode language, framework, or tool assumptions into an AGENTS.md — every instruction must reflect the target repo's actual, verified stack and commands, not a generic template left unfilled.

AGENTS.md is still a Markdown file: run markdown-best-practices over the draft before treating it as finished (heading spacing, table/list consistency, fenced-code language tags).

Reference Files

FileLoad When
references/anatomy-and-discovery.mdDeciding where files live, how precedence works, or migrating from a legacy agent file
references/authoring-workflow.mdWriting a new AGENTS.md for a greenfield or brownfield project
references/writing-style.mdWording and formatting an AGENTS.md section for density and scannability
references/quality-and-security.mdReviewing content quality, verifying commands, or covering security considerations

Signals

GitHub stars
36
Forks
1
Last commit
Aug 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
agents-md-netfabric
Source
github.com/netfabric/netfabric.numerics