AGENTS.md template

AGENTS.md templateInstructions for the coding agents working in your repository.Why it mattersAGENTS.md is the file coding agents look for before they start work, and a growing list of tools read it, including OpenAI Codex and Cursor. Without one, an agent reconstructs how your project works from whatever it happens to open, and it will happily reopen decisions your team settled months ago. The most useful section is the one most templates leave out: what has already been decided, and what must not change without asking.What goes in it

Project overview: What is this project, in two or three sentences?

Setup and commands: How does someone install, run and test it?

Code conventions: What conventions should every change follow?

Before a change is done: What must pass before a change counts as finished?

Decisions already made: What has the team settled that an agent should not reopen?

Ask before changing: What must an agent never change without asking first?

An example, filled in# AGENTS.md ## Project overview A web app that helps small clinics manage appointments. TypeScript monorepo: a React frontend, an Express API and PostgreSQL. ## Setup and commands - pnpm install - pnpm dev: runs the app on port 5173 - pnpm test: unit and integration tests ## Code conventions - TypeScript strict mode; no `any` - Comments explain why, not what - New endpoints are added to the OpenAPI spec first ## Before a change is done - pnpm run typecheck - pnpm test - Regenerate the API client if the spec changed ## Decisions already made - PostgreSQL is the only datastore: two stores would mean two sources of truth - Authentication stays server-side; the frontend never calls the auth provider directly ## Ask before changing - The database schema - Anything under /billing - Dependencies: ask before adding one Canonly · Pricing · For developers · Templates · Guides · AGENTS.md generator · Canonly and ChatGPT Projects · Help · Export format