About

AGENTS.md emerged from collaborative efforts across the AI software development ecosystem, including OpenAI Codex, Amp, Jules from Google, Cursor, and Factory.

We’re committed to helping maintain and evolve this as an open format that benefits the entire developer community, regardless of which coding agent you use.

AGENTS.md is now stewarded by the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation. Learn more →

FAQ

Are there required fields?

No. AGENTS.md is just standard Markdown. Use any headings you like; the agent simply parses the text you provide.

What if instructions conflict?

The closest AGENTS.md to the edited file wins; explicit user chat prompts override everything.

Will the agent run testing commands found in AGENTS.md automatically?

Yes—if you list them. The agent will attempt to execute relevant programmatic checks and fix failures before finishing the task.

Can I update it later?

Absolutely. Treat AGENTS.md as living documentation.

How do I migrate existing docs to AGENTS.md?

Rename existing files to AGENTS.md and create symbolic links for backward compatibility:

mv AGENT.md AGENTS.md && ln -s AGENTS.md AGENT.md

How do I configure Aider?

Configure Aider to use AGENTS.md in .aider.conf.yml:

read: AGENTS.md

How do I configure Gemini CLI?

Configure Gemini CLI to use AGENTS.md in .gemini/settings.json:

{ "context": { "fileName": "AGENTS.md" }, }