AGENTS.md Generator

Create or update agent instruction files for a codebase:

```
AGENTS.md
```
as the canonical instruction file
```
CLAUDE.md
```
shim pointing to
```
AGENTS.md
```
```
GEMINI.md
```
shim pointing to
```
AGENTS.md
```

Embed the behavioral principles from the public Karpathy-inspired coding guidelines: https://github.com/forrestchang/andrej-karpathy-skills/blob/main/CLAUDE.md

Source license: MIT, per the upstream repository.

The full upstream

CLAUDE.md

text is hard-coded in the

AGENTS.md

template below. Use that embedded text when generating

AGENTS.md

Non-Negotiable Principles

Every generated

AGENTS.md

must include the hard-coded upstream four principles as non-negotiables. The four principles are:

Think Before Coding
Simplicity First
Surgical Changes
Goal-Driven Execution

Discovery Workflow

Identify the workspace root.
Detect whether this is a VS Code workspace:
- Look for
```
*.code-workspace
```
  in the current directory.
- Look for
```
.vscode/
```
  settings when no
```
.code-workspace
```
  file exists.
If a
```
.code-workspace
```
file exists, parse its
```
folders
```
entries and build the project matrix from those folders.
For VS Code workspace folders, use each folder's
```
name
```
field as the source of truth for the project display name and project code. Do not replace it with the filesystem folder name unless
```
name
```
is missing.
Treat any workspace folder whose
```
path
```
is
```
.
```
as the meta workspace, not a code project. Also mention the
```
.code-workspace
```
file itself, if present, as workspace metadata. Add the meta workspace to
```
AGENTS.md
```
with no tech stack.
If no VS Code workspace is detected, infer projects from repo roots, package files, app folders, and README files.

Detect each project's tech stack from files such as:

package.json

pnpm-workspace.yaml

yarn.lock

vite.config.*

next.config.*

pyproject.toml

requirements.txt

uv.lock

poetry.lock

```
go.mod
```
,
```
Cargo.toml
```
,
```
Gemfile
```
,
```
composer.json
```
```
Dockerfile
```
,
```
docker-compose.yml
```
, Terraform files, mobile app configs

Check whether
```
UBIQUITOUS_LANGUAGE.md
```
exists. If it does, reference it as required domain context. If it does not, still include a note that it should be generated with the
```
ubiquitous-language
```
skill when domain terminology matters.

Use structured parsing when available. For

.code-workspace

, prefer JSON parsing that tolerates comments if the local toolchain supports it. If not, read carefully and avoid corrupting paths.

Project Matrix

Every

AGENTS.md

must include a project matrix with this exact heading and columns:

markdown

## Project Matrix

| Project Name (Code) | Path | Tech Stack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Platform Workspace (FULL-PLATFORM-WORKSPACE) | . | Meta workspace, no code |
| PARTNERS-API (PARTNERS-API) | ../partners-apis.example.com | PHP, Laravel |

Project code rules:

Codes are stable identifiers used by feature prompts, discovery, PRDs, issues, and release notes.
Use uppercase letters, digits, and hyphens only.
For VS Code workspaces, derive the code from the workspace folder
```
name
```
, not from
```
path
```
.
Preserve the workspace folder
```
name
```
as the project name, but remove leading emoji/icons and trim whitespace for the display text in
```
Project Name (Code)
```
.
Normalize the code from the cleaned workspace folder name by uppercasing and replacing non-alphanumeric runs with hyphens.

Example:

🔌 PARTNERS-API

becomes

PARTNERS-API (PARTNERS-API)

Example:

🧩 Full Platform Workspace

with path

becomes

Full Platform Workspace (FULL-PLATFORM-WORKSPACE)

and is marked as meta workspace.

If two projects collide, add a qualifier:
```
ADMIN-WEB
```
,
```
ADMIN-API
```
.
Do not rename existing project codes in an existing
```
AGENTS.md
```
unless the user asks.
Mark the VS Code workspace folder with
```
path: "."
```
as
```
Meta workspace, no code
```
.

AGENTS.md Structure

Generate

AGENTS.md

with this structure:

markdown

# Agent Instructions

## Read First

- `AGENTS.md` is the canonical instruction file for agents in this workspace.
- `CLAUDE.md` and `GEMINI.md` are shims that point here.
- Read `UBIQUITOUS_LANGUAGE.md` when it exists before making domain decisions.
- Use the project codes in the Project Matrix when referring to projects in prompts, PRDs, issues, release notes, and discovery reports.

## Non-Negotiable Principles

Source:
https://github.com/forrestchang/andrej-karpathy-skills/blob/main/CLAUDE.md

Upstream license: MIT.

# CLAUDE.md

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Merge with project-specific instructions as needed.

**Tradeoff:** These guidelines bias toward caution over speed. For trivial tasks, use judgment.

## 1. Think Before Coding

**Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.**

Before implementing:
- State your assumptions explicitly. If uncertain, ask.
- If multiple interpretations exist, present them - don't pick silently.
- If a simpler approach exists, say so. Push back when warranted.
- If something is unclear, stop. Name what's confusing. Ask.

## 2. Simplicity First

**Minimum code that solves the problem. Nothing speculative.**

- No features beyond what was asked.
- No abstractions for single-use code.
- No "flexibility" or "configurability" that wasn't requested.
- No error handling for impossible scenarios.
- If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.

Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.

## 3. Surgical Changes

**Touch only what you must. Clean up only your own mess.**

When editing existing code:
- Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.
- Don't refactor things that aren't broken.
- Match existing style, even if you'd do it differently.
- If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it - don't delete it.

When your changes create orphans:
- Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.
- Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.

The test: Every changed line should trace directly to the user's request.

## 4. Goal-Driven Execution

**Define success criteria. Loop until verified.**

Transform tasks into verifiable goals:
- "Add validation" → "Write tests for invalid inputs, then make them pass"
- "Fix the bug" → "Write a test that reproduces it, then make it pass"
- "Refactor X" → "Ensure tests pass before and after"

For multi-step tasks, state a brief plan:
```
1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]
3. [Step] → verify: [check]
```

Strong success criteria let you loop independently. Weak criteria ("make it work") require constant clarification.

---

**These guidelines are working if:** fewer unnecessary changes in diffs, fewer rewrites due to overcomplication, and clarifying questions come before implementation rather than after mistakes.

## Project Matrix

| Project Name (Code) | Path | Tech Stack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ... | ... | ... |

## Domain Context

- Read `UBIQUITOUS_LANGUAGE.md` before domain-heavy work.
- If the file does not exist and terminology is unclear, generate it with the `ubiquitous-language` skill.

## Workspace Notes

- [VS Code workspace detection result.]
- [Meta workspace entry explanation, including the workspace folder with path `.` and the `.code-workspace` file if present.]

## Operating Rules

- Preserve unrelated user changes.
- Prefer existing project patterns over new abstractions.
- Keep generated plans tied to project codes.
- Run targeted validation for changed behavior.

## Source Notes

- Behavioral principles are copied verbatim from the Karpathy-inspired guidelines by forrestchang:
  https://github.com/forrestchang/andrej-karpathy-skills/blob/main/CLAUDE.md
- Upstream license: MIT.

Preserve any useful existing local instructions when updating

AGENTS.md

, but reorganize duplicated content into this structure.

Shim Files

Create or update

CLAUDE.md

and

GEMINI.md

as shims.

Use this content unless the project already has important tool-specific instructions:

markdown

# Agent Instructions

Read `AGENTS.md` first. It is the canonical instruction file for this workspace.

This file is a shim for tool compatibility.

If an existing shim contains valuable tool-specific rules, keep them under:

markdown

## Tool-Specific Notes

Do not duplicate the full

AGENTS.md

content into shims.

Final Response

After writing files, respond with:

markdown

Generated agent instructions.

Files:
- `AGENTS.md`
- `CLAUDE.md`
- `GEMINI.md`

Project codes:
- `CODE` - Project Name

Notes:
- [VS Code workspace detected / not detected.]
- [UBIQUITOUS_LANGUAGE.md referenced / missing but referenced as recommended context.]

agents-md

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

AGENTS.md Generator

Non-Negotiable Principles

Discovery Workflow

Project Matrix

AGENTS.md Structure

Shim Files

Final Response