About agent-rules
A skill for generating and maintaining AGENTS.md files for AI agents, with scripts to inspect repositories, document verified project conventions, and check files for accuracy and freshness. It supports several listed language and framework stacks.
Key features
- 01Generate root and scoped AGENTS.md files
- 02Detect project stacks and scopes
- 03Extract commands and repository rules
- 04Verify documented content and commands
- 05Check freshness and score file quality
Use cases
- 01Scaffolding a repository with agent guidance
- 02Standardizing agent documentation across repositories
- 03Updating guidance after code changes
- 04Onboarding agents to an unfamiliar codebase
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ netresearch/ agent-rules-skill --skill agent-rulesAfter installing, type/agent-rulesin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Bundled files
References and scripts installed along with SKILL.md.
AGENTS.mdcheckpoints.yamlassets/root-thin.mdroot-verbose.mdassets/example-workflows/validate-agents.ymlassets/scoped/backend-go.mdbackend-php.mdbackend-python.mdbackend-typescript.mdclaude-code-skill.mdcli.mdconcourse.mdddev.mddocker.mddocumentation.mdexamples.mdfrontend-typescript.mdgithub-actions.mdgitlab-ci.mdoro-bundle.mdoro-project.mdpython-modern.mdresources.mdskill-repo.mdsymfony.mdtesting.mdtypo3-docs.mdtypo3-extension.mdtypo3-project.mdtypo3-testing.mdDetails
From the project READMEAGENTS.md Generator Skill
Generate and maintain AGENTS.md files following the agents.md convention. AGENTS.md is FOR AGENTS, not humans.
When to Use
- Creating or updating AGENTS.md for new/existing projects
- Scaffolding a new repository — ship AGENTS.md with the initial commits; retrofitting later needs full re-verification
- Standardizing agent documentation across repositories
- Checking AGENTS.md freshness after code changes
- Onboarding AI agents to an unfamiliar codebase
Scripts
Call every script by its full path: bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/<name> PATH. Calling one relative to the working directory is not covered by the frontmatter rule and raises a permission prompt per call.
| Script | Purpose |
|---|---|
generate-agents.sh PATH | Generate AGENTS.md files |
validate-structure.sh PATH | Validate structure compliance |
check-freshness.sh PATH | Check if files are outdated |
verify-content.sh PATH | Verify documented files/commands match codebase |
verify-commands.sh PATH | Verify documented commands execute |
score-agents.sh PATH | Grade AGENTS.md quality, worst-first |
detect-project.sh PATH | Detect language, version, build tools |
detect-scopes.sh PATH | Identify directories needing scoped files |
extract-commands.sh PATH | Extract commands from build configs |
extract-ci-rules.sh PATH | Extract CI quality gates and version matrix |
extract-architecture-rules.sh PATH | Extract module boundaries |
extract-adrs.sh PATH | Extract architectural decision records |
extract-github-rulesets.sh PATH | Extract GitHub rulesets and merge rules |
See references/scripts-guide.md for full options.
Workflow
- Detect:
detect-project.sh+detect-scopes.sh— stacks and subsystems - Extract:
extract-commands.sh,extract-ci-rules.sh— gather facts - Generate:
generate-agents.sh --style=thin(default) or--verbose - Verify:
verify-content.sh+verify-commands.sh-- MANDATORY before done - Line cap: before committing any root AGENTS.md edit,
wc -l AGENTS.mdmust be under 150 (harnessAH-02); run the repo'sverify-harness.shwhere it exists -- CI's harness check fails otherwise
--update preserves curated content outside <!-- GENERATED --> markers.
Core Principles
- Structured over Prose -- tables parse faster than paragraphs
- Never Fabricate -- only document what exists; verify every command and path
- Pointer Principle -- point to files, don't duplicate content
- Auto Symlinks -- CLAUDE.md/GEMINI.md by default (
ai-tool-compatibility.md)
References
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
verification-guide.md | Verification steps, anti-bloat, preservation check |
fleet-sync-sweep.md | Fleet-wide AGENTS.md sweeps |
scripts-guide.md | Script options, validation checklist |
quality-rubric.md | Grading rubric |
ai-tool-compatibility.md | 16-agent compatibility matrix |
output-structure.md | Root/scoped sections |
git-hooks-setup.md | Hook framework setup |
examples/ | Complete examples |
ai-contribution-guidelines.md | "3 Cs" AI-contribution framework |
directory-coverage.md | Scoped-file coverage rationale |
feedback-memory-schema.md | Approved-learning file format |
Templates
Root: assets/root-thin.md (default) or root-verbose.md. Scoped: assets/scoped/, one per stack (Go/PHP/Python/TYPO3/Symfony/Oro/CLI/TS/skill-repo).
Supported Projects
Go, PHP (Composer/Laravel/Symfony/TYPO3/Oro), TypeScript (React/Next/Vue/Node), Python (pip/poetry/ruff/mypy), skill repos, hybrid.
See Also
agent-harness-skill— agent-readiness harness (CI enforcement).skill-repo-skill— skill-repo structure (plugin.json, licensing, releases).