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What is AGENTS.md?

AGENTS.md is a dedicated Markdown file you place in your repository to give AI coding agents the context and instructions they need to work effectively on your project. Think of it as a README for agents: while README.md is for human contributors, AGENTS.md contains the extra, sometimes detailed context that coding agents need — build steps, test commands, code conventions, and project-specific instructions that might clutter a README or aren’t relevant to human contributors.

Quick Start

Create your first AGENTS.md file in under 5 minutes

What to Include

Learn what sections make an effective AGENTS.md

Agent Compatibility

See the 20+ coding agents that support AGENTS.md

Format Reference

Complete reference for the AGENTS.md format

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Why AGENTS.md?

README.md files are for humans: quick starts, project descriptions, and contribution guidelines. AGENTS.md complements this by containing the extra context coding agents need.

Predictable location

Agents know exactly where to look for instructions — no searching required

Keeps READMEs clean

Agent-specific details stay separate, keeping your README focused on human contributors

Works everywhere

One AGENTS.md works across 20+ AI coding tools including Codex, Cursor, Aider, and more

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A minimal example

Here’s what a basic AGENTS.md looks like:
AGENTS.md
# AGENTS.md

## Setup commands
- Install deps: `pnpm install`
- Start dev server: `pnpm dev`
- Run tests: `pnpm test`

## Code style
- TypeScript strict mode
- Single quotes, no semicolons
- Use functional patterns where possible

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Used by 60,000+ projects

AGENTS.md is already in use across tens of thousands of open-source repositories including projects from OpenAI, Apache, and more.

Explore examples on GitHub

Browse 60k+ real AGENTS.md files from open-source projects

Format specification

Read the complete format specification and best practices

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