"A new convention is emerging in the open-source ecosystem: AGENTS.md, a straightforward and open format designed to assist AI coding agents in software development. Already adopted by more than 20,000 repositories on GitHub, the format is being positioned as a companion to traditional documentation, offering machine-readable context that complements human-facing files like README.md. The concept is straightforward. While READMEs are optimized for developers-covering project introductions, contribution guidelines, and quick starts-AGENTS.md serves as a predictable, structured location for agent-specific instructions."
"The flexibility extends to large monorepos, where nested AGENTS.md files can provide package-level instructions. Agents automatically read the nearest file in the directory tree, ensuring subprojects receive tailored guidance. For example, the OpenAI organization's repositories currently maintain dozens of AGENTS.md files across subcomponents. Early adopters highlight the format's practicality: rather than introducing a proprietary configuration file, its markdown-based approach ensures accessibility while fitting neatly into existing project structures."
"Early adopters highlight the format's practicality: rather than introducing a proprietary configuration file, its markdown-based approach ensures accessibility while fitting neatly into existing project structures. As the maintainers explain, the goal was to provide precise, agent-focused guidance that complements existing README and docs without locking developers into a specific ecosystem. Still, developers caution that AGENTS.md will not eliminate the need for human oversight."
AGENTS.md is a markdown-based, machine-readable format that stores agent-specific setup, testing, style, and pull-request instructions in a predictable location. More than 20,000 GitHub repositories have adopted AGENTS.md as a companion to README.md, reducing README noise while providing clear guidance for AI coding agents. The format supports portability across AI-assisted development tools and can be nested in monorepos for package-level instructions; agents read the nearest file automatically. Markdown accessibility avoids proprietary configs and fits existing structures. AGENTS.md provides practical automation benefits but does not remove the need for human oversight on complex or business-logic decisions.
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