You are setting up this repository's AI coding agent operating system, modeled on a proven pattern. Port the system and doctrine, then rewrite all content for THIS repo based on evidence you gather here. Never paste product-specific details from another codebase unless they verifiably apply to this repo.
Goal
Give AI agents (Cursor, Claude Code, etc.) a single, living contract for how to work in this repo:
- Root entrypoint docs (
AGENTS.md+CLAUDE.md) - Deeper agent docs under
docs/agents/ - Durable plans under
docs/plans/ - Release notes under
docs/release.md - Project skills under the repo's skills directory (e.g.
.agents/skills/) - Explicit rules that agents must use project scripts, keep docs living, and record lessons
Reference templates
This skill ships with templates in references/. Read each one when you reach the step that uses it:
| File | Used for |
|---|---|
references/agents-md-template.md |
AGENTS.md skeleton |
references/architecture-template.md |
docs/agents/architecture.md |
references/code-style-template.md |
docs/agents/code-style.md |
references/lessons-learned-template.md |
docs/agents/lessons-learned.md |
references/plans-readme-template.md |
docs/plans/README.md |
references/release-template.md |
docs/release.md |
references/skill-plan-mode.md |
.agents/skills/plan-mode/SKILL.md (create verbatim) |
references/skill-code-review.md |
.agents/skills/code-review/SKILL.md (adapt commands) |
Phase 0: Gather evidence (before writing anything)
Read these and take notes. Every claim in the docs you write must trace back to something you saw here:
-
package.json(root + each workspace): scripts,packageManager, workspaces - Lockfile(s): which package manager is actually in use
- CI config (
.github/workflows/,turbo.json,vercel.json, etc.): what "green" means -
tsconfig.json/ language configs: strictness flags agents must respect - Lint/format config (eslint, biome, oxlint, prettier, ultracite, etc.) and how it is invoked
- Test setup: runner, file naming, colocation vs
__tests__/ - Existing docs:
README.md,CONTRIBUTING.md, any existingAGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md/.cursor/rules— inventory overlaps so you consolidate instead of contradicting - Auth, database, migrations, deploy targets — only note what exists
- Directory layout: apps, packages, primary data/control flow
If the repo already has a partial AGENTS.md or Cursor rules, merge — preserve unique local rules, deduplicate, and keep one source of truth.
Deliverables
AGENTS.md # root entrypoint (living document)
CLAUDE.md # symlink -> AGENTS.md
docs/
agents/
architecture.md # real system map, written from evidence
code-style.md # this repo's actual conventions
lessons-learned.md # seeded, append-only knowledge base
plans/
README.md # how durable plans work here
release.md # how THIS project ships
.agents/
skills/
plan-mode/SKILL.md # portable doctrine (references/skill-plan-mode.md)
code-review/SKILL.md # portable doctrine (references/skill-code-review.md)
<stack skills as applicable>
Process (in order)
- Phase 0 evidence gathering (checklist above)
- Write
docs/agents/architecture.mdanddocs/agents/code-style.mdfrom evidence, using the corresponding templates as structure - Write
AGENTS.mdfromreferences/agents-md-template.md; then symlink:ln -sf AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md. If symlinks are not viable (e.g. Windows contributors without dev-mode), createCLAUDE.mdcontaining only:See AGENTS.md — single source of truth. - Add
docs/release.md,docs/plans/README.md, and seeddocs/agents/lessons-learned.mdfrom their templates - Create
.agents/skills/plan-mode/SKILL.md(verbatim fromreferences/skill-plan-mode.md, stripping the template preamble) and.agents/skills/code-review/SKILL.md(fromreferences/skill-code-review.md, adapting commands to this repo) - Add stack-specific skills only if the dependency is verified in
package.json(AI SDK, workflow/durable-execution, React best practices, etc.). Do NOT port product-specific skills from other codebases. If the repo has a frontend (react/next/vue/svelte/tailwind verified inpackage.json), follow thedesign-mdskill to createDESIGN.mdand.agents/skills/frontend-design/— it classifies the repo first and never overwrites an existing design language. - Run the verification pass below
- Report a short summary: files created, what was adapted vs skipped, conflicts found with existing docs, recommended next skills for this stack
Operating doctrine (must be encoded in AGENTS.md + skills)
- Living docs — when an agent is wrong or learns a non-obvious invariant, it appends to
docs/agents/lessons-learned.md, ideally in the same change - Scripts over raw tools — discover commands from
AGENTS.md/package.jsonbefore running generictsc/eslint/ etc. - Plan before large changes — plan-mode doctrine for multi-file/architectural work; durable plans in
docs/plans/ - Separation of concerns — extract colocated modules instead of growing god-files
- Verify with project CI — after changes, run the repo's canonical check script
- Don't invent architecture — document what exists; if unclear, explore and ask
Verification pass (required before finishing)
- Every command listed in
AGENTS.mdexists inpackage.jsonscripts (or is a real workspace tool invocation) — run each read-only one to confirm - Every relative link in
AGENTS.mdanddocs/agents/*resolves to an existing file -
CLAUDE.mdresolves toAGENTS.mdcontent (cat CLAUDE.md) - No section in any doc describes something you did not verify in this repo
- No contradictions with pre-existing docs (README, CONTRIBUTING, lint configs)
-
AGENTS.mdis scannable in under a minute (~100 lines)
Constraints
- Do not copy another product's architecture (web/agent/sandbox splits, specific auth providers, database branching setups, etc.) unless verified in THIS repo
- Prefer accurate short docs over impressive long docs — an agent that trusts a wrong doc is worse than one with no doc
- No secrets or env values in docs; reference
.env.exampleinstead - Match this repo's markdown tone and formatting
- If the target already has a partial
AGENTS.md, merge carefully rather than overwriting unique local rules
Done when
- An agent opening this repo can find commands, architecture, style, and lessons within one hop from
AGENTS.md CLAUDE.mdresolves to the same content- Plan and review workflows exist as skills
- Every doc statement is evidence-backed and the verification pass is clean