agents-md

AGENTS.md Audit

• IS: auditing, scoring, refactoring, and writing AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md / CLAUDE.local.md files agents load at session start.
• IS NOT: authoring SKILL.md files (use agent-skills-creator), project docs or READMEs (use docs-writing or readme-creator), or mining session history (use the external cadence-advise skill where installed; this skill audits the file as-is).

AGENTS.md files are execution contracts, not knowledge bases. Litmus test per line: "Would removing this cause the agent to make a mistake?" If no, cut it; bloat makes agents ignore the rules that matter.

AGENTS.md is the tool-agnostic source of truth. Claude Code loads AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and CLAUDE.local.md natively at any directory level, no symlinks. If only a CLAUDE.md exists, recommend mv CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md.

Reference Files

File	Read when
references/quick-checklist.md	Every audit; default 10-check triage
references/quality-criteria.md	Quick audit fails, file is high-risk, or full scoring requested
references/refactor-workflow.md	File is bloated (root over ~150 lines), stale, or below target
references/root-content-guidance.md	Root vs @import; file placement hierarchy
references/templates.md	Drafting or rebuilding a file from scratch

Writing From Scratch

No file exists? Skip the audit. Gather real commands from the manifest (package.json, Makefile, CI config), pick a skeleton from references/templates.md, fill it with verified commands and known gotchas, then validate against references/quick-checklist.md before delivering.

Audit Workflow

Copy this checklist to track progress:

Audit Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Discover files
- [ ] Step 2: Select audit mode (quick or full)
- [ ] Step 3: Run audit and score
- [ ] Step 4: Report findings with score table
- [ ] Step 5: Propose minimal diffs
- [ ] Step 6: Validate changes
- [ ] Step 7: Apply and report before/after scores

Step 1: Discover files

find . \( -name "AGENTS.md" -o -name "CLAUDE.md" -o -name "CLAUDE.local.md" \) 2>/dev/null | sort

Also check ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (applies to every session). For monorepos, include workspace-level files. Audit each level independently: root holds universal rules, child files hold directory-specific rules (see the placement hierarchy in references/root-content-guidance.md).

Step 2: Select audit mode

• Quick (default): 10 checks from references/quick-checklist.md, target >= 8/10.
• Full: 45 checks from references/quality-criteria.md, target >= 91% of applicable points (grade A). Use when the quick audit fails, the file gates a high-risk repo, or full scoring is requested.

Step 3: Run audit and score

Score each root file independently; exclude N/A checks from the denominator.

Step 4: Report findings

Output a concise report before any edits:

## AGENTS.md Audit Report

| File | Mode | Score | Grade | Key Issues |
|------|------|-------|-------|------------|
| ./AGENTS.md | Quick | 6/10 | Fail | Missing test command, stale path, doc-heavy section |

Every issue in the table must map to a Step 5 diff; no vague findings.

Step 5: Propose minimal diffs

In priority order:

1. Fix broken or stale commands; bugs, not style.
2. Remove generic, duplicate, or obsolete guidance.
3. Move non-universal detail behind @path/to/file.md imports.
4. Add emphasis ("IMPORTANT:", "YOU MUST") only on critical rules agents skip.

Show each change as a diff snippet with a one-line rationale. Apply only after the user confirms.

Step 6: Validate changes

1. Smoke-run core commands (dev, test, build, lint/typecheck) where the environment allows; otherwise verify the script exists in the manifest and note the limitation.
2. Check every linked and @imported path resolves.
3. Confirm no contradictory rules remain across levels (home, root, child).
4. Issues found: revise, then validate again. Never proceed on "looks right".

Step 7: Apply and report

Apply approved edits, re-score with the same checklist, report before/after scores and line counts. Per future PR, add at most one new gotcha, only if it prevented or fixed a real mistake.

Gotchas

• @import lines don't evaluate inside code spans or fenced blocks: a real import wrapped in backticks silently never loads, while example imports inside fences are safe to show.
• @import chains stop resolving at 5 hops; deeper content silently disappears from context.
• Child-directory AGENTS.md files load on demand when the agent works in that subtree, not at session start, so a universal rule placed only in a child is invisible to most tasks. Promote it to root.
• Don't put project-specific commands in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md; it loads every session, so one project's npm run dev becomes noise (or a wrong command) everywhere else.
• Don't audit CLAUDE.local.md as strictly as AGENTS.md; it's gitignored personal config, so flag only broken commands and contradictions with the shared file.
• Don't strip emphasis markers (IMPORTANT, YOU MUST) during a density cut; they exist because plain phrasing was already ignored once.
• A passing quick score doesn't prove commands run; stale commands hide behind checklist passes. Step 6 smoke-runs aren't optional.
• Don't rewrite a whole file when targeted diffs would pass; full rewrites destroy battle-tested wording and inflate review burden.

Related Skills

• agent-skills-creator: authoring and improving SKILL.md files (different format and rules).
• External cadence-advise skill where installed: proposes AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md edits from observed session history; complements this skill's file-first audit.
• readme-creator / docs-writing: human-facing documentation; AGENTS.md content that belongs in docs should move there.