14 patterns
Agent rule patterns from real projects.
See how each pattern works in practice.
Jump to a pattern
Hard prohibitions
Actions the agent must never take, stated without hedging.
Good and bad pairs
The wrong version sits beside the right one.
Generated file guards
Names generated files and the command that rebuilds them.
Verification by change type
Matches each kind of change to the checks that cover it.
Nested instruction files
Per-package AGENTS.md files with a clear order of precedence.
Pointing at the source of truth
Changing values stay in one authoritative place.
Router files
The entry file points each kind of work to a focused guide.
Behavioral framing
Rules for approaching the work, not facts about the repository.
House vocabulary
Defines the words a project does and does not use.
Architecture as narrative
A written walkthrough of how the system works.
Ratchets
Baselines that may only shrink and lists that may only grow.
Contribution etiquette
Limits what the agent may open, push, or post for the project.
Scope layering
Different roles get different rules, with a test for which set applies.
Context budgeting
Limits on what enters the model context and how large it may be.
Ordered roughly from easiest to adopt to more specialized patterns.