AGENTS.md as a Testing Contract, Not Just Style Notes

AGENTS.md is an open, version-controlled Markdown format used by many AI coding agents to provide repository-specific instructions, while Claude Code instead relies on CLAUDE.md and other tools may apply their own precedence rules. Citing ETH Zurich research, the discussion argues that context files do not generally improve coding-task success and can raise inference costs, but that agents reliably follow concise, explicit instructions such as exact test commands, completion criteria, failure-handling procedures, and prohibitions against weakening, skipping, or deleting tests. It recommends treating these files as short testing contracts rather than architecture overviews, placing root-level guidance in repositories and more specific files near relevant packages in monorepos, where closer instructions often override broader ones. Because such files provide context rather than technical enforcement and may be superseded by user prompts or platform-specific instructions, the account emphasizes that continuous integration, required checks, hooks, and review practices must enforce nonnegotiable quality and security rules.

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