agents.md, open format standard for ai coding agent instructions
About AGENTS.md
AGENTS.md is an open format standard for documenting instructions that AI coding agents need to work on software projects. Think of it as a README for agents: a dedicated, predictable place for setup commands, code style, testing instructions, and project conventions. Stewarded by the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation, it is used by 60,000+ open-source projects.
Key Capabilities
Open standard stewarded by the Linux Foundation (Agentic AI Foundation)
Used by 60,000+ open-source projects including OpenAI, Apache Airflow, Temporal
Works with Claude Code, Codex, Jules, VS Code Copilot, Cursor, and more
Separates agent instructions from human README; no more cluttered docs
Supports nested files for monorepo projects with granular per-package rules
Standout Features
README for Agents
Dedicated markdown file that gives AI agents setup commands, code style, testing instructions, and project conventions.
Nested Files
Support for monorepo projects with per-package AGENTS.md files for granular agent instructions.
Cross-Platform
Works with Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Google Jules, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and many more agents.
Linux Foundation
Stewarded by the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation with industry-wide governance.
60k+ Repos
Adopted by over 60,000 open-source projects including OpenAI, Apache Airflow, and Temporal.
Perfect for
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