Install any skill in seconds. Free to start, no credit card required.
Get Started Free →Deep codebase initialization with hierarchical AGENTS.md documentation
| Test case | Without → With | Effect | Δ tokens | Δ turns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| case-12 | ✗→✓ | ▲ Improved | 30% | 0% |
| case-07 | ✗→✓ | ▲ Improved | 60% | 0% |
| case-09 | ✗→✓ | ▲ Improved | 111% | 0% |
| case-20 | ✗→✓ | ▲ Improved | 52% | 0% |
| case-21 | ✗→✓ | ▲ Improved | 113% | 0% |
Creates comprehensive, hierarchical AGENTS.md documentation across the entire codebase.
AGENTS.md files serve as AI-readable documentation that helps agents understand:
Every AGENTS.md (except root) includes a parent reference tag:
markdown<!-- Parent: ../AGENTS.md -->
This creates a navigable hierarchy:
/AGENTS.md ← Root (no parent tag)
├── src/AGENTS.md ← <!-- Parent: ../AGENTS.md -->
│ ├── src/components/AGENTS.md ← <!-- Parent: ../AGENTS.md -->
│ └── src/utils/AGENTS.md ← <!-- Parent: ../AGENTS.md -->
└── docs/AGENTS.md ← <!-- Parent: ../AGENTS.md -->markdown<!-- Parent: {relative_path_to_parent}/AGENTS.md --> <!-- Generated: {timestamp} | Updated: {timestamp} --> # {Directory Name} ## Purpose {One-paragraph description of what this directory contains and its role} ## Key Files {List each significant file with a one-line description} | File | Description | |------|-------------| | `file.ts` | Brief description of purpose | ## Subdirectories {List each subdirectory with brief purpose} | Directory | Purpose | |-----------|---------| | `subdir/` | What it contains (see `subdir/AGENTS.md`) | ## For AI Agents ### Working In This Directory {Special instructions for AI agents modifying files here} ### Testing Requirements {How to test changes in this directory} ### Common Patterns {Code patterns or conventions used here} ## Dependencies ### Internal {References to other parts of the codebase this depends on} ### External {Key external packages/libraries used} <!-- MANUAL: Any manually added notes below this line are preserved on regeneration -->
Task(subagent_type="explore", model="haiku",
prompt="List all directories recursively. Exclude: node_modules, .git, dist, build, __pycache__, .venv, coverage, .next, .nuxt")Generate todo items for each directory, organized by depth level:
Level 0: / (root)
Level 1: /src, /docs, /tests
Level 2: /src/components, /src/utils, /docs/api
...IMPORTANT: Generate parent levels before child levels to ensure parent references are valid.
For each directory:
When AGENTS.md already exists:
<!-- MANUAL --> preserved)After generation, run validation checks:
| Check | How to Verify | Corrective Action | |-------|--------------|-------------------| | Parent references resolve | Read each AGENTS.md, check <!-- Parent: --> path exists | Fix path or remove orphan | | No orphaned AGENTS.md | Compare AGENTS.md locations to directory structure | Delete orphaned files | | Completeness | List all directories, check for AGENTS.md | Generate missing files | | Timestamps current | Check <!-- Generated: --> dates | Regenerate outdated files |
Validation script pattern:
bash# Find all AGENTS.md files find . -name "AGENTS.md" -type f # Check parent references grep -r "<!-- Parent:" --include="AGENTS.md" .
| Task | Agent | |------|-------| | Directory mapping | explore | | File analysis | architect | | Content generation | writer | | AGENTS.md writes | writer |
When encountering empty or near-empty directories:
| Condition | Action | |-----------|--------| | No files, no subdirectories | Skip - do not create AGENTS.md | | No files, has subdirectories | Create minimal AGENTS.md with subdirectory listing only | | Has only generated files (.min.js, .map) | Skip or minimal AGENTS.md | | Has only config files | Create AGENTS.md describing configuration purpose |
Example minimal AGENTS.md for directory-only containers:
markdown<!-- Parent: ../AGENTS.md --> # {Directory Name} ## Purpose Container directory for organizing related modules. ## Subdirectories | Directory | Purpose | |-----------|---------| | `subdir/` | Description (see `subdir/AGENTS.md`) |
markdown<!-- Generated: 2024-01-15 | Updated: 2024-01-15 --> # my-project ## Purpose A web application for managing user tasks with real-time collaboration features. ## Key Files | File | Description | |------|-------------| | `package.json` | Project dependencies and scripts | | `tsconfig.json` | TypeScript configuration | | `.env.example` | Environment variable template | ## Subdirectories | Directory | Purpose | |-----------|---------| | `src/` | Application source code (see `src/AGENTS.md`) | | `docs/` | Documentation (see `docs/AGENTS.md`) | | `tests/` | Test suites (see `tests/AGENTS.md`) | ## For AI Agents ### Working In This Directory - Always install dependencies after modifying the project manifest - Use TypeScript strict mode - Follow ESLint rules ### Testing Requirements - Run tests before committing - Ensure >80% coverage ### Common Patterns - Use barrel exports (index.ts) - Prefer functional components ## Dependencies ### External - React 18.x - UI framework - TypeScript 5.x - Type safety - Vite - Build tool <!-- MANUAL: Custom project notes can be added below -->
markdown<!-- Parent: ../AGENTS.md --> <!-- Generated: 2024-01-15 | Updated: 2024-01-15 --> # components ## Purpose Reusable React components organized by feature and complexity. ## Key Files | File | Description | |------|-------------| | `index.ts` | Barrel export for all components | | `Button.tsx` | Primary button component | | `Modal.tsx` | Modal dialog component | ## Subdirectories | Directory | Purpose | |-----------|---------| | `forms/` | Form-related components (see `forms/AGENTS.md`) | | `layout/` | Layout components (see `layout/AGENTS.md`) | ## For AI Agents ### Working In This Directory - Each component has its own file - Use CSS modules for styling - Export via index.ts ### Testing Requirements - Unit tests in `__tests__/` subdirectory - Use React Testing Library ### Common Patterns - Props interfaces defined above component - Use forwardRef for DOM-exposing components ## Dependencies ### Internal - `src/hooks/` - Custom hooks used by components - `src/utils/` - Utility functions ### External - `clsx` - Conditional class names - `lucide-react` - Icons <!-- MANUAL: -->
When running on an existing codebase with AGENTS.md files:
Other measured skills in the registry, with their headline benchmark lift.