A new file is taking over GitHub: AGENTS.md

Leader posted Originally published at www.linkedin.com 1 min read

Already in 20,000+ repos, it’s basically the README.md for AI coding agents.

README.md → for humans (intro, contribution guide, quick start)

AGENTS.md → for AI (setup commands, testing workflows, coding style, PR rules)

By separating this context, devs keep READMEs clean while giving agents structured, machine-readable instructions.

It works across tools like Codex, Jules, Cursor, Aider, and Zed - and even scales to monorepos.

Fans love it: simple Markdown, no lock-in.

Skeptics worry: it splits docs between humans and machines.

What do you think:

Is AGENTS.md the next open-source convention, or just another file cluttering repos?

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