Starter template

Universal AGENTS.md starter + bridge files for every coding agent

One AGENTS.md that Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Claude Code and Gemini CLI all read, with bridge files, a loading-rules cheat sheet and a handoff template.

· By Codema Editorial

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Write your rules once. These files make every major coding agent read them.

Preview: LOADING-RULES.md

| Agent | Reads by default | To make it use AGENTS.md |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Codex** | `AGENTS.md` (or `AGENTS.override.md`), one per folder, merged from the repo root down. Default size cap 32 KiB (`project_doc_max_bytes`). | Nothing to do. |
| **Cursor** | `AGENTS.md` at the root and in subfolders, plus `.cursor/rules/*.mdc`. | Nothing to do. A plain `.md` in `.cursor/rules` is ignored. |
| **GitHub Copilot** | The nearest `AGENTS.md` in the tree. It also uses `.github/copilot-instructions.md` if that exists. | Nothing to do. |
| **Claude Code** (v2.1.277+) | `AGENTS.md` **only if there is no** `CLAUDE.md`, `.claude/CLAUDE.md` or `CLAUDE.local.md` in the folder or above. | If you keep a `CLAUDE.md`, start it with `@AGENTS.md` (included). |
| **Gemini CLI** | `GEMINI.md`. | Add `.gemini/settings.json` with `context.fileName` (included), or put `@./AGENTS.md` in GEMINI.md. |

## Quick fixes for "my AGENTS.md never loads"

What's inside

  • AGENTS.md: project rules with [brackets] to fill in
  • CLAUDE.md: one-line bridge that imports @AGENTS.md
  • .gemini/settings.json: makes Gemini CLI load AGENTS.md
  • LOADING-RULES.md: what each agent reads, and fixes
  • HANDOFF.md: pass a task from one agent to another

How to use it

  1. Unzip into your repo root.
  2. Fill in AGENTS.md. Delete what you don't need.
  3. Already have .gemini/settings.json? Merge the context key instead of replacing it.
  4. Commit. Done.

Who it's for

Anyone using more than one coding agent on the same repo.

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