Four layers of context
| Layer | What it is |
|---|---|
| Instructions | One AGENTS.md in your repo: commands, layout, rules and gotchas |
| Tool wiring | Symlinks so Claude Code, Copilot, Gemini, Windsurf, Cline, Aider and Zed all read that same file |
| Reference | Imports, decorators, request pipeline and patterns in a form an agent can scan |
| Gates | A production-readiness checklist an agent or reviewer can walk through |
One file, no drift
Maintaining nine copies of the same rules guarantees they drift. One AGENTS.md means the rules Claude Code follows are the rules Copilot follows, a change to agent behaviour is a normal pull request diff, and switching tools costs nothing.
Add it to an existing project
New projects get this from austial new. For an existing project, download the template and run the setup script. In CI, running it with --check fails the build if a symlink goes missing.
curl -fsSL https://docs.austial.com/AGENTS.md -o AGENTS.md
curl -fsSL https://docs.austial.com/setup-agents.sh -o setup-agents.sh
sh setup-agents.shDocs published for machines
The documentation is available as llms.txt, with page titles and summaries, and as llms-full.txt, with every page as plain text. They are generated from the docs on every build, so they stay current.
What the agent still needs from you
With the template in place, an agent reliably gets framework mechanics right: module registration, dependency injection, the request pipeline and the verification loop. It cannot know your business rules, threat model or deployment target. Those belong in the Project facts block of AGENTS.md and in code review.
Frequently asked questions
What is AGENTS.md?
AGENTS.md is a plain Markdown file in your repository that tells AI coding tools how your project works: commands to run, code layout and rules to follow.
Which AI tools does Austial support?
The setup links Claude Code, Copilot, Gemini, Windsurf, Cline, Aider and Zed to the single AGENTS.md.
Can I opt out?
Yes. Pass --skip-agents to austial new and no AGENTS.md or symlinks are written.