Analyzing AGENTS.md in Top 100 Repos: Strict Rules and 'Don't Claim Timed-out Tests Passed'
ohansemmanuel · reddit · 2026-08-21
Analysis of AGENTS.md files from the top 100 most-starred repos (27% of the top 1,000). Consensus focuses on architecture, testing, and code style. The surprise is the tone: 90% use mandatory language (must/always/never), with 784 explicit "don't" bullets that often reflect specific past agent errors. The funniest rule: "Do not claim that an interrupted or timed-out test passed." Neovim has the shortest file (35 words), requiring AI-assisted commit disclosures.
More from Companies & People
- Menlo Ventures partner on Anthropic and OpenAI IPO outlook — mmurph · 2026-08-22
- OpenAI outgrows Anthropic due to aggressive user acquisition strategy — AccBalanced · 2026-08-22
- Founder Rages: SaaS Product Cloned Word-for-Word by AI — gaganghotra_ · 2026-08-22
- Course: Scratch to Scale for Real-World HPC Training — HamelHusain · 2026-08-22
- PyTorch Conference NA 2026 Announced; User Feedback Drives Fault Tolerance Work — PyTorch · 2026-08-22
- GitHub monthly commits double to 2.9 billion in four months — dhruv2038 · 2026-08-21