A developer on Juejin shared their experience of writing a 2000-line AGENTS.md file for their project, which led to a debate among colleagues about whether such a file should be treated as a prompt for AI coding agents like Codex or as a traditional readme. The post highlights the growing trend of using structured markdown files to guide AI behavior in complex codebases, especially as AI agents become more integrated into development workflows. The key insight is that AGENTS.md can serve as a 'system prompt' for the AI, defining context, constraints, and preferred patterns, rather than just documenting the project. This practice is particularly relevant for teams using AI-assisted coding tools, as it can improve consistency and reduce errors. The debate also touches on the balance between documentation and instruction, and the need for clear conventions as AI agents become more autonomous. For overseas developers and technical leads, this signals a new area of best practices that could significantly impact productivity and code quality.
A developer's 2000-line AGENTS.md file sparks a debate on whether it's a prompt or a readme for AI coding agents, highlighting the need for structured instructions in AI-assisted development.