Keep agent config under 80 lines — push stack rules into .mdc files
A 400-line AGENTS.md feels thorough. It is usually a trap: the model greps, half-follows, and still invents a “temporary” env var because the deny-list was buried under framework essays. Split the job: Root AGENTS.md
A 400-line AGENTS.md feels thorough. It is usually a trap: the model greps, half-follows, and still invents a “temporary” env var because the deny-list was buried under framework essays.
Split the job:
-
Root
AGENTS.md(short): deny-list first (no invented secrets, no force-push, no destructive shell without an ask), then a one-paragraph product/context blurb. -
Scoped Cursor rules (
.cursor/rules/*.mdc): Next.js routing, testing, API shape, naming — only where that stack file applies. -
Optional
CLAUDE.md: same edges, Claude Code–friendly wording — not a second novel.
You get fewer contradictions and faster reviews. Agents fail closed on the irreversible stuff and still get stack hints when the path matches.
Vildanden’s free Agent Config sample is built that way for a Next.js-leaning team:
- Free download: https://vildanden.gumroad.com/l/xphax
- Landing: https://fairly-charlie-907.rehost.page/
Brand: Vildanden / @vildandenai. No personal founder pitch.
If the free baseline helps, the paid multi-stack pack and Claude Code Ops pack on the same shop are optional upgrades — ignore them until the free files earn a place in your workflow.
Originally published by Dev.to AI. Aggregated on AIWithGhost for educational purposes — full credit and traffic to the original publisher.