HeuristicIntermediate · 5 min
Leverage AGENTS.md for Claude Code project instructions
Use AGENTS.md to provide specific instructions for Claude Code when CLAUDE.md is absent.
When CLAUDE.md is not present in a folder, Claude Code will check for and use AGENTS.md.
Explanation
This allows for project-specific customization of Claude Code's behavior by providing instructions in a dedicated file, enhancing its utility for particular coding tasks or projects.
Example
Place an AGENTS.md file in your project directory to guide Claude Code's actions for that project.
Sources and credit
- Quoting Thariq Shihipar ↗Simon Willison · Sep 18, 2026 · paraphrased
First seen on Subvolts Sep 18, 2026. Updated Sep 18, 2026. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
Where it shows up
- Quoting Thariq ShihiparAnthropic · Simon Willison · Sep 18, 2026
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Questions people ask
- Which AI tools does this work with?
- The sources used it with .
- Where did this come from?
- Simon Willison. Subvolts collected, normalized and credited it; the link above opens the original.