AGENTS.md: A new file is taking over GitHub

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Already in 20,000+ repos, it’s basically the README.md for AI coding agents.

README.md → for humans (intro, contribution guide, quick start)
AGENTS.md → for AI (setup commands, testing workflows, coding style, PR rules)

By separating this context, devs keep READMEs clean while giving agents structured, machine-readable instructions. 

It works across tools like Codex, Jules, Cursor, Aider, and Zed – and even scales to monorepos.

Fans love it: simple Markdown, no lock-in.
Skeptics worry: it splits docs between humans and machines.

Either way, AGENTS.md feels a lot like README.md in its early days – simple, obvious, and maybe foundational for human–AI collaboration in coding.

What do you think: 

Is AGENTS.md the next open-source convention, or just another file cluttering repos?  

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Nikhilesh Tayal
Nikhilesh Tayal
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