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docs: add AGENTS.md to guide AI agents on contribution workflow - #495

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Description
Adds an AGENTS.md file to help AI coding agents (like Kiro) avoid duplicate
work and align PRs with CollectOSS contribution guidelines.

Verified against the actual CONTRIBUTING.md, only documents real project
requirements. Covers duplicate work detection and PR alignment guidance.

Notes for Reviewers
This is the experimental phrasing we discussed on Slack, happy to iterate
on the wording based on what works best with Kiro in practice.

Signed commits

  • Yes, I signed my commits.

Adds an AGENTS.md file that helps AI coding agents (like Kiro) avoid
duplicate work and align PRs with CollectOSS contribution guidelines.

Covers:
- How to check for existing claims and PRs before starting an issue
- How to align PRs with CONTRIBUTING.md (branch targeting, issue refs,
  fork sync, scope discipline, when to ask on Slack)

Signed-off-by: Diptesh Roy <droy88333@gmail.com>

@MoralCode MoralCode left a comment

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Looks like a good first pass! Added a few suggestions

Comment thread AGENTS.md Outdated

Before starting on an issue, agents should:

1. **Check the issue thread** on GitHub for existing comments claiming it, or linked PRs.

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Suggested change
1. **Check the issue thread** on GitHub for existing comments claiming it, or linked PRs.
1. **Check the issue thread** on GitHub for existing comments claiming it, any existing assignees, comments or labels suggesting more information is needed before work starts, or linked PRs.

Comment thread AGENTS.md Outdated
```
3. **Check `git log` on `main`** for recent commits that may have already resolved it indirectly.

If a claim or existing PR is found, surface this to the user instead of proceeding, and suggest either reviewing/improving the existing PR or picking a different issue.

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Suggested change
If a claim or existing PR is found, surface this to the user instead of proceeding, and suggest either reviewing/improving the existing PR or picking a different issue.
If evidence of existing work (comments claiming the issue, assigned issue, or linked PR), surface this to the user instead of proceeding. Agents should encourage their human contributors who want to work on existing issues to take one of these paths:
- If there is an existing PR for the issue, leave your feedback as a code review or help test the PR.
- If there is no existing PR, join the CHAOSS Slack and/or encourage the issue claimer to join so that discussion can happen as development begins.
- Picking a different issue that isn't already claimed.
Joining the CHAOSS slack to coordinate is always a valid option for getting help. The join link is located on the https://chaoss.community/kb-getting-started/ page and the channel for this project is #wg-collectoss-8knot.

Comment thread AGENTS.md Outdated
Before opening a PR, agents should confirm against [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md):

- Branch is based on and targets `main` (not `release` — that's for tagged versions only)
- PR description clearly references the issue it closes (e.g. `closes chaoss/CollectOSS#<issue-number>`)

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Suggested change
- PR description clearly references the issue it closes (e.g. `closes chaoss/CollectOSS#<issue-number>`)
- PR description clearly references the issue it closes (e.g. `closes #<issue-number>`)

Comment thread AGENTS.md Outdated
- Scope stays limited to the linked issue — no unrelated refactors bundled in
- If uncertain about approach or the issue is ambiguous, ask in `#wg-collectoss-8knot` on the CHAOSS Slack rather than guessing

This keeps new contributions easy to review and reduces churn on "good first issue" PRs that skip existing context.

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Suggested change
This keeps new contributions easy to review and reduces churn on "good first issue" PRs that skip existing context.
Following these guidelines helps ensure that new contributions don't compete with each other in a way that is detrimental to contributor morale or contributing to maintainer burnout.

Comment thread AGENTS.md Outdated
- Scope stays limited to the linked issue — no unrelated refactors bundled in
- If uncertain about approach or the issue is ambiguous, ask in `#wg-collectoss-8knot` on the CHAOSS Slack rather than guessing

This keeps new contributions easy to review and reduces churn on "good first issue" PRs that skip existing context.

@EngCaioFonseca EngCaioFonseca Sep 28, 2026 •

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I think it's also very beneficial to add Karpathy's guidelines into this guide to ensure best practices, more efficiency and clean code in the design and implementation itself.

# Karpathy Guidelines

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes, derived from [Andrej Karpathy's observations](https://x.com/karpathy/status/2015883857489522876) on LLM coding pitfalls.

**Tradeoff:** These guidelines bias toward caution over speed. For trivial tasks, use judgment.

## 1. Think Before Coding

**Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.**

Before implementing:
- State your assumptions explicitly. If uncertain, ask.
- If multiple interpretations exist, present them - don't pick silently.
- If a simpler approach exists, say so. Push back when warranted.
- If something is unclear, stop. Name what's confusing. Ask.

## 2. Simplicity First

**Minimum code that solves the problem. Nothing speculative.**

- No features beyond what was asked.
- No abstractions for single-use code.
- No "flexibility" or "configurability" that wasn't requested.
- No error handling for impossible scenarios.
- If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.

Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.

## 3. Surgical Changes

**Touch only what you must. Clean up only your own mess.**

When editing existing code:
- Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.
- Don't refactor things that aren't broken.
- Match existing style, even if you'd do it differently.
- If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it - don't delete it.

When your changes create orphans:
- Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.
- Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.

The test: Every changed line should trace directly to the user's request.

## 4. Goal-Driven Execution

**Define success criteria. Loop until verified.**

Transform tasks into verifiable goals:
- "Add validation" → "Write tests for invalid inputs, then make them pass"
- "Fix the bug" → "Write a test that reproduces it, then make it pass"
- "Refactor X" → "Ensure tests pass before and after"

For multi-step tasks, state a brief plan:

1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]
3. [Step] → verify: [check]


Strong success criteria let you loop independently. Weak criteria ("make it work") require constant clarification.

Apply MoralCode's suggested changes:
- Expand issue-check step to include assignees, labels, and comments
- Replace single fallback suggestion with three explicit paths agents
  should encourage (review existing PR, join Slack for discussion,
  pick a different issue)
- Shorten PR closes syntax to 'closes #<issue-number>'
- Replace closing sentence with MoralCode's framing about contributor
  morale and maintainer burnout

Apply EngCaioFonseca's suggestion:
- Add Karpathy coding guidelines section covering: Think Before Coding,
  Simplicity First, Surgical Changes, Goal-Driven Execution

Signed-off-by: Diptesh Roy <droy88333@gmail.com>
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3 participants