[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #63901: Add `AGENTS.md` for the project

[WordPress Trac]

#63901: Add `AGENTS.md` for the project
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 Reporter:  flixos90          |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement       |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal            |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Build/Test Tools  |     Version:
 Severity:  normal            |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                    |     Focuses:
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Comment (by justlevine):

 My anecdotal experience aligns with @johnbillion 's and @gziolo 's
 comments:

 ~~whatever.md~~ AGENTS.md is great when a project lacks documentation or
 tooling, but can't compete with those "sources of truth" and can in many
 cases cause LLM output to **degrade**, for example:

 - Across models, e.g. using absolutist language ("always","never") is
 strongly recommended in GPT3.5/Claude Sonnet 3.7, but a footgun in more
 "sycophantic" models like GPT4o.
 - When the .md conflicts with the sources of truth, e.g. when told to
 "follow WordPress Coding Standards" but the agent keeps discovering
 noncompliant code (legacy in core, modern if we're talking other
 WordPress/* projects) or the lints keep failing.


 ----


 Also want to remind folks how amorphous evaluating the efficacy of these
 early-stage experiments. Taking a cue from Matt's q&a (albeit in a
 different context), I think it's crucial to first lay out a plan to
 test/measure/iterate instead of just theory-crafting with our (albeit
 collectively experienced) gut. For example, we should be able to answer:
 - Is this (or any) AGENTS.md better or worse than no file at all
 - It this (or any) AGENTS.md better than a Directory Tree with some
 context comments and a link to existing documentation. (Or just the
 CONTRIBUTING.md if it's already been optimized for both humans and
 agents).
 - Is X version of the .md better or worse than whatever first version we
 decide to commit?

 Otherwise we're just throwing seeds out of the car window shouting "bloom"
 in hopes something will catch hold and germinate, there's faster and more
 effective/impactful ways to start a garden. (I'm assuming the metaphor was
 intended literally and not as employed by Mau)

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/63901#comment:7>
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