Shared structure
AGENTS.md and Agent Skills publish reusable formats. Tool support still determines how they are discovered.
Automaton Toolsby Dead Reckoning Foundry70 templates · one practical map
Give every file
a clear job.
AI files make more sense when you sort them by purpose. Start with the job, then choose the format your tool actually reads.
Start small.A project usually needs a few of these files. This is a reference shelf, not an installation checklist.
Six jobs. Different files.
Select a job to explore its templates.
A recommended starting point
Start with your tool.
The minimum useful set, with optional additions kept separate.
See how the pieces connect.
A suggested project workflow—not automatic execution.
1. Decide
intent.mdWhy this change exists and what success means.
2. Define
spec.mdObservable behavior and acceptance criteria.
3. Implement
plan.md → tasks.mdFiles, sequence, and bounded work.
4. Verify
tests + evidenceProve the outcome; revise the intent if needed.
AGENTS.md guides the work throughout. SKILL.md supplies a procedure when needed. Memory preserves useful context. None of these documents alone enforces permissions.
Find your next file.
Choose a template to see its location, loading behavior, and source.
Not every .md is a standard.
A tool's convention
CLAUDE.md, persona files, editor rules, and spec workflows have their own paths and loading rules.
Explicitly connect it
Intent proposals and optional project documents need the correct workflow or a direct instruction to read them.
Six traps worth remembering.
Same name does not mean same behavior.
Hermes reads SOUL.md from its home directory. OpenClaw expects it in the agent workspace. MEMORY.md also has different locations and ownership across hosts.
INTENT.md means at least three different things.
Anthropic documents a change-level proto-spec. IntentDocs defines a product and release map. IntentSpec provides YAML metadata validated by JSON Schema. The library keeps these templates separate; do not treat them as interchangeable schemas.
An override can hide the file you expected to load.
Codex selects AGENTS.override.md instead of AGENTS.md in the same directory. Claude Code does not natively read AGENTS.md; a CLAUDE.md containing @AGENTS.md imports it. Warp still gives WARP.md priority when both names exist.
Codex · Claude Code · Warp
Old setup tutorials can point to retired files.
Current OpenClaw documentation retires TOOLS.md in favor of the Tools section in AGENTS.md. HEARTBEAT.md is replaced by monitor scratch state. VS Code prompt files are deprecated for Agent Host; skills are the migration path. Check your installed version before migrating.
Frontmatter fields belong to specific formats.
Cursor uses .mdc with globs and alwaysApply. Copilot instruction files use applyTo. Claude and Cline rules use paths. Kiro uses inclusion. Renaming a file does not translate its metadata.
A template is not an installed capability.
Replace placeholders, use the exact target path, and confirm the host lists or loads the file. A skill can describe a tool without making it available. A heartbeat checklist does not create a schedule. A memory note does not authorize cross-user sharing.
Research sources and coverage
Primary documentation checked September 10, 2026. This is a broad survey of major conventions, not a complete registry of every AI-related Markdown filename. The six-job map and starter selections are editorial recommendations. Host loading behavior was researched, not tested in each product.