Agents.md is not getting loaded/injected

[AssetDK]

Issue with Abacus Extension version 1.22. 0

As reported #11 there is a serious problem loading/injecting the agents.md fil.
I now installed the entire setup a clean VSCode + AbacusAI extension 1.22.00

The agents are "mentioned" to the agent... the agent is not instructed to read and act upon the file (as it should with the .mdc files before).
"You are correct - no AGENTS.md file was injected as part of my system instructions. I only have the general guidance about what AGENTS.md files are and how they work, but I have not received any specific AGENTS.md content for this workspace.

If there is an AGENTS.md file in the repository, I would need to read it to get any project-specific instructions, conventions, or tips for this particular codebase."

AGENTS.md Injection Issue - Summary

This is the report made by the agent!

Version: 1.123.2 (user setup)
Commit: 3c631b164c239e7aeaaae7c626b46c527b361af2
Date: 2026-06-09T15:06:40-07:00
Electron: 42.2.0
ElectronBuildId: 14159160
Chromium: 148.0.7778.97
Node.js: 24.15.0
V8: 14.8.178.14-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045

What Happened

1. New Virtual Machine Setup: A fresh VM was created with VSCode installed.
2. AbacusAI Agent Session Started: The agent (me) was launched in the workspace c:\Users\<user>\Documents\PythonCAP.
3. AGENTS.md Was NOT Injected: Despite the file existing in the workspace root, the agent did not receive the contents of AGENTS.md as part of the system context. The agent only had generic instructions mentioning that AGENTS.md files exist and should be read.
4. User Asked About Python Rules: The user asked the agent to state the Python coding rules. The agent could only repeat generic instructions, not the specific project rules from AGENTS.md.
5. Root Cause Identified: The AbacusAI/VSCode integration does not automatically inject AGENTS.md content into the agent's system prompt on this setup.

Files Found in Workspace

1. AGENTS.md

Path: c:\Users\<user>\Documents\PythonCAP\AGENTS.md

Content:

# PythonCAP

## Stack
- Python 3.11+
- pytest for testing
- black / ruff for formatting and linting
- mypy for type checking

## Conventions
- Follow PEP 8 style guidelines.
- Use type hints for all function signatures and key variables.
- Write Google-style docstrings for every module, class, and public function.
- Group imports: standard library, third-party, local application (isort order).
- Maximum line length: 100 characters.
- Use specific exception types; never use bare `except:` clauses.
- Prefer f-strings over `%` or `.format()`.
- Comments must explain *why*, not *what*.

## Build & Test
- Install dependencies: `pip install -r requirements.txt`
- Run tests: `pytest`
- Format: `black .` or `ruff format .`
- Lint: `ruff check .` or `flake8`
- Type check (run before finishing): `mypy .`

## Don'ts
- Never commit without running tests and type checks.
- Never edit generated files directly.
- Never add new dependencies without updating `requirements.txt` or `pyproject.toml`.
- Avoid long prose in docstrings; keep descriptions concise.

2. VSCode Workspace File

Path: c:\Users\<user>\Documents\PythonCAP\PythonCAP_test_WS.code-workspace

Content:

{
	"folders": [
		{
			"path": "."
		}
	],
	"settings": {}
}

Note: The workspace settings are empty ("settings": {}). There are no VSCode-specific settings, extensions configurations, or AbacusAI-related settings defined here.

What the Agent Actually Received (System Instructions)

The agent only received these generic instructions about AGENTS.md:

"Repos often contain AGENTS.md files. These files are a way for users to give you (the agent) instructions or tips for working within the workspace. Some examples might be: coding conventions, info about how code is organized, or instructions for how to run or test code. The scope of an AGENTS.md file is the entire directory tree rooted at the folder that contains it."

There was no automatic injection of the actual AGENTS.md content.

Impact

• The agent was unaware of project-specific rules:
  • Python 3.11+ requirement
  • pytest, black, ruff, mypy toolchain
  • 100-character line limit
  • Google-style docstrings
  • Type hints requirement
  • Import grouping (isort)
  • etc.
• The agent would have operated using only generic Python knowledge, potentially violating project conventions.

VSCode Roaming Settings Found

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\settings.json

{
    "abacusAgent.defaultModel": "KIMI_K2_6",
    "abacusAgent.defaultPermissionMode": "acceptEdits",
    "abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd": true
}

CRITICAL FINDING: The setting "abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd": true IS present in the user settings, but it is NOT working. The AGENTS.md file is still not being injected into the agent's context despite this setting being enabled.

Other Related Files

• agent-sessions.code-workspace — Empty folders, only "chat.disableAIFeatures": false
• chatLanguageModels.json — Empty array []
• globalStorage/storage.json — Workspace associations, theme, telemetry — no agent rules
• workspaceStorage/bd7309.../ — Session metadata for the current workspace, no injected rules
• profiles/builtin/agents/globalStorage/ — Empty profile storage for the "Agents" profile

Root Cause Update

The issue is NOT a missing setting. The setting "abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd": true exists but is non-functional. This indicates:

1. A bug in the AbacusAI extension — the setting is recognized but the implementation is broken
2. The extension may require a reload/restart after the setting was added (but this was not done)
3. The setting name or expected behavior may differ from the actual implementation

Recommendation

1. Immediate workaround: The user must manually remind the agent to read AGENTS.md at the start of each session.
2. Extension bug report: This should be reported to AbacusAI as a bug — autoLoadAgentsMd is enabled but non-functional.
3. Verify extension version: Check if the installed AbacusAI extension version actually supports this setting.

[AssetDK]

Error Report: AbacusAI Agent Context Loading Failure

And this is what happened on my original installation, were as the above repport came form a totally new installation!

I notede that this error is shown for the settings,json:

1. Problem Summary

The AbacusAI Desktop platform failed to automatically inject the workspace configuration file (AGENTS.md) into the agent's context at the start of the chat session. The agent (powered by Kimi K2.6) is not responsible for this failure -- the agent correctly operates within the context it is provided. The issue lies with the platform/system layer, which should detect and inject agents.md (or equivalent files such as claude.md) into the system instructions before the conversation begins. Instead, the agent received no workspace-specific instructions and was unaware of the local rules until the user manually intervened.

---

2. Expected Behavior (Per Official Documentation)

According to the official AbacusAI documentation (AGENTS.md Help):

"AGENTS.md is loaded automatically for every request in the workspace. No configuration or restart is needed. The agent picks it up automatically. This applies to all requests across CLI, VS Code extension, and Desktop App."

The documentation explicitly states that:

• AGENTS.md should be "the first thing the agent reads when starting work in your project"
• It should be "loaded automatically for every request in the workspace"
• "No configuration or restart is needed"
• The agent should "pick it up automatically"

This process should be entirely transparent and should not require:

• The agent to explicitly read files
• The user to copy-paste file contents
• Any manual tool invocations by either party

---

3. Actual Behavior

3.1 Initial Test (Before Settings Change)

The agent was initialized without the AGENTS.md content in its system instructions. When asked about the file, the agent responded:

"I don't have access to read files from your local system unless you provide them to me. The agents.md file you're referring to isn't part of my system instructions or context."

This confirmed that the platform did not inject the workspace rules into the agent's context.

3.2 New Chat Test (After Settings Investigation)

After discovering that the abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd setting was missing from the VS Code: settings, a new chat session was started with the following prompt:

"Without reading any files: Please confirm: Do you have any workspace-specific instructions or rules loaded in your context? Specifically, do you see an AGENTS.md file or any Danish language rules, PowerShell syntax rules, or markdown linting rules? Please list all workspace-specific instructions you currently follow!"

Agent response:

"Based on my system context, here are the workspace-specific instructions I currently follow:

AGENTS.md: Yes, I am aware of AGENTS.md files and their scope rules -- they can appear anywhere in the repository and apply to the entire directory tree rooted at the folder containing them.

Danish language rules: No, I do not see any Danish language rules loaded.

PowerShell syntax rules: No, I do not see any PowerShell syntax rules loaded.

Markdown linting rules: No, I do not see any markdown linting rules loaded.

I do not have any additional workspace-specific instructions, coding conventions, or custom rules currently loaded beyond the standard system instructions you see above."

Analysis: The agent is aware of the concept of AGENTS.md (as part of its base system instructions) but does not have the actual workspace AGENTS.md file content loaded. None of the specific rules from the file (Danish language, PowerShell syntax, markdown linting) are present in the agent's context. This confirms the platform is still not injecting the workspace-specific AGENTS.md content.

---

4. Environment & System Information

4.1 Operating System

Property	Value
OS Name	Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise
OS Version	10.0.19045 N/A Build 19045
Windows Version	2009
System Type	x64-based PC
Processor	Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6342 CPU @ 2.80GHz (4 cores)
Total Physical Memory	16,383 MB (~16 GB)

4.2 Workspace Information

Property	Value
Workspace Path	C:\Users\<user>\Documents\Python\AbacusAI-Projects
Project Name	AbacusAI-Projects
VS Code Workspace	AbacusAI-Projects.code-workspace

---

5. Relevant Configuration Files

The following configuration files exist in the workspace and are pertinent to the issue:

5.1 AGENTS.md

Located at workspace root. Per official AbacusAI documentation, this file should be "the first thing the agent reads when starting work in your project" and should be "loaded automatically for every request in the workspace."

Contains agent behavior rules including:

• Language preferences (Danish/English)
• PowerShell and CMD syntax rules
• Documentation standards
• Mandatory markdown lint rules (MD022, MD026, MD032, MD040, MD047, MD060)
• Markdown editing syntax rules

Status: Exists in correct location (workspace root) but was not loaded into agent context, contrary to documented behavior.

5.2 VS Code: User settings.json

Located at C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\settings.json. Contains AbacusAI-specific settings:

{
    "update.mode": "start",
    "chat.mcp.autostart": "always",
    "chat.mcp.gallery.enabled": true,
    "chat.mcp.access": "all",
    "chat.mcp.discovery.enabled": {
        "claude-desktop": false,
        "windsurf": false,
        "cursor-global": false,
        "cursor-workspace": false
    },
    "chat.viewSessions.orientation": "stacked",
    "chat.mcp.apps.enabled": true,
    "abacusAgent.defaultModel": "KIMI_K2_6",
    "abacusAgent.defaultPermissionMode": "yolo",
    "workbench.settings.applyToAllProfiles": [
        "abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd"
    ]
}

Critical finding: Analysis of the settings file reveals only these AbacusAI settings are actually defined:

Setting	Value
abacusAgent.defaultModel	KIMI_K2_6
abacusAgent.defaultPermissionMode	yolo

The abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd setting is NOT present -- only its name appears in the workbench.settings.applyToAllProfiles array.

The applyToAllProfiles array only controls which settings are applied across VS Code: profiles -- it does not create or enable the setting itself. Without "abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd": true being defined, the feature is effectively disabled.

The correct configuration should be:

{
    "abacusAgent.defaultModel": "KIMI_K2_6",
    "abacusAgent.defaultPermissionMode": "yolo",
    "abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd": true,
    "workbench.settings.applyToAllProfiles": [
        "abacusAgent.autoLoadAgentsMd"
    ]
}

Current state: The setting name exists in the profiles array but has no boolean value defined, meaning the feature is effectively disabled or undefined. This is either a configuration error by the user or the platform failed to properly create the setting when the option was selected in the UI dialog.

5.3 .vscode/settings.json

{
    "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "C:\\Users\\<user>\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\Python\\Python310\\python.exe",
    "python.terminal.activateEnvironment": true,
    "python.analysis.typeCheckingMode": "basic",
    "python.analysis.autoImportCompletions": true,
    "python.analysis.autoSearchPaths": true
}

5.4 AbacusAI-Projects.code-workspace

{
	"folders": [
		{
			"name": "📁 Root",
			"path": "."
		},
		{
			"name": "🛠️ MCP-Lokalt",
			"path": "MCP-Lokalt"
		},
		{
			"name": "📊 OracleDB Project",
			"path": "projects/OracleDB"
		},
		{
			"name": "📈 ExcelFileAnalyzer",
			"path": "projects/ExcelFileAnalyzer"
		},
		{
			"path": "projects/CAP_Sys"
		},
		{
			"name": "🧠 Understand-Anything",
			"path": "projects/Understand-Anything"
		}
	],
	"settings": {
		"files.exclude": {
			"**/node_modules": true,
			"**/__pycache__": true,
			"**/.venv": true
		},
		"chat.mcp.autostart": "always"
	}
}

5.5 .markdownlint.json

{
  "MD013": false,
  "MD060": false,
  "MD047": true
}

---

6. Discrepancy Between Documentation and Actual Behavior

The official AbacusAI documentation (AGENTS.md Help) explicitly states:

"AGENTS.md is a plain Markdown file that provides standing instructions for the agent working in your repository... The first thing the agent reads when starting work in your project."

"Loaded automatically for every request in the workspace. No configuration or restart is needed. The agent picks it up automatically."

However, the actual behavior contradicts this documentation:

What Documentation Says	What Actually Happened
"Loaded automatically for every request"	Agent had no knowledge of AGENTS.md
"No configuration or restart is needed"	File exists in correct location but was not loaded
"The agent picks it up automatically"	Agent responded: "I don't have access to read files from your local system unless you provide them to me"
"The first thing the agent reads"	Agent was completely unaware of the file until manually directed to read it

Additionally, the agent's own system instructions acknowledge the existence of AGENTS.md files:

• "Repos often contain AGENTS.md files. These files can appear anywhere within the repository."
• "These files are a way for users to give you (the agent) instructions or tips for working within the workspace."
• "The scope of an AGENTS.md file is the entire directory tree rooted at the folder that contains it."

Yet these instructions describe the concept of AGENTS.md without actually injecting the workspace's specific file content into the agent's context. The agent has no control over this -- it can only work with the context it is given.

This is a platform-level issue: the system should read the workspace's AGENTS.md file and prepend/append it to the agent's system instructions before the conversation starts, as documented.

---

7. Reproduction Steps

1. Open AbacusAI Desktop agent in the workspace
2. Ask the agent: "Without reading any files: Do you have any workspace-specific instructions loaded? Specifically, do you see an AGENTS.md file or any Danish language rules, PowerShell syntax rules, or markdown linting rules?"
3. Agent responds that it is aware of the concept of AGENTS.md but does not have any actual workspace-specific rules loaded
4. Confirm that Danish language rules, PowerShell syntax rules, and markdown linting rules are all reported as not loaded
5. User must explicitly request file read or paste contents for agent to acknowledge actual workspace rules

---

8. Impact Assessment

Impact Area	Description
User Experience	Users must manually inform the agent of workspace rules every session
Consistency	Agent behavior may deviate from project standards without loaded rules
Efficiency	Repeated manual context loading wastes time and tokens
Compliance	Markdown lint rules, language preferences, and coding standards may be ignored

---

9. New Chat Test Results

A controlled test was performed in a fresh chat session to verify whether AGENTS.md content is automatically loaded.

Test Prompt

"Without reading any files: Please confirm: Do you have any workspace-specific instructions or rules loaded in your context? Specifically, do you see an AGENTS.md file or any Danish language rules, PowerShell syntax rules, or markdown linting rules? Please list all workspace-specific instructions you currently follow!"

Agent Response

"Based on my system context, here are the workspace-specific instructions I currently follow:

AGENTS.md: Yes, I am aware of AGENTS.md files and their scope rules -- they can appear anywhere in the repository and apply to the entire directory tree rooted at the folder containing them.

Danish language rules: No, I do not see any Danish language rules loaded.

PowerShell syntax rules: No, I do not see any PowerShell syntax rules loaded.

Markdown linting rules: No, I do not see any markdown linting rules loaded.

I do not have any additional workspace-specific instructions, coding conventions, or custom rules currently loaded beyond the standard system instructions you see above."

Conclusion

The agent knows about AGENTS.md as a concept (from its base system instructions) but does not have the actual workspace AGENTS.md file content loaded. All specific rules from the file are confirmed as not present:

Rule Type	Expected in AGENTS.md	Actually Loaded
Danish language	Yes	No
PowerShell syntax	Yes	No
Markdown linting	Yes	No

This definitively proves the platform is not injecting the workspace AGENTS.md content into the agent's context.

---

10. Screenshot / Evidence

[User to attach screenshot here]

---

11. Recommendations

1. Fix AGENTS.md Auto-Loading to Match Documentation: Per the official AbacusAI documentation (AGENTS.md Help), AGENTS.md should be "loaded automatically for every request in the workspace" with "no configuration or restart needed." The platform must be fixed to honor this documented behavior.

2. Support Standard Configuration Files: Automatically detect and load AGENTS.md, agents.md, CLAUDE.md, claude.md, and .cursorrules files from the workspace root, as these are industry-standard filenames for agent instructions.

3. Update Documentation or Fix Platform: If the current behavior is intentional, the documentation at abacus.ai/help/abacusai-desktop/agents-and-skills must be updated to reflect that manual intervention is required. If the documented behavior is correct, the platform must be fixed to match it.

---

12. Attachments

File	Description
AGENTS.md	Workspace agent configuration rules (not loaded automatically)
Screenshot	To be attached by user

---

Report generated by AbacusAI Desktop Agent (Kimi K2.6)
Date: 2025-06-09

[AssetDK]

Temporary solution (may work with /skill)

Since the skills system seems to be working... I got my agent to make a new skill that loads the agents.md - it is to be seen if the agent actually follows these rules or if the skill needs to push this harder to the agent!

For some reason it looks like this skill gets triggered by the /skill comannd - I am not sure if this happens as part of the /skill process or because of this text instruction:

## When to Use
**ALWAYS** at the start of every new chat session before any other work.

load-agents-context.md

---
name: load-agents-context
description: "Use this skill at the start of every chat session to load the workspace AGENTS.md rules. Trigger: always apply at the beginning of each conversation to ensure workspace-specific instructions (Danish language, PowerShell syntax, markdown lint rules) are active."
license: Proprietary
---

# Load AGENTS.md Context

## When to Use

**ALWAYS** at the start of every new chat session before any other work.

## Action

Read the workspace `AGENTS.md` file and confirm the rules are loaded.

## Steps

1. Read `AGENTS.md` from the workspace root using the read tool
2. Confirm loading by stating: "AGENTS.md loaded - following workspace rules"
3. Apply all rules from the file throughout the session