Summary
This PR proposes adding support for the AGENTS.md file format as an alternative to the existing SHAI.md convention, enabling broader compatibility with the emerging ecosystem of AI coding agents.
Motivation
AGENTS.md is becoming a de facto standard for providing repository-specific instructions to AI agents, adopted by multiple tools and platforms. Supporting both formats would:
- Improve interoperability — Users already maintaining
AGENTS.md files wouldn't need to duplicate content into SHAI.md
- Lower adoption friction — New users familiar with
AGENTS.md can onboard SHAI without learning a new convention
- Maintain backward compatibility — Existing
SHAI.md files continue to work as expected
Proposed Behavior
File resolution order (first match wins):
SHAI.md — Project-specific, takes precedence
AGENTS.md — Fallback if no SHAI.md exists
This allows teams to:
- Use
SHAI.md for SHAI-specific instructions
- Use
AGENTS.md for shared instructions across multiple AI tools
- Use both, with
SHAI.md overriding when needed
Implementation Scope
- Update file discovery logic to check for both filenames
- Document the resolution order in README
- Add tests covering fallback behavior
References
Questions for Maintainers
- Should
SHAI.md always take strict precedence, or consider a merge strategy?
- Any preference on handling nested/directory-level instruction files?
Summary
This PR proposes adding support for the
AGENTS.mdfile format as an alternative to the existingSHAI.mdconvention, enabling broader compatibility with the emerging ecosystem of AI coding agents.Motivation
AGENTS.mdis becoming a de facto standard for providing repository-specific instructions to AI agents, adopted by multiple tools and platforms. Supporting both formats would:AGENTS.mdfiles wouldn't need to duplicate content intoSHAI.mdAGENTS.mdcan onboard SHAI without learning a new conventionSHAI.mdfiles continue to work as expectedProposed Behavior
File resolution order (first match wins):
SHAI.md— Project-specific, takes precedenceAGENTS.md— Fallback if noSHAI.mdexistsThis allows teams to:
SHAI.mdfor SHAI-specific instructionsAGENTS.mdfor shared instructions across multiple AI toolsSHAI.mdoverriding when neededImplementation Scope
References
Questions for Maintainers
SHAI.mdalways take strict precedence, or consider a merge strategy?