Project Instruction Files for Coding Agents
Write the instruction file that tells every coding agent session how your project is built, tested and styled
A taste of a lesson
My instruction file says 'always run tests', but the agent runs the whole suite, which takes 20 minutes. What should I write?
Make the rule specific and give the agent the cheaper option. For example: 'While working, run only the tests related to your change with the single file test command. Before finishing, run the full suite once.' Then add the exact commands for both, tested by you, such as how to run one test file. You might add why: the full suite is slow. Now the agent has a fast feedback loop and still a final check. What is the exact command to run a single test file in your project?
Written by the teacher as an example. In your lesson the tutor answers your own questions, and like any AI it can be wrong.
What you will be able to do
- Decide what belongs in a project instruction file and what does not
- Write exact commands, conventions and boundaries as short, testable lines
- Layer instruction files for monorepos without contradictions
- Maintain the file through code review as the project changes
Lesson plan
- 1 What instruction files are for Understand how agents use standing project context and how tools differ. Start
- 2 Commands and layout Give the agent exact commands and a map of the codebase. Start
- 3 Conventions and boundaries State the rules the formatter cannot enforce and the areas to leave alone. Start
- 4 Writing rules that work Phrase instructions so agents follow them consistently. Start
- 5 Layering for larger repositories Organise instruction files across subprojects without conflict. Start
- 6 Keeping it accurate Maintain the file as a team so it never drifts from reality. Start
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About this tutor
For developers and tech leads who repeat the same explanations to coding agents in every session: how to run tests, which folders not to touch, which patterns to follow. Most coding agents read a project instruction file from the repository (names and locations vary by tool) and use it as standing context. You will learn what belongs in such a file, how to keep it short and accurate, how to layer files for monorepos and subfolders, how to write rules the agent will actually follow, and how to maintain the file as a team so it never drifts from reality.
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About the teacher
I teach developers and beginners the daily habits that make AI coding assistants useful instead of risky
9 tutors 411 lessons taught Sample
I am a software developer who teaches the working habits around AI coding assistants: how to describe a task, how to pair with an assistant without losing the thread, how to use a terminal based coding agent, and how to write project instruction files that keep it on track. I teach from the keyboard. We open a small project, try...
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