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Give your coding agent the context it needs.

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AI Steering / Open source

Choose the right files for your repository. Explore what belongs in each one, when to use it, and examples worth studying.

Browse the catalog Install the skill GitHub repository

Showing all 11 file patterns.

Agent-Agnostic Files

Start here for rules and context that should help every coding assistant work safely in the repo.

AGENTS.md

The shared operating manual every coding agent should read before changing the repo.

Use it for

  • repo-specific behavior that applies across tools
  • safe defaults, guardrails, and approval boundaries
  • exact commands agents can run with confidence
  • review, branch, and merge expectations

Should contain

  • concise project summary
  • preferred workflow
  • exact install, test, lint, build, and deploy commands
  • branch and PR policy
  • actions that need approval
  • rules agents should not bypass

PRODUCT.md

Product context that keeps implementation tradeoffs tied to users and outcomes.

Use it for

  • target users and use cases
  • the problem the product solves
  • major workflows and user journeys
  • business objectives and success criteria

Should contain

  • why the project exists
  • who it serves
  • what good looks like
  • what is in scope and out of scope
  • the outcomes that matter most

ANALYTICS.md

A checked-in measurement contract for product events, metrics, attribution, and privacy boundaries.

Use it for

  • canonical product and marketing metrics
  • event names, properties, identity, and versioning rules
  • funnel stages, attribution, and source-of-truth decisions
  • consent, privacy, retention, and excluded data
  • analytics validation and governance

Should contain

  • the outcomes and funnels the product measures
  • canonical event and property contracts
  • identity, attribution, and metric-source rules
  • data that must never be collected
  • consent and privacy requirements
  • how to validate changes and evolve the schema safely

TECH.md

The technical source of truth for stack, commands, and implementation constraints.

Use it for

  • framework and library choices
  • runtime and package manager versions
  • build, check, test, and deploy commands
  • deployment targets, integrations, and APIs

Should contain

  • the canonical stack
  • supported commands
  • preferred libraries and patterns
  • external services and APIs
  • the constraints agents must respect

STRUCTURE.md

A repo map that helps agents put code, docs, and tests in the right place.

Use it for

  • top-level directory layout
  • naming conventions
  • import patterns
  • module boundaries and ownership lines

Should contain

  • a directory map
  • ownership boundaries
  • import rules
  • placement rules for new files
  • special-case folders that matter for the agent

VISION.md

Long-term direction, non-goals, and taste principles that should outlast individual specs.

Use it for

  • long-term product direction
  • non-goals
  • design and product taste
  • the future state the project is trying to create

Should contain

  • vision and durable constraints
  • what the project should become
  • what should not drift
  • success criteria at the level of outcomes, not implementation

DESIGN.md

A design-system source of truth for AI-generated UI changes.

Use it for

  • design tokens and theme choices
  • typography and spacing
  • layout rules
  • component patterns
  • accessibility expectations

Should contain

  • the visual language
  • spacing and type rules
  • layout constraints
  • component style preferences
  • UI patterns to avoid

Agent-Specific Files

Add these when a tool needs its own syntax, memory model, or narrower workflow rules.

CLAUDE.md

The Claude Code memory file for repo-specific instructions and workflows.

Use it for

  • Claude-specific guidance
  • repo conventions that should persist across Claude sessions
  • build/test/verify expectations for Claude
  • workflow notes that are useful in Claude Code

Should contain

  • project-specific instructions
  • code style and review rules
  • build and test commands
  • escalation boundaries
  • paths or workflows Claude should handle carefully

GEMINI.md

The Gemini CLI context file for repo instructions, commands, and response preferences.

Use it for

  • Gemini-specific instructions
  • repo conventions that should persist across Gemini sessions
  • project context and response preferences
  • custom commands or tool usage hints

Should contain

  • project-specific context
  • coding conventions
  • build/test/verify notes
  • files or folders Gemini should prioritize

.github/copilot-instructions.md

Repository-wide instructions GitHub Copilot should apply when suggesting changes.

Use it for

  • Copilot instructions that apply across the repo
  • build/test/validation guidance
  • repo-specific coding standards
  • review and safety expectations

Should contain

  • how to build and test the repo
  • conventions and patterns to follow
  • constraints that should always be respected
  • any special validation steps

.cursor/rules/*.mdc

Path-scoped Cursor rules for workflows that need narrower guidance than a repo-wide file.

Use it for

  • file-specific or workflow-specific rules
  • path-scoped instructions
  • rule sets for certain parts of the repo
  • agent behavior that should not apply globally

Should contain

  • path or task scope
  • the conventions to follow in that scope
  • examples of good output
  • what should auto-apply vs stay manual

No matching files. Try commands, product, structure, or an assistant name.

Reusable workflow

Install the catalog as an agent skill.

The skill helps an agent choose, write, and audit steering files without copying this catalog into every repository.

Skills CLI

npx skills add LVTD-LLC/ai-steering

GitHub CLI

gh skill install LVTD-LLC/ai-steering ai-steering-files --agent codex --scope user
Read the skill source