https://emsenn.net/tags/repository-design/ Recent content in Repository-Design on emsenn.net Hugo en Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://emsenn.net/library/domains/engineering/domains/tech/domains/computing/domains/artificial-intelligence/domains/agents/texts/per-directory-agent-instructions/ Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://emsenn.net/library/domains/engineering/domains/tech/domains/computing/domains/artificial-intelligence/domains/agents/texts/per-directory-agent-instructions/ <p>Agent instruction files — AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, copilot-instructions.md — tell AI agents how to behave when working in a repository. Most start as a single root file. As repositories grow, the question arises: should subdirectories carry their own instructions?</p> <p>This text surveys how per-directory agent instructions work across the ecosystem, what the research says about their effectiveness, and how the patterns apply to knowledge repositories (as opposed to code repositories).</p>