Agent Context Wiring

Agent Context Wiring Skill

Ensure that standards are discoverable by agent files without duplicating content.

Context

Agent files (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, .cursor/rules) guide Claude and other developers through your standards. These files must reference standards — never duplicate them — so that updates to a standard are immediately visible to agents.

Domain Context

The key principle of claude-standards is reference, never duplicate.

• Source of truth: docs/standards/ contains standard documents
• Agent files: CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, .cursor/rules/ contain references to standards
• When a standard is updated, agents automatically see the new version
• Agent files are always kept in sync with reality

Reference: levels/L1-context/templates/ for example context files

Instructions

1. Identify which agent tools are in use — Determine which files guide your team

   • Does your project use CLAUDE.md? (Almost always yes)
   • Does your project use AGENTS.md? (Yes, if you have team processes)
   • Does your project use .cursor/rules/? (Optional, for IDE context)
   • Deliverable: Inventory of context files in your project

2. Create or update CLAUDE.md — Add standards references

   • Should reference the standards directory: docs/standards/
   • Should list applicable standards by category
   • Example entry: See docs/standards/engineering/typescript.md for type safety rules
   • Rule: Always use relative paths (./docs/standards/...)
   • Deliverable: Updated CLAUDE.md with standards references

3. Create or update AGENTS.md — Add team process guidance

   • Should explain which standards agents should focus on
   • Should reference ceremonies and enforcement processes
   • Example: Before writing code, agents should read docs/standards/engineering/
   • Rule: Always use relative paths
   • Deliverable: Updated AGENTS.md with standards references

4. Create .cursor/rules/ files (if applicable) — Add IDE-level rules

   • Can create separate rule files for different categories
   • Example: .cursor/rules/engineering.md references docs/standards/engineering/
   • Use consistent format across rule files
   • Deliverable: New or updated .cursor/rules/ files

5. Verify standards are referenced, not duplicated — Check for content duplication

   • Search for exact phrases from standards in agent files
   • If found, replace with reference: See docs/standards/[category]/[standard].md
   • Guard: Agent files should never contain more than 1-2 line summaries
   • Deliverable: Agent files contain only references, no duplicated standard content

6. Run check-standards-refs.sh — Verify all references are valid

   ./levels/L2-ceremonies/scripts/check-standards-refs.sh
   

   • This script finds broken references (standards that don't exist)
   • Fix any broken paths before merging
   • Deliverable: All verification scripts pass

Anti-Patterns

1. Duplicating standard content into context files — Major maintenance burden

   • Wrong: Copy the entire error-handling standard into AGENTS.md
   • Right: "See docs/standards/engineering/error-handling.md for patterns"
   • Impact: When standard updates, agent file becomes stale
   • Guard: If you find yourself copy-pasting from a standard, stop and add a reference instead

2. Missing wiring — Standard exists but no agent sees it

   • Wrong: Write a new standard but forget to mention it in CLAUDE.md
   • Right: Create standard, add to README index, reference in CLAUDE.md
   • Impact: Standard is written but never discovered
   • Guard: Before marking a standard "done", verify it's referenced in at least one agent file

3. Hardcoded file paths instead of relative paths — Breaks in different contexts

   • Wrong: /Users/someone/projects/repo/docs/standards/engineering/api.md
   • Right: ./docs/standards/engineering/api.md
   • Impact: Paths break when repo is cloned or moved
   • Guard: All paths should be relative to project root

4. Inconsistent reference format — Agent files don't follow a pattern

   • Wrong: Some files use See docs/..., some use Read about..., some use Check...
   • Right: Use consistent format: See [Standard Title](./docs/standards/category/file.md)
   • Guard: Use markdown link format for consistency: [Title](path)

Further Reading

• levels/L1-context/templates/ — Example CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md
• levels/L2-ceremonies/scripts/check-standards-refs.sh — Reference verification script
• AGENTS.md (in this repo) — Example of well-wired agent context

Source: sethdford/claude-standards — distributed by TomeVault.