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id course-agent-rules-l02
type course
title Decide the source of truth
summary AGENTS.md becomes the one file agents read; everything else is a pointer or a copy — decide, then write it down.
lang en-US
content_version 1
status reviewed
reviewed_on 2026-09-12
hints
title body
What this checkpoint tests
Deciding the single source of truth: `AGENTS.md` is the file agents read; every other rule file becomes a thin pointer or an exact copy.
title body
Pointer vs copy
A pointer is at most 10 non-empty lines and references `AGENTS.md`; a copy is byte-identical. Anything else is `diverged`. Write down which of your own repos' files would classify as which.
title body
When you are done
Your decision is written down: which file is the source, and what every other file may contain.

Decide the source of truth

Objective

AGENTS.md becomes the one file agents read; everything else is a pointer or a copy — decide, then write it down.

The lesson

Read the repository's own AGENTS.md and templates/AGENT_RULES.example.md. The decision this course enforces: AGENTS.md is the source (the AAIF-governed, agent-native standard); CLAUDE.md and .cursorrules may only point at it. Write your repository's decision as one sentence — that sentence is your contract.

Exercise

  • List which of your rule files restate rules instead of pointing
  • Ask the agent to critique your sentence for ambiguity

Checkpoint

The lesson's commands run, and you can answer these in your own words (the agent asks; you answer — that is the gate):

  1. Which command did this lesson run, and what did it decide?
  2. What failed at the start, and why — in your own words?
  3. Before trusting a similar change next time, what would you check first?

Expected evidence

The command transcript and your answers.