> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.open-harness.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AGENTS.md

> Automatic instruction loading from project files

OpenHarness supports the [AGENTS.md](https://agents.md) spec. On first run, the agent walks up from the current directory to the filesystem root looking for `AGENTS.md` or `CLAUDE.md`. The first file found is loaded and prepended to the system prompt.

## How It Works

When an agent runs for the first time, it:

1. Starts from the current working directory
2. Walks up the directory tree toward the filesystem root
3. Looks for `AGENTS.md` or `CLAUDE.md` at each level
4. Loads the first file found and prepends its content to the system prompt

This allows you to define project-specific instructions that any agent running in that directory will automatically pick up.

## Disabling Instructions

This behavior is enabled by default. Set `instructions: false` to disable it:

```typescript theme={"dark"}
const agent = new Agent({
  name: "dev",
  model: openai("gpt-5.4"),
  tools: { ...fsTools, bash },
  instructions: false, // don't load AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md
});
```

## Use Cases

* **Project conventions** — coding style, test requirements, deployment rules
* **Safety guardrails** — directories the agent should never modify, commands to avoid
* **Context** — project architecture notes, key dependencies, known issues