Files
PaperClipAI/packages
DottaandClaude 84007892e9 refactor: move AGENTS.md section detail to docs and rules, add a bug-fixing section (#20585)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - `AGENTS.md` is the instruction file that each human and AI
contributor reads before a change
> - Pull request #20557 shortened the file, but several sections still
held detail that applies to only some changes
> - The scoped-rules section told agents to read each matching rule in
full, and most changes match five rules
> - The core engineering rules mixed three product invariants with
process conventions
> - This pull request moves that detail to the docs and to scoped rules,
and adds a section on how to fix a bug
> - The benefit is a 211-line file that states what applies to every
change and points to the rest

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

Refs #20557

**Issue type**

Outdated or unclear contributor documentation.

**Where is the issue?**

`AGENTS.md` at the repository root, and `rules/`.

**What's wrong?**

- The scoped-rules section made agents read the full body of each
matching rule before a change. The rule bodies total about 47 KB.
- Sections 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10 repeated detail that belongs in
`doc/DEVELOPING.md`, `doc/DATABASE.md`, a route rule, `DESIGN.md` and
`CONTRIBUTING.md`.
- Section 4 had a database reset command for `data/pglite`. That
directory does not exist.
- Section 5 had seven rules. Four of them were process conventions or
path-specific detail.
- The file did not say how to fix a bug.

**Suggested fix**

Make the rule headers the index. Move section detail to the document or
rule that owns it. Keep only the three invariants in section 5. Add a
bug-fixing section.

## What Changed

- The scoped-rules section now tells agents to list the rule headers
with one `grep` command. Agents read a rule body only for a design
decision in its area, when the description is not sufficient, or when a
reviewer cites it.
- `rules/README.md` says that each `description` must state the required
behavior in one sentence.
- `rules/pull-request-review.mdc` has a description that states its
requirements.
- Section 4 (dev setup) and section 11 (pull requests) now point to
`doc/DEVELOPING.md` and `CONTRIBUTING.md`.
- The schema change workflow moved from section 6 to `doc/DATABASE.md`.
- The API and auth expectations moved from section 8 to the new
`rules/api-route-expectations.mdc`.
- Section 9 links to `DESIGN.md` for design rules. `AGENTS.md` no longer
tells contributors to run `pnpm check:token-gates`.
- Added section 10, "Fixing a Bug": reproduce the error, write a failing
test, write the fix, see the test pass, and verify the fix.
- Section 5 now has three rules: company scope, contract
synchronization, and the control-plane invariants.
- The company-scope exceptions moved to the new
`rules/company-scope-exceptions.mdc`.
- Removed the strategic-docs rule. The plan-doc convention moved to the
repo map. The artifact rule moved to section 7.
- Removed rule 7. Five code comments that cited `AGENTS.md §5.7` now
cite `rules/data-paths.mdc`.
- Regenerated the SDK public source pin, because one of those comments
is in `packages/shared/src/crash-points.ts`.
- Added both new rules to `.greptile/files.json`.
- The API route rule applies only to routes that read or write company
data. Its status code list is a list of common codes.
- The company-scope rule lists the sidebar company order as an
instance-wide exception.
- The `honeycomb-tracing` skill now points to `rules/data-paths.mdc` for
the Telemetry workflow.

## Verification

- Open `AGENTS.md` and confirm that each link resolves. A local script
checked this.
- Run `grep -E '^(description|globs|alwaysApply):' rules/*.mdc` and
confirm that each rule prints a description.
- Run `node tests/runner-e2e/source-sdk-public-inputs.mjs <HEAD>
--check`. It passes locally.
- `packages/shared/src/crash-points.test.ts` passed locally before the
rebase onto `master`.
- Five source files changed in comments only. No other test suite ran
locally.

## Risks

- An agent that reads only rule descriptions can miss a detail in a rule
body. Reviewers still apply the full rules.
- Pull requests and the definition of done are now sections 11 and 12.
Sections 1 to 9 keep their numbers.
- Dated plan documents under `doc/plans/` still cite `AGENTS.md §5.7`.
They are historical records.
- Pull request #20565 also changes `AGENTS.md`. The second one to merge
needs a conflict fix in section 1 and section 2.

## Model Used

- Claude (Anthropic), in Claude Code with tool use.
- `claude-fable-5-2`.

## Checklist

- [x] I have included a thinking path that traces from project context
to this change
- [x] I have specified the model used (with version and capability
details)
- [x] I have checked ROADMAP.md and confirmed this PR does not duplicate
planned core work
- [x] I have searched GitHub for duplicate or related PRs and linked
them above
- [x] I have either (a) linked existing issues with `Fixes: #` / `Closes
#` / `Refs #` OR (b) described the issue in-PR following the relevant
issue template
- [x] I have not referenced internal/instance-local Paperclip issues or
links (only public GitHub `#NNN` / `github.com/paperclipai/paperclip`
URLs)
- [x] My branch name describes the change (e.g. `docs/...`, `fix/...`)
and contains no internal Paperclip ticket id or instance-derived details
- [ ] I have run tests locally and they pass
- [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable
- [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes
- [x] I have considered and documented any risks above
- [ ] All Paperclip CI gates are green
- [ ] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-11-10 11:00:31 -06:00
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