|
1 | 1 | # Global Agent Guidelines |
2 | 2 |
|
| 3 | +This guide provides comprehensive instructions for agents working with team members on development projects. It synthesizes best practices, workflows, and critical guidelines to ensure effective and safe code contributions. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Directory Structure and Purpose |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +Your projects directory contains various git repositories for reference and development. Each subdirectory is typically an independent git repository used for finding code examples, implementations, and reference material. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +**CRITICAL**: Reference repositories are for REFERENCE ONLY. Do not modify git configurations or remotes in these repositories. |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +## Essential Workflow Rules |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +### 1. Working Directory Guidelines |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +- **Read/explore**: Your main projects directory (reference repositories) |
| 16 | +- **Modify/experiment**: A dedicated workspace directory for isolated changes |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +**ALWAYS check if a repository is already cloned locally before attempting to fetch from the web!** Use `ls` or check the directory structure to see if the project you need is already present before cloning it for reference. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +### 2. Code Modification Workflow |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +When working on code changes: |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +1. **Always work in a dedicated workspace directory** |
| 25 | +2. **Use git worktrees** for creating isolated workspaces from existing repos |
| 26 | +3. **Only use git clone if the repository doesn't exist locally** |
| 27 | +4. **NEVER modify the remotes of existing reference repositories** |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +#### Git Worktree Workflow (Preferred) |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +Git worktrees allow multiple working directories from a single repository, perfect for parallel work: |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +```bash |
| 34 | +# First, check if the repo exists in your workspace |
| 35 | +cd ~/projects # or your designated workspace directory |
| 36 | +ls -la | grep REPO_NAME |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +# If repo exists, create a worktree |
| 39 | +cd ~/projects/REPO_NAME |
| 40 | +git worktree add ../REPO_NAME-FEATURE-PURPOSE -b feature-branch |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +# If repo doesn't exist, clone it first (check for your fork) |
| 43 | +gh repo view YOUR_USERNAME/REPO_NAME --web 2>/dev/null || echo "No fork found" |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +# Clone from your fork if it exists |
| 46 | +git clone [email protected]:YOUR_USERNAME/REPO_NAME.git REPO_NAME |
| 47 | +cd REPO_NAME |
| 48 | +git remote add upstream [email protected]:ORIGINAL_ORG/REPO_NAME.git |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +# Or clone from original if no fork |
| 51 | +git clone [email protected]:ORIGINAL_ORG/REPO_NAME.git REPO_NAME |
| 52 | +``` |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +#### Worktree Management |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +```bash |
| 57 | +# List all worktrees for a repo |
| 58 | +git worktree list |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +# Create a new worktree for a feature |
| 61 | +git worktree add ../repo-optimization -b optimize-feature |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +# Remove a worktree when done |
| 64 | +git worktree remove ../repo-optimization |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +# Clean up worktree references |
| 67 | +git worktree prune |
| 68 | +``` |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +Use descriptive worktree names that indicate purpose: |
| 71 | +- `gitchat-add-message-notification-queue` |
| 72 | +- `repo-name-issue-123` |
| 73 | +- `project-feature-description` |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +**Benefits of worktrees**: |
| 76 | +- Share the same git history and objects (saves disk space) |
| 77 | +- Switch between features instantly without stashing |
| 78 | +- Keep multiple experiments running in parallel |
| 79 | +- Easier cleanup - just remove the worktree directory |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +#### Workspace Maintenance |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +**Clean up build artifacts** when disk space is needed: |
| 84 | +```bash |
| 85 | +# For Rust projects |
| 86 | +cd ~/projects/repo-name |
| 87 | +pnpm clean # check package.json for specific clean script |
| 88 | +rm -rf dist/ # can delete dist or build output dir directly |
| 89 | +``` |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +**When to clean up workspaces**: |
| 92 | +- After PR has been merged |
| 93 | +- When changes have been abandoned |
| 94 | +- Before removing a worktree |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +```bash |
| 97 | +# Clean and remove a worktree |
| 98 | +cd ~/projects/repo-name |
| 99 | +git worktree remove ../repo-name-issue-123 |
| 100 | +``` |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +### 3. Git Workflow |
| 103 | + |
| 104 | +When working on code: |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +1. Create feature branches for your work |
| 107 | +2. Commit changes with clear messages |
| 108 | +3. Use descriptive branch names: `name/fix-something`, `name/add-feature`, `name/make-biome-happy-123456` |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +### 4. GitHub CLI (gh) Usage |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +The `gh` CLI tool is available for exploring GitHub repositories and understanding code context. |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | +#### Allowed Operations |
| 115 | + |
| 116 | +```bash |
| 117 | +# Repository exploration |
| 118 | +gh repo view owner/repo |
| 119 | +gh repo clone owner/repo # For initial clones |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +# Issues and PRs |
| 122 | +gh issue list --repo owner/repo |
| 123 | +gh issue view 123 --repo owner/repo |
| 124 | +gh pr list --repo owner/repo |
| 125 | +gh pr view 456 --repo owner/repo |
| 126 | +gh pr diff 456 --repo owner/repo |
| 127 | +gh pr checkout 456 # To examine PR branches locally |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +# API queries |
| 130 | +gh api repos/owner/repo/pulls/123/comments |
| 131 | +gh api repos/owner/repo/issues/123/comments |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +# Search operations |
| 134 | +gh search issues "query" --repo owner/repo |
| 135 | +gh search prs "query" --repo owner/repo |
| 136 | + |
| 137 | +# Status and authentication |
| 138 | +gh auth status |
| 139 | +gh status |
| 140 | + |
| 141 | +# Releases and workflows (read-only) |
| 142 | +gh release list --repo owner/repo |
| 143 | +gh release view v1.0.0 --repo owner/repo |
| 144 | +gh workflow list --repo owner/repo |
| 145 | +gh run list --workflow=ci.yml --repo owner/repo |
| 146 | +``` |
| 147 | +#### Common Use Cases |
| 148 | + |
| 149 | +1. **Examining PR discussions**: |
| 150 | + ```bash |
| 151 | + gh pr view 123 --comments |
| 152 | + gh api repos/wevm/wagmi/pulls/123/comments | jq '.[].body' |
| 153 | + ``` |
| 154 | + |
| 155 | +2. **Finding related issues**: |
| 156 | + ```bash |
| 157 | + gh search issues "performance" --repo wevm/wagmi --state open |
| 158 | + ``` |
| 159 | + |
| 160 | +3. **Checking PR changes**: |
| 161 | + ```bash |
| 162 | + gh pr diff 456 --repo owner/repo |
| 163 | + ``` |
| 164 | + |
| 165 | +## Task-Specific Guidelines |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +### Writing Code |
| 168 | + |
| 169 | +1. **Follow existing patterns** - Study how the project structures similar code |
| 170 | +2. **Check dependencies first** - Never assume a library is available |
| 171 | +3. **Maintain consistency** - Use the project's naming conventions and style |
| 172 | +4. **Security first** - Never expose secrets or keys in code |
| 173 | + |
| 174 | +### Commit Message Best Practices |
| 175 | + |
| 176 | +Writing excellent commit messages is crucial - they become the permanent record of why changes were made. |
| 177 | + |
| 178 | +#### Commit Title Format |
| 179 | + |
| 180 | +Use semantic commit format with a clear, specific title: |
| 181 | +- `feat:` - New features |
| 182 | +- `fix:` - Bug fixes |
| 183 | +- `perf:` - Performance improvements |
| 184 | +- `chore:` - Maintenance tasks |
| 185 | +- `docs:` - Documentation |
| 186 | +- `test:` - Test changes |
| 187 | +- `refactor:` - Code restructuring |
| 188 | +- `ci:` - CI/CD changes |
| 189 | + |
| 190 | +**Title guidelines**: |
| 191 | +- Be specific: `perf: add specialized multiplication for 8 limbs` not `perf: optimize mul` |
| 192 | +- Use imperative mood: "add" not "adds" or "added" |
| 193 | +- Keep under 50 characters when possible |
| 194 | +- Don't end with a period |
| 195 | + |
| 196 | +#### Commit Description (Body) |
| 197 | + |
| 198 | +The commit body is where you provide context and details about a specific commit. **This is different from PR descriptions**. Many commits do not have |
| 199 | +descriptions. |
| 200 | + |
| 201 | +**When to add a body**: |
| 202 | +- Breaking changes (note the impact) |
| 203 | +- Non-obvious changes (explain why, not what) |
| 204 | +- When a commit is very complex or cannot be split up, and is not the only distinct change in the branch or PR |
| 205 | + |
| 206 | +**Format**: |
| 207 | +``` |
| 208 | +<title line> |
| 209 | +<blank line> |
| 210 | +<body> |
| 211 | +<blank line> |
| 212 | +<footer> |
| 213 | +``` |
| 214 | + |
| 215 | +#### Examples |
| 216 | + |
| 217 | +**Performance improvement** (body required): |
| 218 | +``` |
| 219 | +perf: add specialized multiplication for 8 limbs |
| 220 | +
|
| 221 | +Benchmarks show ~2.7x speedup for 512-bit operations: |
| 222 | +- Before: ~41ns |
| 223 | +- After: ~15ns |
| 224 | +
|
| 225 | +This follows the existing pattern of specialized implementations |
| 226 | +for sizes 1-4, extending to size 8 which is commonly used. |
| 227 | +``` |
| 228 | + |
| 229 | +**Bug fix** (explain the issue): |
| 230 | +``` |
| 231 | +fix: correct carry propagation in uint addition |
| 232 | +
|
| 233 | +The carry bit was not properly propagated when the first limb |
| 234 | +overflowed but subsequent limbs were at MAX-1. This caused |
| 235 | +incorrect results for specific input patterns. |
| 236 | +
|
| 237 | +Added test case that reproduces the issue. |
| 238 | +``` |
| 239 | + |
| 240 | +**Simple feature** (title often sufficient): |
| 241 | +``` |
| 242 | +feat: add From<u128> implementation for Uint<256> |
| 243 | +``` |
| 244 | + |
| 245 | +**Complex change** (needs explanation): |
| 246 | +``` |
| 247 | +refactor: split trie updates into parallel work queues |
| 248 | +
|
| 249 | +Previous implementation processed all trie updates sequentially, |
| 250 | +creating a bottleneck during state root calculation. This change: |
| 251 | +
|
| 252 | +- Partitions updates by key prefix |
| 253 | +- Processes non-conflicting updates in parallel |
| 254 | +- Falls back to sequential for conflicts |
| 255 | +- Maintains deterministic ordering |
| 256 | +
|
| 257 | +Reduces state root time from 120ms to 35ms on 16-core machines. |
| 258 | +``` |
| 259 | + |
| 260 | +#### What NOT to Do |
| 261 | + |
| 262 | +- Don't write generic descriptions: "Update code", "Fix bug" |
| 263 | +- Don't use many bullet points unless listing multiple distinct changes |
| 264 | +- Don't make up metrics without measurements |
| 265 | +- Don't write essays - be concise but complete |
| 266 | + |
| 267 | +#### Key Principles |
| 268 | + |
| 269 | +1. **The title should make sense in a changelog** |
| 270 | +2. **The body should explain to a future developer why this change was necessary** |
| 271 | +3. **Include concrete measurements for performance claims** |
| 272 | +4. **Reference issues when fixing bugs**: `Fixes #12345` |
| 273 | +5. **Let improvements stand on their own merit** - don't invent generic justifications |
| 274 | +6. **Match detail to complexity** - Simple changes need simple descriptions |
| 275 | + |
3 | 276 | ## Critical Reminders |
4 | 277 |
|
5 | 278 | ### DO NOT |
|
0 commit comments