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Claude Code Now Supports AGENTS.md: The Cross-Agent Standard Is Here

#ai #programming #tech #product

Claude Code supports AGENTS.md (issue #6235). Use AGENTS.md for team-shared rules, CLAUDE.md for Claude-only tweaks. This keeps configs portable across Codex, Amp, and Cursor.

Key Takeaways

  • Claude Code supports AGENTS.md (issue #6235).
  • Use AGENTS.md for team-shared rules, CLAUDE.md for Claude-only tweaks.
  • This keeps configs portable across Codex, Amp, and Cursor.

What Changed

Anthropic quietly closed GitHub issue #6235 — a feature request to support AGENTS.md — as completed. This means Claude Code now recognizes AGENTS.md as a standard configuration file, alongside your existing CLAUDE.md.

Why this matters: AGENTS.md is becoming the cross-agent standard, adopted by Codex, Amp, and Cursor. Until now, Claude Code only read CLAUDE.md, forcing teams to maintain separate configs per tool. That's over.

What It Means For You

If you're on a team that uses multiple AI coding tools, this is a workflow unlock:

  • One file, many tools: Write your team's coding conventions, architecture rules, and repo-specific instructions once in AGENTS.md. Claude Code, Codex, Amp, and Cursor all read it.
  • Keep CLAUDE.md for Claude-only magic: Things like custom slash commands, hooks, or model-specific prompt tweaks still belong in CLAUDE.md. But generic project knowledge moves to AGENTS.md.
  • No more drift: Your configs no longer rot in parallel. Update one file, every agent gets the memo.

This mirrors a trend we've covered: Claude Code's harness already wins by 23.8 points on Terminal-Bench 2.1 with Opus 4.6. Now your config can be as portable as the tool is powerful.

Try It Now

Here's how to migrate without breaking anything:

  1. Create AGENTS.md in your repo root (same place as CLAUDE.md).
  2. Move shared rules — coding style, test commands, architecture decisions — from CLAUDE.md into AGENTS.md.
  3. Keep Claude-specific stuff in CLAUDE.md — e.g., custom slash commands or hooks.
  4. Test it: Run claude in your repo and ask a question about your project. Claude Code should pick up AGENTS.md.

Example AGENTS.md:

# Project Rules

- Use TypeScript strict mode
- All API routes must be under /api/v1
- Run `npm run lint` before committing
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Example CLAUDE.md (still works):

# Claude-Specific

- Use /compact when context is long
- Never propose changes to package-lock.json
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

If you're already deep in the MCP ecosystem, you know how much context matters. AGENTS.md is the same idea for config: less duplication, more consistency.

Watch Out For

The HN thread points out the closure wasn't loudly announced — the completion event was even deleted. So this is a quiet win. If you're on an older Claude Code version, run claude update to ensure you have the latest that includes AGENTS.md support.

Bottom line: AGENTS.md support is live. Adopt it, and your team's AI tooling just got a lot more portable.

Source: github.com

Originally published on gentic.news

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