agent-ready
Best practices for setting up high-quality GitHub repos for AI coding agents. Use when setting up a new repo, improving an existing repo's infrastructure, or answering "what does this repo need for agents to work effectively". Triggers on "set up repo", "make repo agent-ready", "repo best practices", "/agent-ready".
Best use case
agent-ready is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Best practices for setting up high-quality GitHub repos for AI coding agents. Use when setting up a new repo, improving an existing repo's infrastructure, or answering "what does this repo need for agents to work effectively". Triggers on "set up repo", "make repo agent-ready", "repo best practices", "/agent-ready".
Teams using agent-ready should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/agent-ready/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How agent-ready Compares
| Feature / Agent | agent-ready | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Best practices for setting up high-quality GitHub repos for AI coding agents. Use when setting up a new repo, improving an existing repo's infrastructure, or answering "what does this repo need for agents to work effectively". Triggers on "set up repo", "make repo agent-ready", "repo best practices", "/agent-ready".
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# Agent-Ready: Repo Setup Best Practices A curated collection of best practices for standard high-quality GitHub repos and AI coding agent workflows. Read this to learn what to set up — then use your own intelligence to generate project-specific configs. ## Workflow 1. **Analyze the project** — read package.json/pyproject.toml, understand language/framework/structure 2. **Check what's missing** — call `check_repo_readiness` MCP tool or run `npx agent-ready check .` 3. **Read the relevant reference** — for each missing area, read the reference doc below 4. **Generate project-specific configs** — use your understanding of THIS project, not generic templates 5. **Verify** — run linters, tests, check CI workflows are valid ## The 9 Areas | Area | Reference | What It Covers | |------|-----------|---------------| | Agent Guidance | `references/agent-guidance.md` | AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, copilot-instructions, cursor rules | | Code Quality | `references/code-quality.md` | Linters, formatters, type checkers, .editorconfig | | Testing | `references/testing/` | BDT methodology, test scaffolds, coverage (6 detailed refs) | | CI/CD | `references/ci-cd.md` | GitHub Actions: ci.yml, claude.yml, copilot-setup-steps.yml | | Hooks | `references/hooks.md` | Git pre-commit (Lefthook/Husky) + Claude PostToolUse hooks | | Branch Rulesets | `references/branch-rulesets.md` | GitHub rulesets via API (require PR, reviews, status checks) | | Repo Templates | `references/repo-templates.md` | Issue forms, PR template, CODEOWNERS, CONTRIBUTING, SECURITY | | DevContainer | `references/devcontainer.md` | .devcontainer for reproducible agent environments | | Security | `references/security.md` | Dependabot, push protection, CodeQL, secret scanning | ## Quick Reference: Files a Repo Should Have ### Agent guidance (all tools) - `AGENTS.md` — cross-tool standard (Claude, Copilot, Cursor, Gemini) - `CLAUDE.md` — Claude Code specific (can import AGENTS.md via @AGENTS.md) - `.github/copilot-instructions.md` — GitHub Copilot - `.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml` — Copilot coding agent environment - `.cursor/rules/*.mdc` — Cursor IDE ### Code quality - Linter + formatter config (biome.json or ruff in pyproject.toml) - Type checker config (tsconfig.json strict or mypy) - `.editorconfig` ### Testing - Test directory structure (tests/unit/, tests/integration/, tests/e2e/) - Test runner config - Coverage config with thresholds ### CI/CD - `.github/workflows/ci.yml` — lint, typecheck, test, build - `.github/workflows/claude.yml` — Claude Code Action for PR review ### Hooks - Pre-commit: lefthook.yml or .husky/ - Claude: `.claude/settings.json` with PostToolUse hooks ### Branch rulesets - Require PR before merge - Require reviews + status checks - Prevent force push and branch deletion ### Repo templates - `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/*.yml` — YAML forms (not Markdown) - `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md` - `.github/CODEOWNERS` - `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `SECURITY.md`, `LICENSE` - `.gitignore`, `.gitattributes` ### DevContainer - `.devcontainer/devcontainer.json` ### Security - `.github/dependabot.yml` — grouped updates - Push protection enabled - CodeQL default setup enabled