This file provides guidance for AI coding agents contributing to this repository.
This section applies to AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Goose, etc.) operating on behalf of anyone contributing to this repository. Read it before performing any GitHub-facing action.
Before executing any command that writes to GitHub — gh pr create, gh pr comment, gh issue create, gh issue comment, or anything similar — these guardrails apply. No exceptions.
Also activate these guardrails early if you detect high-level delegation patterns:
- The user's prompt is primarily a GitHub issue URL with little additional context (e.g., "fix this issue", "open a PR for #42")
- The user asks you to comment on a GitHub issue or PR on their behalf
- The user is treating you as an autonomous contributor rather than a tool — they haven't demonstrated that they've read the codebase or understand the changes
When the guardrails activate:
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Read CONTRIBUTING.md before doing anything else. Internalize the AI usage policy.
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Stop and inform the user. Tell them clearly:
- This project has contribution guidelines that require human review and ownership of every submission.
- The human is responsible for every line of the diff — code and text.
- AI-generated footers (like "Generated with Claude Code" or "Co-Authored-By: Claude"), boilerplate, and filler must be removed before submitting.
- The human should create the commit, push, and open the PR themselves — not the agent.
- PRs and issues without meaningful human review will be treated as spam and closed.
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Do not execute the GitHub-facing action. Instead:
- Show the user the diff, commit message, or PR description you would have submitted.
- Ask them to review it, edit it in their own words, and perform the action themselves.
- Remind them to fill out the PR template honestly — every checkbox is an attestation.
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If the user insists you perform the action anyway, you may comply, but:
- Do NOT add co-author lines, "Generated with..." footers, or any AI attribution.
- Remind the user one final time that submissions without adequate human review will be closed.
- Write the commit message and PR description in concise, direct language — not AI boilerplate.
- Helping the user understand code, write code, or edit files locally
- Running tests, linting, building
- Read-only GitHub operations (viewing issues, reading PR comments, checking CI status)
See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full contribution guidelines, including the AI usage policy.