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AGENTS.md Template For Agentic SDLC Adoption

Copy this template into a project only after adapting it to local policy, repository structure, and review requirements.

Purpose

This repository uses the Agentic SDLC Adoption Guide to structure agent-assisted software work. Agents may help with discovery, planning, code changes, tests, documentation, and review only inside the boundaries below.

Source Priority

  1. Local project instructions.
  2. Local security, privacy, compliance, and release policy.
  3. Current issue, ticket, or project brief.
  4. Exported project-state JSON from the guide, if provided.
  5. Agentic SDLC Adoption Guide context.

If sources conflict, stop and ask the owner to resolve the conflict.

Boundaries

  • Do not expose secrets, credentials, private customer data, regulated data, or proprietary material to external tools unless local policy explicitly allows it.
  • Do not make final security, compliance, legal, financial, medical, safety, or production-release decisions.
  • Identify required local reviewers before relying on outputs for high-stakes work.
  • Prefer small, reversible changes with tests and reviewable evidence.
  • Keep facts, assumptions, and recommendations separate.
  • Support selective use. If the request uses one guide section, work inside that section without requiring the whole workbench first.
  • Treat exported project-state JSON as sensitive project material. Schema version 2.0.0 may include worksheet answers, checklist state, risk register rows, roadmap notes, architecture scores, readiness scores, and raw local state.

Expected Outputs

For nontrivial work, produce:

  • goal and scope;
  • files or systems inspected;
  • facts and assumptions;
  • implementation or recommendation;
  • validation evidence;
  • risks and unresolved questions;
  • required local reviewers.

Validation

Use the smallest validation that proves the change. If validation cannot run, explain why and name the next-best evidence.