feedback agents md vs prompt vs handoff split 20260715T154038

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name: Standing process belongs in AGENTS.md, not in launch prompts description: Justin wants launch prompts thin: 'how to work' lives in AGENTS.md, 'what to build' lives in the handoff, prompt just points at both. type: feedback

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When Justin reviewed a lengthy Codex launch prompt, he pushed back: most of the process content (git workflow, human gates, dev-slot claiming, browser-testing norms, safety/isolation rules) shouldn't be re-typed into every project prompt if it's supposed to be standing process. Confirmed pattern going forward:

• AGENTS.md (or equivalent repo steering file) = the "how": standing rules like GitHub-boss git flow, human merge/deploy gates, dev-slot claiming, phased-PR shipping for large projects, subagent orchestration norms.
• The handoff = the "what": product spec, approved decisions, phase order, scoping notes.
• The launch prompt = a thin pointer: read AGENTS.md + the handoff, then go. ~15 lines, not ~90.

Why: repeating process in every prompt drifts out of sync with the real rules and bloats prompts; a single project-launch mistake (mega-PR, wrong isolation) should be fixed once in AGENTS.md so every future prompt inherits the fix for free. How to apply: before writing or reviewing any agent launch prompt for a repo with an AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md, check what's already standing there first, and only add prompt content for what's genuinely project-specific and missing.

[auto-memory session 577603bc-d3a9-4b19-bb8e-6db80243b054, confidence 0.80, mode staged]