Part 2 of this kit: the files your own project needs, so Claude Code behaves safely inside it from day one.
Part 1 (the guide, the prompt sheet, the templates) teaches you. This folder is for the agent — two small files you copy into whatever project you are working on.
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
AGENTS.md |
The rules. Read by Claude Code, Codex, and any other AI tool at the start of every session. |
CLAUDE.md |
Four lines pointing at AGENTS.md, so one set of rules serves every tool. |
EDIT_REQUESTS.md |
A change queue for a website — what you asked for, why, and whether it shipped. Only needed if the project is a site. |
Without these, every session starts from nothing. You re-explain your project, re-state what not to touch, and hope. Some days you forget, and that is the day something gets deleted.
With them, the rules are read automatically, every session, by every tool — including sessions you did not start and tools you do not use. The rules travel with the project rather than living in your head.
This is the safety half of the kit. The guide tells you what to do; this tells the agent what never to do.
Open a Claude Code session in your own project and paste:
Copy AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md from [path to this starter folder] into this
project, then fill in the two placeholder sections in AGENTS.md:
- "About this project" — look at the folders and write a short, accurate
description. Don't invent a purpose; ask me if it isn't obvious.
- "How to check your work" — find the real command that proves this project
still works (test, build, lint). If there genuinely isn't one, write that
honestly instead of making one up.
Leave every rule exactly as written. Show me the finished AGENTS.md before
you save it.
Then read it yourself. It is short on purpose, and it is written for you as much as for the agent — the rules are the ones worth knowing anyway.
You will also want a .gitignore. Ask for one rather than copying a generic file, because
it depends on what is actually in your folder:
Look at this folder and write me a .gitignore. For each line, tell me why it's
there. Flag anything that looks like a password, key, or token BEFORE we commit
anything.
These are defaults, not scripture. Once you know your project, edit them — add rules you keep having to repeat out loud, delete rules that do not apply.
Two pieces of advice, both learned the hard way:
If a rule ever stops you doing something you actually wanted, that is the system working — change the file deliberately, rather than talking the agent out of it in one session and forgetting by the next.