AGENTS.md trim checklist (10 checks)

A short, practical pass for AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and Cursor rules. Work through the ten checks in order. Claims stay modest — no invented vendor stats — and every item matches themes already covered in Clogmeter guides and posts.

The 10 checks

1. Weigh before you cut. Paste the files into the free inspector so you know token cost and can spot duplicates/conflicts before deleting by gut feel. See also How many tokens is my AGENTS.md?
2. Kill duplicate always/never lists. Keep one canonical Always/Never section. Delete or replace copies with a one-line pointer — duplicates still cost tokens and confuse the model. Related: Kill duplicate always/never lists.
3. Resolve conflicting always/never rules first. Contradictory “always X” / “never X” (or near-opposites across files) make the model hedge. Cut one side before trimming anything else. Related: Cut conflicting rules first.
4. Prefer path-scoped rules over always-on. If a rule only applies under src/api/** (or similar), use a path-scoped Cursor rule or nested AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md instead of stuffing the root file. Related: Prefer path-scoped Cursor rules and Cursor rules token limit.
5. Move rare procedures to skills. Release checklists, migration steps, and once-a-month workflows belong in on-demand skills or docs — not in the always-on root file. Related: Move rare tasks out of AGENTS.md and AGENTS.md, skills or MCP.
6. Delete what tools already enforce. Linters, formatters, typecheckers, hooks, and CI already catch many “always/never” rules. Markdown that repeats them is advisory noise and still spends tokens every turn.
7. Skip directory trees and stack inventories. Agents can discover the repo by reading it. Pasted trees and long tech-stack lists burn tokens every turn without improving adherence. Related: Don’t paste your directory tree into AGENTS.md and AGENTS.md example.
8. Keep one source of truth across tools. Prefer a canonical AGENTS.md with thin CLAUDE.md / Cursor adapters. Avoid divergent copies or symlinks that double-count the same text. Related: CLAUDE.md vs AGENTS.md vs Cursor rules and When symlinks double your tokens.
9. Enforce hard “never” rules outside markdown. If ignoring a rule once would hurt, use a hook, permission, linter, or CI check. Prose alone is advisory — vendors treat memory files as context, not enforced config.
10. Re-weigh after the trim. Run the inspector again on the cleaned set. Confirm the token drop and that no new conflicts appeared. Export a trimmed copy if useful. For size ceilings, see How long should CLAUDE.md / AGENTS.md be?

How to use this

One pass is enough for most repos. If the root file is still long after these ten checks, split by concern (scoped rules + skills) rather than squeezing more prose into the same always-on file. Weekly tips are free and optional — use the form below if you want them.