Ultra Codex AGENTS.md is a small, reusable instruction file for Codex users. It gives coding agents four practical rules that reduce common failure modes: rushing into code, overengineering, touching unrelated files, and finishing without verification.
The project is intentionally tiny. Copy the content of AGENTS.md
into Codex global instructions or place it in a repository root.
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Think Before Coding Identify the goal, assumptions, ambiguity, and success criteria before changing code.
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Simplicity First Implement the minimum solution. Avoid speculative features, abstractions, configurability, and broad error handling.
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Surgical Changes Touch only what the request requires. Do not refactor, reformat, rename, or clean up unrelated code.
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Goal-Driven Execution Turn the task into verifiable success criteria and report what was verified.
Codex App users can install the rules from the UI:
- Open Settings.
- Go to Personalization.
- Find Custom instructions.
- Paste the content of
AGENTS.md. - Save, then start a new Codex thread.
This is the easiest path if you use the Codex desktop app.
Codex also reads global guidance from your Codex home directory.
Windows:
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force "$env:USERPROFILE\.codex"
Copy-Item .\AGENTS.md "$env:USERPROFILE\.codex\AGENTS.md"macOS or Linux:
mkdir -p ~/.codex
cp AGENTS.md ~/.codex/AGENTS.mdCodex reads AGENTS.override.md first if it exists, otherwise AGENTS.md.
Use an override file only when you want a temporary global replacement.
To apply these rules to one repository only, copy AGENTS.md into that
repository root:
<PROJECT_ROOT>/AGENTS.md
Project instructions are layered after global instructions, so repository rules can refine or override the global defaults.
Start a new Codex thread and ask:
Summarize the current global coding rules you are following.
A successful setup should mention the four rules:
- Think Before Coding
- Simplicity First
- Surgical Changes
- Goal-Driven Execution
For a behavior check, ask Codex to propose a small code change plan without editing files. It should state assumptions, keep the scope narrow, and describe how it would verify the result.
Use this file as a baseline for:
- personal Codex App setup
- repository-level AI coding guidance
- team coding-agent onboarding
- safer default behavior before introducing heavier workflows or skills
This file is not a replacement for project documentation, tests, or specialized skills. It is the baseline discipline that should apply before those tools are used.
Ultra Codex AGENTS.md 是一份面向 Codex 用户的轻量级全局指令模板。 它用四条规则约束 AI 编程代理最常见的失败模式：没想清就写、过度设计、 顺手乱改、没有验证就交付。
轻量化调整，你可以把 AGENTS.md 的内容粘贴到
Codex 全局自定义指令里，也可以把它放到项目根目录。
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Think Before Coding 改代码前先明确目标、假设、歧义和成功标准。
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Simplicity First 使用能解决问题的最小实现，不添加未请求的功能、抽象、配置项或复杂兜底。
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Surgical Changes 只改与请求直接相关的文件和代码行，不顺手重构、格式化、重命名或清理无关代码。
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Goal-Driven Execution 把任务转成可验证的成功标准，并在完成后说明验证了什么。
如果你使用 Codex 桌面 App，可以直接通过界面安装：
- 打开 设置。
- 进入 个性化。
- 找到 自定义指令。
- 粘贴
AGENTS.md的内容。 - 保存，然后新开一个 Codex 线程。
这也是 Codex App 用户最直观的安装方式。
Codex 也会从全局 home 目录读取指令。
Windows:
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force "$env:USERPROFILE\.codex"
Copy-Item .\AGENTS.md "$env:USERPROFILE\.codex\AGENTS.md"macOS 或 Linux:
mkdir -p ~/.codex
cp AGENTS.md ~/.codex/AGENTS.md如果存在 AGENTS.override.md，Codex 会优先读取它；否则读取 AGENTS.md。
只有在你想临时覆盖全局规则时，才建议使用 override 文件。
如果只想让某个项目使用这套规则，把 AGENTS.md 放到项目根目录：
<PROJECT_ROOT>/AGENTS.md
项目级指令会叠加在全局指令之后，因此可以细化或覆盖全局默认规则。
新开一个 Codex 线程，然后询问：
请总结你当前遵循的全局编码规则。
如果安装成功，Codex 应该能提到这四条规则：
- Think Before Coding
- Simplicity First
- Surgical Changes
- Goal-Driven Execution
你也可以让 Codex 只提出一个小改动计划但不要改文件。正常情况下，它应该先说明 假设、保持范围很小，并说明准备如何验证结果。
这份文件适合用作：
- Codex App 个人全局设置
- 仓库级 AI 编程指导
- 团队 AI coding agent 入门约束
- 引入更复杂工作流或 skills 之前的默认行为底线
它不是项目文档、测试体系或专业技能的替代品。它是一层更基础的工程纪律。
AGENTS.md
README.md
LICENSE
CONTRIBUTING.md
SECURITY.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See
LICENSE.