field-manual

Imported from tempo-64/field-manual (AGENTS.md). Install upstream with npx skills add tempo-64/field-manual. Copyright stays with the author.

AGENTS.md

Project

This repo contains "The Solo Builder's Field Manual": a concise, agent-agnostic guide for humans building real software with coding agents. The product is the manual itself, plus a starter operating-manual template that readers can adapt for their own projects.

Files

• FIELD-MANUAL.md - the main guide and source list.
• STARTER-CLAUDE-MD.md - copy-paste starter template for CLAUDE.md / AGENTS.md.
• README.md - short repo overview.
• LICENSE - CC BY 4.0 license text.

Working Principles

• Preserve the manual's voice: practical, direct, evidence-aware, and allergic to ceremony for its own sake.
• Keep the audience universal: software builders using coding agents across tools, stacks, organizations, and project sizes.
• Do not encode the author's personal preferences, private workflows, local project lore, or house style as general advice.
• Local project artifacts may be used as pattern evidence, but only after the lesson is generalized beyond that specific project.
• Prefer durable practices over tool-specific instructions. Mention specific tools only as examples or when the claim is sourced.
• Keep advice actionable. If a principle can become a checklist item, template, or concrete rule, make it concrete.
• Label opinion as opinion. Do not present vibes, preferences, or unsourced trend claims as research.
• When a claim could go stale, either verify it against current primary sources or phrase it in a time-bounded way.
• Keep the guide concise. Add sections only when they introduce a distinct practice or failure mode.

Evidence Bar

Practices should meet at least one of these bars:

• Independently converged by multiple practitioners.
• Empirically researched with data.
• Repeatedly observed across real projects.

When adding sources, prefer primary sources, practitioner posts with concrete workflows, or project artifacts that show the practice in use. Avoid generic listicles.

Editing Conventions

• Markdown only; keep formatting simple.
• Use short headings and tight paragraphs.
• Keep examples small and copy-pasteable.
• Use ASCII punctuation for new text unless editing nearby text that already uses a different style.
• Do not add broad rewrites unless explicitly requested.
• Do not duplicate advice across sections; cross-reference or sharpen the existing section instead.
• If adding to "The Practices at a Glance," make sure the matching full section exists.

Quality Checks

Before finishing edits:

• Read the changed section in context.
• Check heading numbering and duplicate headings.
• Verify links if sources or tool-support claims changed.
• Confirm the starter template still matches the manual's guidance.

Security and Safety

• Never include real secrets, private tokens, or credential examples that look live.
• Keep security advice specific and enforceable.
• For destructive or irreversible workflows, require explicit human approval, a rollback path, and evidence of a dry run when applicable.