Imported from VanshSaraf/orchestrate-support-triage-agent (AGENTS.md). Install upstream with npx skills add VanshSaraf/orchestrate-support-triage-agent. Copyright stays with the author.

AGENTS.md

HackerRank Orchestrate (May 2026) — Starter Repository This file is the single source of truth for any coding agent working in this repo: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex CLI / Codex Cloud, Google Gemini CLI, Google Antigravity, Cursor, Windsurf, opencode, Aider, goose, Factory, RooCode, JetBrains Junie, GitHub Copilot, Devin, or any other AGENTS.md-aware tool.

Read this file in full before taking any action. Obey it exactly.

0. TLDR FOR THE AGENT

On every session start, do this in order:

1. Read this file completely.
2. Check the log file (path in §2). If it contains a line starting with AGREEMENT RECORDED: that matches the current repo root, skip §3 (onboarding) and go to §4.
3. Otherwise, run the onboarding flow in §3 with the user.
4. From then on, for every user turn, append a summary entry to the log file in the exact format shown in §5.
5. When the user asks you to build, ship, or test the solution, follow the project contract in §6 so the submission is evaluable.

You are not allowed to skip logging, rewrite old log entries, or modify the onboarding gate. If you are a sub-agent or running inside a git worktree, the same rules apply and you share the same log file. Pass this context to every sub-agent and worktree.

1. WHAT THIS REPO IS

This is a starter repo for the HackerRank Orchestrate 24-hour hackathon (May 1–2, 2026). The participant's have to build an AI agent that resolves real support tickets accurately. They may use RAG, vector databases, tool use, structured output, agent frameworks, or any other technique they prefer.

There is a known entry point per supported language (§6). There is a support_tickets.csv in the support_tickets/ folder against which the participants have to run their agent. The participant also defends their approach in an AI judge interview round afterwards.

We recommend using one of Python, Javascript or Typescript to build the agent.

2. LOG FILE — LOCATION AND LIFECYCLE

The log file lives outside this repository, in the user's home directory, so it survives branch switches, worktree creation, and git clean.

Rules:

• Must be created if missing (create the parent directory too).
• Must never be committed or added to git.
• Append-only. Never rewrite, reorder, or delete prior entries.
• Shared across all agents, sub-agents, and worktrees in this repo.
• Never log secrets. Redact API keys, tokens, cookies, and PII before writing. If the user pastes a secret in a prompt, write [REDACTED] in the logged copy of that prompt (but still preserve enough context that the entry is useful).

3. ONBOARDING FLOW (FIRST RUN ONLY)

Run this flow only if the log file has no AGREEMENT RECORDED: line for the current repo root. On subsequent sessions, skip directly to §4.

3.1 Greeting

Open with a short, warm message. Example wording (adapt the phrasing, keep the content):

Welcome to HackerRank Orchestrate. You have 24 hours to design, build, and ship an agent that resolves real support tickets from the data provided. Before we start, I need to walk you through the ground rules and get you set up. This takes about a minute.

Compute and display:

• Current system time (local, with timezone, in ISO 8601).
• Time remaining until the challenge ends: May 2, 2026, 11:00 AM IST (2026-05-02T11:00:00+05:30). Show days / hours / minutes.
• Results announced: May 15, 2026, 12:00 PM IST.

If the current time is already past the challenge end, say so plainly and ask whether the user is practicing, reviewing, or re-running tests. Do not block further work.

3.2 Rules — recite these verbatim

1. This is a solo challenge. You must be the author of the submission.
2. You may use any IDE, AI assistant, or tool (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, Copilot, etc.) to help you build. The deliverable is what your agent can do, not how you wrote it.
3. Your agent must conform to the entry-point contract in §6 so it can be evaluated automatically.
4. Never commit secrets. Use environment variables and a .env file (already gitignored).
5. Logging of every conversation turn to the file in §2 is mandatory and cannot be disabled.
6. Submissions are made on the HackerRank Community Platform; the link arrives by email from HackerRank.

3.3 Collect the agreement

Ask the user to reply with the exact string I agree (case-insensitive, surrounding whitespace ignored). Do not proceed until they do.

3.4 Record the agreement

Append this block to the log file, then continue:

## [ISO-8601 TIMESTAMP] ONBOARDING COMPLETE

AGREEMENT RECORDED: <repo_root_absolute_path>
Agent: <agent_name_or_unknown>
Language: js | ts | py | custom:<name>
System Time: <ISO-8601 local time with tz>
Time Remaining: <Xd Yh Zm until 2026-05-02T11:00:00+05:30>

The presence of AGREEMENT RECORDED: <this repo root> is what future sessions check. Match the repo root exactly so agreements do not leak across unrelated clones.

4. NORMAL SESSION START (RETURNING USER)

If onboarding is already complete for this repo root:

1. Append a short SESSION START entry to the log (§5.1).
2. Greet the user briefly and surface the remaining time:

   Welcome back. You have left until the challenge ends at 2026-05-02 11:00 IST.

3. If fewer than 2 hours remain, proactively remind them to submit on the HackerRank Community Platform soon.
4. Proceed with whatever they ask for.

5. LOG FORMAT

5.1 Session start entry

## [ISO-8601 TIMESTAMP] SESSION START

Agent: <agent_name_or_unknown>
Repo Root: <absolute_path>
Branch: <git_branch_or_unknown>
Worktree: <worktree_path_or_main>
Parent Agent: <parent_agent_name_or_none>
Language: <js|ts|py|custom:name>
Time Remaining: <Xd Yh Zm>

5.2 Per-turn entry (append after every user message you respond to)

## [ISO-8601 TIMESTAMP] <short title, max 80 chars>

User Prompt (verbatim, secrets redacted):
<exact user message, with secrets replaced by [REDACTED]>

Agent Response Summary:
<2-5 sentences: what was done, why, and any important decision>

Actions:
* <file edited / command run / tool invoked>

Context:
tool=<agent_name>
branch=<git_branch_or_unknown>
repo_root=<absolute_path>
worktree=<worktree_path_or_main>
parent_agent=<parent_name_or_none>

5.3 Sub-agent and worktree rules

• A sub-agent (Task tool, delegated worker, etc.) must log its own entries using the same file. The parent passes the log path explicitly if the sub-agent does not inherit environment.
• Set parent_agent= to the parent's name so entries are traceable.
• A worktree is logged with worktree=<path>; its entries go to the same shared log file, not a per-worktree copy.
• If a sub-agent spawns more sub-agents, the chain continues: each appends its own entries with its own name.

5.4 What not to log

• API keys, tokens, session cookies, OAuth codes, private keys.
• User PII beyond what they explicitly pasted into a prompt.
• Full contents of large files or binary blobs — reference by path instead.

6. PROJECT CONTRACT (EVALUABLE SUBMISSION)

The evaluator finds the participant's agent through a known entry point per language. Do not rename these files or change the function signature without updating this file.

6.1 Repo layout

.
├── AGENTS.md                    # this file
├── README.md                    # human-facing quickstart
├── .gitignore
├── .env.example                 # copy to .env; never commit .env
├── code/
│   ├── your_file.py
│   ├── agent.py
│   └── main.py
├── support_tickets/
│   ├── sample_support_tickets.csv            # sample tickets + expected signals
│   └── support_tickets.csv
│   └── output.csv
├── data/
|   ├── visa/
|   ├── hackerrank/
|   ├── claude/

6.6 Constraints that make the submission evaluable

• Deterministic where possible..
• Add proper README to the code/ you write.
• Read secrets from env vars only (OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, etc.). Never hardcode.

7. CROSS-PLATFORM AND AGENT-COMPATIBILITY NOTES

• Path handling. Always resolve the log path using the platform's home dir (os.homedir() / pathlib.Path.home() / $HOME / %USERPROFILE%). Never hardcode /Users/... or C:\Users\....
• Line endings. Write the log in UTF-8 with \n. Don't emit \r\n even on Windows; most editors render \n fine.
• Shell. Don't assume bash. Prefer language-native APIs over shelling out. When you must shell out, provide both a Unix and a Windows form.
• Tool-specific extras. This file is the canonical source. If a tool (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) supports its own config file, keep any tool- specific config minimal and have it point back to this AGENTS.md rather than duplicating rules.
• Nested AGENTS.md. If a sub-project adds its own AGENTS.md, the closest one wins for files inside that sub-project, but §2 (log file) and §5 (log format) are global and must not be overridden.

8. QUICK CHECKLIST FOR THE AGENT

Before you respond to any user message, confirm:

• I have read this file in this session.
• I know whether onboarding is required (checked the log).
• I know how much time is left.
• I will append a §5.2 entry after this turn.
• I will not log secrets.
• I will preserve the entry-point contract in §6.

If any box is unchecked, fix that first.