Instructions

Instructions define the standing behavior that runtimes should load before a task begins.

Layer	Source	Role
Shared policy	instructions/global.md, AGENTS.md	Cross-runtime rules, trust boundaries, clarification gates, git policy, docs lookup
Platform overlays	instructions/*-global.md	Runtime-specific narrowing without weakening shared policy
Scoped rules	.claude/rules/, .cursor/rules/, generated Copilot instructions	Path-conditional or platform-native instruction loading
Generated mirrors	.github/instructions/, .apm/instructions/, runtime config files	Projection for runtimes that need concrete files

Instruction LoadingHow instructions enter supported runtimes.

Progressive DisclosureAlways-loaded policy, scoped rules, and on-demand skills.

ContributingSource ownership and regeneration rules for instruction surfaces.

Precedence

Platform overlays may add or narrow runtime-specific behavior. They must not weaken safety, secret-handling, approval, or destructive-action rules unless the active user explicitly requests that outcome.