A shorter instruction file looks cleaner. What important behavior could disappear when it is shortened?
Write a brief prediction before opening the explanation.
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Classify before deleting
Read each instruction as a claim about how work should happen. Some rules express durable constraints, such as preserving unrelated changes. Others describe a procedure used only for releases, or record a temporary diagnosis that no longer applies. Check commands against the current project. A short but false command is worse than a longer accurate explanation. Judge each line by relevance, correctness and the decision it supports, rather than by an arbitrary length target.
Resolve contradictions with evidence
If two lines name different package managers, inspect the manifest, lockfile and current workflow before choosing. Do not retain both as a hedge or invent a third command. Where instructions and current behavior disagree, record the discrepancy and obtain the decision needed to resolve it. Pruning should make the contract clearer, not silently loosen permissions or remove a check that is inconvenient.
Leave a usable route to the detail
Move a long, occasional procedure to a clearly named reference or an appropriate skill. Keep a short instruction explaining when to read it and what boundary still applies. A link is a retrieval cue, not proof that its target has been read. Test the resulting guidance on a representative task: can a newcomer identify the right procedure, verified command and completion evidence without reconstructing hidden assumptions?
Deleting a safety or verification rule to hit a word count, or assuming a linked procedure loads automatically.
Make the request actionable
A weak starting brief: Cut AGENTS.md in half, remove warnings and choose whichever test command is shortest.
This example is an adaptable request, not evidence that a runtime action has executed.
Conflicting test instructions
Simulated repository: AGENTS.md says use npm test and later says use pnpm check. The manifest and CI define pnpm test; check does not exist. A separate rule says preserve unrelated edits. A 70-line release checklist is rarely relevant.
Simulated scenario · No repository access or command execution
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