#601

Global Rank · of 601 Skills

agent-md-refactor AI Agent Skill

Safe

Installation

npx skills add cachemoney/agent-toolkit --skill agent-md-refactor

Installs

Agent MD Refactor

Refactor bloated agent instruction files (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, COPILOT.md, etc.) to follow progressive disclosure principles - keeping essentials at root and organizing the rest into linked, categorized files.

Triggers

Use this skill when:

"refactor my AGENTS.md" / "refactor my CLAUDE.md"
"split my agent instructions"
"organize my CLAUDE.md file"
"my AGENTS.md is too long"
"progressive disclosure for my instructions"
"clean up my agent config"

Quick Reference

Phase	Action	Output
1. Analyze	Find contradictions	List of conflicts to resolve
2. Extract	Identify essentials	Core instructions for root file
3. Categorize	Group remaining instructions	Logical categories
4. Structure	Create file hierarchy	Root + linked files
5. Prune	Flag for deletion	Redundant/vague instructions

Process

Phase 1: Find Contradictions

Identify any instructions that conflict with each other.

Look for:

Contradictory style guidelines (e.g., "use semicolons" vs "no semicolons")
Conflicting workflow instructions
Incompatible tool preferences
Mutually exclusive patterns

For each contradiction found:

## Contradiction Found

**Instruction A:** [quote]
**Instruction B:** [quote]

**Question:** Which should take precedence, or should both be conditional?

Ask the user to resolve before proceeding.

Phase 2: Identify the Essentials

Extract ONLY what belongs in the root agent file. The root should be minimal - information that applies to every single task.

Essential content (keep in root):

Category	Example
Project description	One sentence: "A React dashboard for analytics"
Package manager	Only if not npm (e.g., "Uses pnpm")
Non-standard commands	Custom build/test/typecheck commands
Critical overrides	Things that MUST override defaults
Universal rules	Applies to 100% of tasks

NOT essential (move to linked files):

Language-specific conventions
Testing guidelines
Code style details
Framework patterns
Documentation standards
Git workflow details

Phase 3: Group the Rest

Organize remaining instructions into logical categories.

Common categories:

Category	Contents
`typescript.md`	TS conventions, type patterns, strict mode rules
`testing.md`	Test frameworks, coverage, mocking patterns
`code-style.md`	Formatting, naming, comments, structure
`git-workflow.md`	Commits, branches, PRs, reviews
`architecture.md`	Patterns, folder structure, dependencies
`api-design.md`	REST/GraphQL conventions, error handling
`security.md`	Auth patterns, input validation, secrets
`performance.md`	Optimization rules, caching, lazy loading

Grouping rules:

Each file should be self-contained for its topic
Aim for 3-8 files (not too granular, not too broad)
Name files clearly: {topic}.md
Include only actionable instructions

Phase 4: Create the File Structure

Output structure:

project-root/
├── CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md)     # Minimal root with links
└── .claude/                      # Or docs/agent-instructions/
    ├── typescript.md
    ├── testing.md
    ├── code-style.md
    ├── git-workflow.md
    └── architecture.md

Root file template:

# Project Name

One-sentence description of the project.

## Quick Reference

- **Package Manager:** pnpm
- **Build:** `pnpm build`
- **Test:** `pnpm test`
- **Typecheck:** `pnpm typecheck`

## Detailed Instructions

For specific guidelines, see:
- [TypeScript Conventions](.claude/typescript.md)
- [Testing Guidelines](.claude/testing.md)
- [Code Style](.claude/code-style.md)
- [Git Workflow](.claude/git-workflow.md)
- [Architecture Patterns](.claude/architecture.md)

Each linked file template:

# {Topic} Guidelines

## Overview
Brief context for when these guidelines apply.

## Rules

### Rule Category 1
- Specific, actionable instruction
- Another specific instruction

### Rule Category 2
- Specific, actionable instruction

## Examples

### Good
\`\`\`typescript
// Example of correct pattern
\`\`\`

### Avoid
\`\`\`typescript
// Example of what not to do
\`\`\`

Phase 5: Flag for Deletion

Identify instructions that should be removed entirely.

Delete if:

Criterion	Example	Why Delete
Redundant	"Use TypeScript" (in a .ts project)	Agent already knows
Too vague	"Write clean code"	Not actionable
Overly obvious	"Don't introduce bugs"	Wastes context
Default behavior	"Use descriptive variable names"	Standard practice
Outdated	References deprecated APIs	No longer applies

Output format:

## Flagged for Deletion

| Instruction | Reason |
|-------------|--------|
| "Write clean, maintainable code" | Too vague to be actionable |
| "Use TypeScript" | Redundant - project is already TS |
| "Don't commit secrets" | Agent already knows this |
| "Follow best practices" | Meaningless without specifics |

Execution Checklist

[ ] Phase 1: All contradictions identified and resolved
[ ] Phase 2: Root file contains ONLY essentials
[ ] Phase 3: All remaining instructions categorized
[ ] Phase 4: File structure created with proper links
[ ] Phase 5: Redundant/vague instructions removed
[ ] Verify: Each linked file is self-contained
[ ] Verify: Root file is under 50 lines
[ ] Verify: All links work correctly

Anti-Patterns

Avoid	Why	Instead
Keeping everything in root	Bloated, hard to maintain	Split into linked files
Too many categories	Fragmentation	Consolidate related topics
Vague instructions	Wastes tokens, no value	Be specific or delete
Duplicating defaults	Agent already knows	Only override when needed
Deep nesting	Hard to navigate	Flat structure with links

Examples

Before (Bloated Root)

# CLAUDE.md

This is a React project.

## Code Style
- Use 2 spaces
- Use semicolons
- Prefer const over let
- Use arrow functions
... (200 more lines)

## Testing
- Use Jest
- Coverage > 80%
... (100 more lines)

## TypeScript
- Enable strict mode
... (150 more lines)

After (Progressive Disclosure)

# CLAUDE.md

React dashboard for real-time analytics visualization.

## Commands
- `pnpm dev` - Start development server
- `pnpm test` - Run tests with coverage
- `pnpm build` - Production build

## Guidelines
- [Code Style](.claude/code-style.md)
- [Testing](.claude/testing.md)
- [TypeScript](.claude/typescript.md)

Verification

After refactoring, verify:

Root file is minimal - Under 50 lines, only universal info
Links work - All referenced files exist
No contradictions - Instructions are consistent
Actionable content - Every instruction is specific
Complete coverage - No instructions were lost (unless flagged for deletion)
Self-contained files - Each linked file stands alone

Installs

Installs 6

Global Rank #601 of 601

Security Audit

ath Safe

socket Safe

Alerts: 0 Score: 90

snyk Low

View Source

cachemoney/agent-toolkit

How to use this skill

Install agent-md-refactor by running npx skills add cachemoney/agent-toolkit --skill agent-md-refactor in your project directory. Run the install command above in your project directory. The skill file will be downloaded from GitHub and placed in your project.

No configuration needed. Your AI agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.) automatically detects installed skills and uses them as context when generating code.

The skill enhances your agent's understanding of agent-md-refactor, helping it follow established patterns, avoid common mistakes, and produce production-ready output.

What you get

Skills are plain-text instruction files — not executable code. They encode expert knowledge about frameworks, languages, or tools that your AI agent reads to improve its output. This means zero runtime overhead, no dependency conflicts, and full transparency: you can read and review every instruction before installing.

Compatibility

This skill works with any AI coding agent that supports the skills.sh format, including Claude Code (Anthropic), Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Aider, and other tools that read project-level context files. Skills are framework-agnostic at the transport level — the content inside determines which language or framework it applies to.

Data sourced from the skills.sh registry and GitHub. Install counts and security audits are updated regularly.

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