Override Read Order

Codex discovers instruction files in a specific order: AGENTS.override.md first, then AGENTS.md, then fallback filenames — walking from the project root to the current working directory. Document this discovery chain so users understand which file takes precedence and where to put overrides.

Antipatterns

• Undocumented override file. Creating AGENTS.override.md for local settings without mentioning it in the main AGENTS.md. Collaborators don't know it exists or how it interacts with the base file.
• Wrong precedence assumption. Assuming AGENTS.md overrides AGENTS.override.md (the opposite is true). Users put critical config in the wrong file and it gets silently overridden.
• Single-file instructions. Putting everything in one AGENTS.md without documenting that Codex supports the override chain. Users who need machine-specific settings modify the committed file instead of using the override.

Pass / Fail

Pass

# Instructions

Codex reads AGENTS.override.md for local overrides, then falls back to AGENTS.md.
Place machine-specific settings in the override file.

Fail

# Instructions

Put your instructions here.

Limitations

Checks for keywords related to the discovery chain (override, fallback, precedence). Does not verify the documented order is technically correct.