Agent Documents Filenames

Agent configuration must document which instruction filenames it checks and in what priority order.

Antipatterns

• Describing agent behavior generically ("the agent reads configuration files") without naming specific instruction filenames like CLAUDE.md or .cursorrules. The check looks for recognized filenames, not general descriptions.
• Listing only one agent's filename when the file covers multiple agents. The check passes with any recognized filename, but a single-agent list in a multi-agent scoped rule leaves gaps.
• Using informal references like "the main config" instead of the actual filename. The pattern matches literal filenames and the words "filename" or "file name" -- synonyms like "config" or "settings" do not match.

Pass / Fail

Pass

# Discovery

Claude Code reads `CLAUDE.md` at session start.
Cursor checks `.cursorrules` in the project root.
Copilot loads `copilot-instructions.md` from `.github/`.

Fail

# Discovery

The agent reads its configuration from the project root.
Priority is determined by the loading order.

Limitations

Checks that the file documents recognized instruction filenames. Does not validate whether the documented filenames match actual project files.