Critical Instructions at Edges

Freeform instruction files must contain at least one directive instruction. Files without directives contribute no actionable guidance and cannot benefit from position-based ordering.

Antipatterns

• File with only informational prose. A file containing project descriptions, reference tables, or background knowledge but no directive or constraint instructions has no content whose ordering matters. It fails the directive check.
• File with only headings and code blocks. Structural content like headings and fenced code examples are not directives. The file must contain at least one imperative or constraint instruction.
• Relying on headings as instructions. A heading like ## Testing is organizational, not a directive. The file needs body-level instructions like "Run pytest before committing."

Pass / Fail

Pass

# Testing

Run `uv run pytest tests/` before committing changes.
*Do NOT skip the test suite for quick fixes.*

Fail

# Testing

The project uses pytest for testing.
Tests are located in the `tests/` directory.

Fix

Place critical instructions at the start of the first-loaded file or the end of the last-loaded file in the agent's loading order. If an instruction must appear in the middle, name specific constructs rather than using abstract terms.

Limitations

Checks that the file contains directive instructions. Does not verify their position in the loading chain — position analysis is assessed separately.