Work in a real project · chapter 8 of 17
Tools, files, Git and project rules
Codex works in a concrete folder. Project files, Git status and local instructions define what applies where the agent actually performs the task.
8.1 · plain explanation
How does the agent find the right context and rule set in an arbitrary nested project?
Codex works in a concrete folder. Project files, Git status and local instructions define what applies where the agent actually performs the task.
Important: AGENTS.md, skills and subagent profiles are three different mechanisms: rules, reusable workflows and delegated roles.
8.2 · building blocks
Three concepts to keep separate
AGENTS.md
Codex builds an instruction chain from the project root down towards the working directory; closer rules have higher precedence.
Skills
Repository skills are discovered in .agents/skills from the working directory up to the project root.
Agent roles
Subagent profiles are separate roles. A folder containing rules does not automatically become a supervisor agent for subfolders.
8.3 · method
A practical workflow
- 1Confirm the working directory and project root.
- 2Read the active AGENTS.md chain and relevant skills.
- 3Check Git status before changing anything.
- 4Make one bounded diff and run the project's named tests.
8.4 · concrete example
platform/web
platform/web
How does the agent find the right context and rule set in an arbitrary nested project?
The root AGENTS.md applies to web, firmware and server. web/AGENTS.md adds rules only for web work.
A coordinator can delegate to three agent profiles, but that hierarchy comes from explicit orchestration, not merely from the folder structure.
8.5 · try it yourself
Exercise
Draw a project with root rules, one nested AGENTS.md, two skill folders and three agent roles. Mark which sources apply when the working directory is web/.
8.6 · checklist
Before you continue
- Is the project root known?
- Are active instructions identified in the correct order?
- Are relevant skills selected for the task?
- Is the diff bounded and the working tree understood?
8.7 · sources
Sources
Reviewed 23 September 2026. Official sources support product-specific claims; the practical contract, memory and verification patterns are Finnandre project methods.