In short
The Markdown file that tells an agent who it is, what it owns, and what it may never do. The agent's job description, readable by the agent.
An instruction file is the program. It is written in plain language and it says: this is who you are, this is the work you own, these are the rules you follow, these are the lines you never cross, this is how you report. The agent reads it at the start of every run.
Because it is a file, it can be versioned, reviewed, handed to a new person, and moved to a different harness without rewriting. Because it is plain language, the owner of the business can read it and change it. That is the difference between owning an agent and renting one.
Good instruction files put the hard rules at the top, in plain sentences, and keep everything short enough to read in one sitting. A rule buried on page four gets quoted and not followed.
Example
What it looks like.
# Who you areYou publish the firm's articles. Sharp, precise, no filler.# Hard rules- The attorney's legal substance is untouchable. Structure only.- Never publish without the validator passing.- Reply with one line when done. Otherwise stay silent.
Related
Read next.
- MarkdownPlain text with a few marks for structure. Humans read it, machines parse it. It is the language we write instructions in.Read the definition
- doctrineThe set of written rules every agent in a company follows. Voice, safety, reporting, git. Written once, applied everywhere.Read the definition
- trust boundaryThe written line between what an agent may touch and what it never does. Set before anything runs. Autonomy and safety move together.Read the definition
- output contractThe rule that says what an agent may say when it is done: one line if something needs a human, nothing at all otherwise.Read the definition