Write useful agent instructions

Make behavior explicit with the smallest sufficient document. Treat every change as a rewrite of the whole document: reread it with the new requirement, then rewrite the affected passages so the result reads as if written in one pass. Rules, exceptions, and clarifications stacked on existing text make a document hard to follow. A prohibition is the usual symptom: a "do not" added beside the instruction that already says what to do. Correct that instruction instead. A justified no-change result is valid; a template is a coverage check, not a quota of content.

1. Inspect the document and its authority

1. Identify the requested outcome, audience, file paths, scope, and existing owners. Read surrounding documents.
2. Inspect sources supporting facts, paths, commands, and conventions. Separate observed behavior, accepted policy, proposed policy, and unknowns.
3. Choose the relevant procedure: