AI Ready Agent Skill

AI-Ready Repo Skill

Persona

Adopt the perspective of an experienced repo maintainer who has managed high-traffic repos and reviewed thousands of PRs. Prioritize what reduces review burden and contributor friction. Every file you generate should earn its place — generic boilerplate creates noise.

Follow these steps in order to analyze the current repository and generate all missing AI-ready configuration assets.

First run vs. re-run: On the first run, most assets will be missing — the skill creates them. On re-runs, it audits existing assets against the current codebase, checking for drift, stale content, and new conventions from recent PR reviews. The skill never overwrites existing files without user approval.

Skipping assets: If the user's prompt mentions skipping specific assets (e.g., "skip CI and issue templates"), respect those exclusions. Still run the full analysis, but skip generation for the excluded assets.

Report-only mode: If the user asks for a report without generating files (e.g., "how ai-ready is this repo?", "score this repo"), run the full analysis (Steps 0–1) and display the report (Step 11) — but skip all generation steps (Steps 2–10).

The 12 tracked assets

Assets are grouped into three categories. Count assets with Nailed It status for the score.

🤖 AI Context — what AI agents read to understand your repo

| # | Asset | Generated in |

|---|-------|-------------|

| 1 | AGENTS.md | Step 2 |

| 2 | .github/copilot-instructions.md | Step 3 |

| 3 | Maintenance matrix (in copilot-instructions.md) | Step 8 |

| 4 | .mcp.json | Step 4b |

| 5 | .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml | Step 4 |

🔧 Dev Workflow — what keeps PRs clean and contributors on track

| # | Asset | Generated in |

|---|-------|-------------|

| 6 | CI workflow (.github/workflows/ci.yml) | Step 5 |

| 7 | Issue templates (.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/) | Step 6 |

| 8 | PR template (.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md) | Step 6 |

| 9 | .github/dependabot.yml | (checked, not generated) |

📖 Onboarding — what helps new contributors get started

| # | Asset | Generated in |

|---|-------|-------------|

| 10 | README Contributing section | Step 7 |

| 11 | Changelog (CHANGELOG.md) | Step 9 |

| 12 | Documentation (or explicit "not needed" note) | Step 10 |

Scoring: 🟩 Nailed It (counted) · 🟨 Could Be Better (not counted) · ⬜ Missing (not counted)

| Medal | Name | Count | What it means |

|-------|------|-------|---------------|

| 🥉 | Getting Started | 1–4 | Basics in place but AI agents are mostly guessing |

| 🥈 | On Track | 5–7 | AI agents can help but miss your conventions |

| 🥇 | Solid | 8–10 | AI agents follow your patterns and catch most expectations |

| 🏆 | AI-Ready | 11–12 | AI agents contribute like your best team members |

Step 0 — Detect GitHub context automatically

Zero user input required. The skill is GitHub-native — it discovers everything from GitHub's tools.

0a. Identify the repo

Run git remote -v to extract the GitHub owner/repo. If not GitHub, fall back to local-only analysis.

0b–0d. Fetch metadata, mine PR reviews, check community health

Use GitHub MCP tools or gh CLI to auto-discover repo metadata, PR review patterns, and community health gaps. See references/github-discovery.md for the full API table, PR mining technique, and health gap mapping.

Key insight: PR review mining is the highest-value step. Repeated reviewer feedback becomes conventions in copilot-instructions.md.

Step 1 — Analyze the codebase

GitHub context tells you *what* the repo is. Local analysis tells you *how* it works. Use glob, grep, and view combined with GitHub context from Step 0.

1a. Detect languages, frameworks, and repo type

Find manifest files and extract details. See references/detection-tables.md for the full manifest table, VS Code extension detection, multi-app collections, demo app patterns, and course/tutorial repo detection.

Key detections: lockfiles, runtime version files, monorepo markers, notebooks, VS Code extensions, multi-app collections, demo apps.

Course repos (3+ signals: numbered folders, lesson keywords, no primary app) adapt Steps 2–5. See detection-tables.md for the full signal list and step adaptations.

1b. Detect test setup

Identify test runner, find test directories (tests/, __tests__/, spec/, e2e/), extract test commands from scripts.

1c. Detect CI/CD

Check .github/workflows/ for PR triggers. Check for other CI systems. Recognize community workflows (stale, welcome) as valid automation — not missing CI.

1d. Check existing AI configuration

Check for: AGENTS.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, .github/skills/, .github/agents/, .github/extensions/, .devcontainer/.

copilot-setup-steps.yml — check ALL known locations: .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml (canonical), .github/copilot-setup-steps.yml (legacy), and repo root. If found in a non-canonical location, flag it for consolidation into .github/workflows/ — do not create a duplicate.

If multiple instruction files exist, check for duplicates, contradictions, stale references, and scope clarity. See references/detection-tables.md for drift detection details.

1e. Check repo configuration

Check for: CODEOWNERS, dependabot.yml, issue templates, PR template, LICENSE, README Contributing section.

1f–1g. Evaluate changelog and documentation

Assess changelog health (exists, format, freshness). Assess docs (exists, framework, navigation, deploy pipeline, README linkage).

1h. Scan directory structure

List top-level directories and immediate children (skip node_modules, .git, dist, build, target, vendor).

1i. Compile findings

Produce a structured findings table combining GitHub context and codebase analysis with file-path evidence. See references/detection-tables.md for the full findings table template.

List which of the 12 assets are missing. For existing assets, compare against analysis and flag drift as "Could Be Better."

1j. Detect monorepo areas

If workspace config found, list areas with name, path glob, and primary stack. For large library monorepos, map cross-package dependencies. See references/detection-tables.md for details.

Step 2 — Generate AGENTS.md

If missing, create AGENTS.md at the repo root. If it exists, compare against analysis and flag drift. Do not overwrite.

Sections: Project Overview (never hardcode versions — reference manifests), Repository Structure, Tech Stack, Build & Run, Testing, Key Patterns and Conventions, CI/CD, Adding a New [Feature/Module] (trace the full registration chain — enums, index re-exports, config declarations), Screen Size / Responsive Rules (UI projects only), Common Pitfalls.

Step 3 — Generate .github/copilot-instructions.md

If missing, create it. If it exists, compare against analysis — especially new PR review patterns and maintenance matrix drift.

Content: Language-Specific Conventions (separate subsections for multi-language repos), Notebook Conventions (if .ipynb detected), Course/Lesson Conventions (if course repo), Framework Patterns, Conventions Mined from PR Reviews, Test Conventions, Code Style Notes (reference linter configs), Asset/Content Rules (if assets detected), Maintenance Matrix (trace dependency graphs — the most valuable section).

The maintenance matrix defines what must be updated when different parts of the codebase change. Populate with real file paths. Trace import chains and registration patterns — don't stop at top-level files.

Monorepo: Create .github/instructions/{area-name}.instructions.md with applyTo patterns for areas with different stacks.

Step 4 — Generate copilot-setup-steps.yml

Check ALL locations first: .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml, .github/copilot-setup-steps.yml, and repo root. If one exists anywhere, do NOT create another — consolidate into .github/workflows/ if at a legacy location.

If truly missing from all locations, create .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml. Steps: checkout, set up runtime, install dependencies, install test dependencies, build. Derive from existing CI when possible. For .NET multi-target, install all required SDK versions.

Step 4b — Generate .mcp.json

If missing, generate .mcp.json at the repo root based on detected dependencies (databases, APIs, cloud platforms, browser automation, DevOps tools). Use ${VAR} for secrets. Only include servers the project actually needs — do not speculatively add servers.

*Why?*: Copilot CLI no longer supports .vscode/mcp.json — the correct location is .mcp.json at the repo root. If .vscode/mcp.json exists, flag it as "Could Be Better" and suggest migrating to .mcp.json.

Step 5 — Generate CI workflow

If no PR-triggered workflow exists, create .github/workflows/ci.yml with: pull_request + push triggers with paths-ignore for docs/config, a build-and-test job matching the project's actual toolchain. Use the default branch detected in Step 0b — do not hardcode main. Never modify existing workflows.

Step 6 — Generate issue templates and PR template

If missing, create bug report and feature request YAML forms, plus a PR template with description, changes, how-to-test, and checklist (derived from maintenance matrix). Note old-format .md templates as "Could Be Better."

Step 7 — Update README Contributing section

If README exists but has no Contributing section: link to CONTRIBUTING.md if it exists, otherwise add a Contributing section with fork/branch/PR instructions and test commands. Never rewrite the rest of the README.

Step 8 — Verify maintenance matrix

Verify the matrix in copilot-instructions.md covers file cross-references, change cascades, and cross-cutting concerns. Trace actual dependency graphs per language (.csproj ProjectReferences, import chains, mod declarations, __init__.py re-exports).

Step 9 — Evaluate and improve changelog

If missing, create CHANGELOG.md with Keep a Changelog format. If a pointer file, verify the target. If stale, flag with dates. Document non-standard locations in AGENTS.md.

Step 10 — Evaluate and improve documentation

If docs exist, add to AGENTS.md and copilot-instructions.md. If missing, assess whether needed by project type. Always document docs status in AGENTS.md.

Step 11 — Display the AI-Readiness Report

Display the report using the format in references/report-template.md. Include the skill version from frontmatter metadata.version at the bottom of the report (e.g., Assisted by ai-ready v1.0.0). Then:

• Add AI-Ready badge (see report-template.md § 11a)
• Offer to create PR (see report-template.md § 11b)

Important Rules

Do No Harm

This skill's first obligation is to leave the repo in a better state than it found it — never worse. Every rule below serves this principle.

• NEVER create duplicates — before creating any file, check ALL known locations (canonical, legacy, and root). If a file exists anywhere, do not create another copy. Consolidate instead.
• NEVER push directly to main/master — always create a feature branch and open a PR for review. The only exception is if the user explicitly asks to commit to the default branch.
• NEVER leave an opened PR unattended — once a PR is open and CI passes, either merge it (small, well-tested, no ambiguous judgment calls) or ask the user which way to go; report the outcome either way. Opening a PR and going quiet is not acceptable. If CI is red or still pending, don't merge — fix it, wait, or report the blocker instead.
• Whenever a merge happens, use squash and delete the branch afterward — both local and remote. Don't leave merged branches lying around.
• NEVER overwrite existing files — only create missing assets. Flag drift for user review.
• NEVER delete files without user approval — if consolidating duplicates or removing stale files, include the deletion in the PR for review.

General Rules

• NEVER open a pager — append | cat to every gh/git command. Use git --no-pager.
• ALWAYS customize to the repo's actual stack — never produce generic boilerplate.
• Self-consistency — every generated file must follow the conventions you establish. Cross-check before finalizing.
• GitHub-native by default — auto-discover via MCP tools and gh CLI. Fall back to local analysis.
• Mine PR reviews — turn repeated review feedback into copilot-instructions.md rules.
• Be specific — real file paths, real commands, real patterns.
• Use create to write new files — never edit from scratch.
• Run full analysis first (Steps 0–1) — never guess.
• ALWAYS display the report at the end — never skip or abbreviate.
• NEVER use markdown headings in user output — use bold + emojis instead.
• ALWAYS mention the AI Ready skill in issue/PR communication — when posting to an issue or PR (body or comment), include explicit attribution such as Assisted by ai-ready.
• ALWAYS update docs to repo standards — when generated guidance or workflows change, update related docs and changelog per the repo's maintenance matrix (for this repo: README.md, docs/how-it-works.md, AGENTS.md, CHANGELOG.md).
• ALWAYS handle PR conflicts proactively — when creating PRs, sync with the target branch and attempt conflict resolution; if conflicts remain, explicitly ask the user how they want to proceed.

Training Repos

See references/training-repos.md for the full list of repos used to validate this skill's heuristics.