Generic Agent Governance Template

This folder is a portable starter governance set for Codex and other agentic IDEs. It is distilled from a working multi-agent repository, with project-specific product, legal, brand, and launch rules removed.

Use it to give agents:

• one canonical entrypoint (AGENTS.md);
• one machine-readable bootstrap map (.agents/AGENT_BOOTSTRAP.json);
• thin tool dispatchers (CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, .agents/rules/rules.md);
• bounded startup profiles;
• a GSD-inspired planning workflow;
• source-audited specs for larger changes;
• explicit verification and Git hygiene;
• lightweight write-scope, checkpoint, and friction-close helper scripts;
• a friction loop for improving the rules over time;
• a lightweight LLM wiki for source discovery, not authority;
• a generic multi-agent coordination skill.
• optional CLI/browser runtime onboarding and broker scaffolding for project-owned multiagent brokers.

Install

Agent-Assisted Install

If an AI agent is doing the install, give it this repo link and tell it to read .agents/AGENT_BOOTSTRAP.json, then follow docs/AGENTIC_INSTALL_GUIDE.md. It should run the discovery script against the target workspace first, infer what it can from existing rules/docs/tooling, then ask only for the missing decisions.

Short prompt:

Clone https://github.com/nightyard/agent-governance-template, read .agents/AGENT_BOOTSTRAP.json, and follow docs/AGENTIC_INSTALL_GUIDE.md. Run scripts/discover-workspace.ps1 against this workspace before installing. Infer project name, branch, package manager, verification commands, and existing agent rules from the repo. Ask me only for missing domain gates, owners, private-data rules, current posture, conflict decisions, and which CLI/browser agents I want enabled. Test selected agents before asking me to sign in. If I want multiagent delegation, scaffold/build project-owned brokers using docs/MULTIAGENT_BROKER_BUILD_GUIDE.md. Do not use -Force without exact path approval.

Manual Install

From a cloned copy:

git clone https://github.com/nightyard/agent-governance-template.git
cd agent-governance-template

Then run:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install.ps1 -TargetRoot "C:\path\to\friend\repo" -ProjectName "FriendProject" -LastVerifiedDate "2026-06-09" -DefaultBranch "main"

The installer refuses to overwrite existing files unless -Force is supplied. Review docs/DOMAIN_GATES.md and replace the placeholders before serious work.

After install, from the target repo:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\verify-agent-governance.ps1

Use -StrictPlaceholders on the verifier after the friend has finished customising owner names, sources, and commands.

What To Customise First

Read docs/ADOPTION_GUIDE.md first. At minimum:

1. Replace [PROJECT_NAME], owner names, default branch, package manager, and verification commands.
2. Fill docs/DOMAIN_GATES.md with real production, data, security, compliance, and release hard stops.
3. Fill docs/PROJECT_CONTEXT.md and .planning/ACTIVE_CONTEXT_STATE.json with the current project posture.
4. Review .agents/templates/GITIGNORE_SNIPPET.txt and .agents/templates/IGNORE_SNIPPET.txt for generated agent artifacts.
5. Update .agents/startup-profiles.json if your project has different hot files or context budgets.
6. Copy .agents/templates/PROJECT_SETTINGS.example.json to a project-owned config if a machine-readable settings file would help.
7. Add domain skills or workflows under .agents/skills/ and .agents/workflows/, then list them in the indexes.

Design Intent

Keep the always-read path small. Use .agents/AGENT_BOOTSTRAP.json for deterministic machine routing, AGENTS.md for durable hard stops and conflict order, .planning/ACTIVE_CONTEXT_STATE.json for live posture, and .planning/llm-wiki/ only as a source map. Large logs, screenshots, generated packets, and provider payloads belong in ignored artifacts, not in hot context files.

The multiagent skill is portable as governance, and the kit includes generic broker templates for an installing agent to scaffold. It does not ship private broker scripts or auth/cache material. The bundled helper scripts are Windows-first PowerShell; macOS/Linux environments must port broker, CLI, browser, and dev-server helper runtime scripts before using multiagent delegation.

KIT_MANIFEST.json is the package inventory. The installer and verifier read it so the copied file set cannot silently drift.