Customize agent behavior

Create a .mintlify/AGENTS.md file at the root of your documentation project to customize the agent’s behavior (Agents.md is also an accepted filename).

Place your AGENTS.md file inside the .mintlify/ directory, not at the root of your project. If you store the file at the root of your project, your custom instructions are publicly accessible at the /agents.md path. The .mintlify/ directory is not served publicly, so your AGENTS.md file is not accessible when in that directory.If you must store your AGENTS.md file at the root of your project or any other directory, add it to your .mintignore file to exclude it from your documentation site.

Add any instructions that you want the agent to follow. The agent appends these instructions to its system prompt, so the instructions apply to all tasks whether you use the agent in your dashboard, on Slack, or via the API.

The agent only reads AGENTS.md. It does not read other agent instruction files that may exist in your repository, such as CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, .github/copilot-instructions.md, or GEMINI.md, even if your AGENTS.md references them.If you use other tools that rely on their own instruction files, consolidate the instructions you want the Mintlify agent to follow into .mintlify/AGENTS.md. You can keep your other files for those tools, but duplicate any shared guidance into AGENTS.md so the agent picks it up.

What to include in AGENTS.md

Consider adding instructions for:

Style preferences: Voice, tone, formatting, and terminology specific to your documentation.
Code standards: Programming languages, frameworks, and coding conventions to use in examples.
Content requirements: What sections or information to include for different types of pages.
Project context: Specific details about your product, architecture, or user base that inform documentation decisions.

Example AGENTS.md file

.mintlify/AGENTS.md

# Documentation agent instructions

## Code examples
- Use TypeScript for all code examples. Our users are primarily TypeScript developers.
- Always include error handling in API call examples.
- Show both success and error response examples for all endpoints.
- Include import statements at the top of code examples.

## API documentation standards
- Every endpoint must document: authentication requirements, rate limits, and common error codes.
- Use real-world parameter values in examples (not foo/bar placeholders).
- Include a complete request/response cycle for each endpoint.

## Style and formatting
- Write for developers with 2-5 years of experience. Don't oversimplify, but explain non-obvious concepts.
- Use active voice and second person ("you").
- Date format: ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD).
- When referencing UI elements, use bold: **Settings** button.

## What to include
- Add prerequisite sections to guides when users need API keys, environment setup, or dependencies.
- Include "Next steps" sections linking to related documentation.
- Add troubleshooting sections for common issues we see in support tickets.

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Customize agent behavior

What to include in AGENTS.md

Example AGENTS.md file

​What to include in AGENTS.md

​Example AGENTS.md file

What to include in AGENTS.md

Example AGENTS.md file