# Skills for a harness that has no skills > Keep an index in AGENTS.md that says when to read each skills/.md, so any coding agent loads a procedure on demand. Page: https://videotomd.com/b/text-skills-without-a-skills-system/ Tool: Any AI · Tags: skills, agents-md, aider, opencode, goose · 395 words, about 514 tokens Pills: free · self-check · done check · checked 2026-10-12 · Any AI · Aider · Goose · OpenCode · Amp · Zed · Warp · file tools · always on · 14B+ · coding ## Recipe - Kind: instructions - Stage: not set - Loads: always on - Works in: Any AI, Aider, Goose, OpenCode, Amp, Zed, Warp - Needs: file tools - Bring: nothing - Cost: free - Model: 14B+ - Tested in: not yet - Checked: 2026-10-12 - For: coding ## When this is useful - Your agent reads `AGENTS.md` but has no `SKILL.md` system, and the file is turning into a wall. - A release procedure is forty lines that only matter once a month, and they cost context on every turn. - You switch between agents and want one layout that works in all of them. ## Change it to - Aider: start with `aider --read AGENTS.md` and `/read skills/.md` when a line matches; the Aider harness row gives the config file route. - Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline: these have a skills system; move each body to `.claude/skills//SKILL.md`, `.agents/skills//SKILL.md` or the harness row's path and keep the index as a fallback. - Short version for a 7B model: three skills at most, and repeat the `## When` line at the top of each body so the model sees why it was opened. ## If your AI needs to look something up - Search: `agents.md format` and fetch https://agents.md/ for the convention (plain Markdown, no required fields, closest file wins). ## Put it here Always on: put it where your tool reads instructions every session: - Any AI: Coding agent: save as AGENTS.md in the project root (read natively by Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Kiro, Devin, Cline, Roo, OpenHands, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Zed, Warp, Junie, Factory and Jules; Claude Code when no CLAUDE.md exists; Aider with --read). Chat: paste it first. Reload: new session. Check it loaded: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://agents.md/ (checked 2026-10-12). - Aider: Save as CONVENTIONS.md and add `read: [CONVENTIONS.md]` to .aider.conf.yml, or start with `aider --read CONVENTIONS.md`. Aider does not read AGENTS.md on its own: pass it with --read too. Reload: restart aider. Check it loaded: none documented: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://aider.chat/docs/usage/conventions.html (checked 2026-10-12). - Goose: Save as .goosehints in the project root, or as AGENTS.md. Needs the Developer extension. Restart goose to reload. Reload: restart. Check it loaded: none documented: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://goose-docs.ai/docs/guides/using-goosehints (checked 2026-10-12). - OpenCode: Save as AGENTS.md in the project root. Commit it. Start a new session. Reload: new session. Check it loaded: none documented: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://opencode.ai/docs/rules (checked 2026-10-12). - Amp: Save as AGENTS.md in the repo root. Commit it. Reload: new thread. Check it loaded: none documented: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://ampcode.com/docs/customize/agents-md (checked 2026-10-12). - Zed: Save as AGENTS.md in the project root (Zed takes the first matching file name it finds; keep only one). Commit it. Reload: new thread. Check it loaded: none documented: ask it to repeat one rule from the file. Source: https://zed.dev/docs/ai/rules (checked 2026-10-12). - Warp: Save as AGENTS.md in the project root. Commit it. Reload: new conversation. Check it loaded: Warp's rules panel. Source: https://docs.warp.dev/knowledge-and-collaboration/rules (checked 2026-10-12). ## Access Membership: plans at https://videotomd.com/pricing/, or email then a plan at https://videotomd.com/b/text-skills-without-a-skills-system/. A member's browser downloads the file there; an AI without that session needs the member to attach it.