?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview recordSpecification feature · interfaces
Nested AGENTS.md instructionsAGENTS.md convention
Apply nested AGENTS.md files with directory-sensitive precedence.
Terminology basis: AGENTS.md convention. AGENTS.md convention
Nested AGENTS.md instructions: 2 supported, 4 partial, 0 unsupported, 25 unreviewed across 31 cataloged products.
Current evidence by product
Can my agent use Nested AGENTS.md instructions?
Read across for the answer. 6 of 31 current product columns have reviewed evidence; unreviewed does not mean unsupported.
Web
9 products
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview recordDesktop
13 products?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
Y2Supported
Docs checked 2026-08-28Current · 1 condition?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record
P3Partial
Docs checked 2026-08-28Current · 2 conditions?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record
P6Partial
Docs checked 2026-08-28Current · 1 condition?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview recordCLI
9 products
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
Y1Supported
Docs checked 2026-08-28Current record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
P4Partial
Docs checked 2026-08-28Current · 1 condition?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview recordP5Partial
Docs checked 2026-08-28Current · 1 condition?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview record
?Unknown
No source reviewedCurrent record?Unknown
No source reviewedPreview recordDefinition and scope
What this capability means
Apply nested AGENTS.md files with directory-sensitive precedence.
Support is recorded only when exact, dated evidence covers this behavior.
Traceable compatibility
Assertion ledger
Documentation evidence only. No runtime conformance test is implied.
Codex CLIcli · current
Supported- Target
- current Codex AGENTS.md documentation · dated-documentation
- Environment
- local-default
- Observed
- 2026-08-28
No additional condition is recorded for this statement.
Evidence
- OpenAI — Custom instructions with AGENTS.mddocumented · reviewed 2026-08-28
Cursordesktop · current
Supported- Target
- current Cursor Rules documentation · dated-documentation
- Environment
- local-default
- Observed
- 2026-08-28
- host-roleclaim is scoped to Cursor Agent in the desktop workbench
Evidence
- Cursor — Rulesdocumented · reviewed 2026-08-28
Copilot Chatdesktop · current
Partial- Target
- current VS Code custom-instructions documentation · dated-documentation
- Environment
- preview-enabled
- Observed
- 2026-08-28
- feature-flagrequires chat.useNestedAgentsMdFiles
- runtimeVS Code adds relative paths to chat context and lets the agent decide which instructions to use; deterministic nearest-file precedence is not documented
Evidence
- Microsoft — Use custom instructions in VS Codedocumented · reviewed 2026-08-28
Gemini CLIcli · current
Partial- Target
- current Gemini CLI context-file documentation · dated-documentation
- Environment
- local-default
- Observed
- 2026-08-28
- runtimehierarchical and just-in-time discovery applies only after AGENTS.md is added to context.fileName; GEMINI.md is the default
Evidence
- Google — Provide context with GEMINI.md filesdocumented · reviewed 2026-08-28
Copilot CLIcli · current
Partial- Target
- current GitHub Copilot CLI custom-instructions documentation · dated-documentation
- Environment
- local-default
- Observed
- 2026-08-28
- runtimethe CLI documentation establishes directory-sensitive discovery but does not specify conflict precedence between nested AGENTS.md files
Evidence
- GitHub — Adding custom instructions for Copilot CLIdocumented · reviewed 2026-08-28
Windsurfdesktop · current
Partial- Target
- current Windsurf Rules documentation · dated-documentation
- Environment
- local-default
- Observed
- 2026-08-28
- runtimeroot AGENTS.md is always on and subdirectory files become automatic glob-scoped rules, but conflict precedence is not documented
Evidence
- Windsurf — Memories and Rulesdocumented · reviewed 2026-08-28
- 1. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Codex walks from the project root to the working directory, concatenating AGENTS.md guidance root-to-leaf so nearer files override earlier guidance.
- 2. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Cursor combines nested AGENTS.md files with parent instructions and gives more-specific directories precedence.
- 3. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: VS Code's nested AGENTS.md support is experimental and exposes discovered paths to the agent, which decides relevance rather than enforcing documented nearest-file precedence.
- 4. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Gemini CLI provides hierarchical and just-in-time context discovery, but AGENTS.md requires configuring context.fileName.
- 5. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Copilot CLI discovers AGENTS.md in intermediate directories and directories nested in the path of a file it is working on, but the reviewed CLI page does not define conflict precedence.
- 6. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Windsurf converts subdirectory AGENTS.md files into directory-scoped automatic rules, but the reviewed page does not define conflict precedence between nested files.
No sourced issues are attached to this row.
- Nested AGENTS.md instructions reference spec
- OpenAI — Custom instructions with AGENTS.md documented · OpenAI · reviewed 2026-08-28
- Cursor — Rules documented · Cursor · reviewed 2026-08-28
- Microsoft — Use custom instructions in VS Code documented · Microsoft · reviewed 2026-08-28
- Google — Provide context with GEMINI.md files documented · Google · reviewed 2026-08-28
- GitHub — Adding custom instructions for Copilot CLI documented · GitHub · reviewed 2026-08-28
- Windsurf — Memories and Rules documented · Windsurf · reviewed 2026-08-28
Found a wrong or incomplete result?
Name the exact product, describe what happened, add the date, and link public evidence when available. A community report starts a review. It does not change the support state by itself.