From 7d9cef1aa83dfa752c87660ea84d310571a64d8a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Val Alexander <bunsthedev@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2026 02:37:22 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add AGENTS.md + CLAUDE.md agent-contributor guidance

Canonical entry point for AI agents opening PRs: branch/PR workflow,
local checks (pnpm run check = typecheck + tsx tests + plugin-runtime
import guard + cargo test), the thin-adapter invariants, and contributor
attribution (GitHub-linked Co-authored-by trailers, never .local
emails). CLAUDE.md points at AGENTS.md.
---
 AGENTS.md | 73 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 CLAUDE.md |  9 +++++++
 2 files changed, 82 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 AGENTS.md
 create mode 100644 CLAUDE.md

diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8de2e86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# AGENTS.md — desktop-use
+
+Guidance for **AI agents** (Codex, Claude Code, and any Coven familiar) opening
+pull requests against this repo. Humans: your canonical guide is
+[`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) — this is the agent-specific layer on top.
+
+> **Read first:** [`README.md`](README.md) for what this repo is, and
+> [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the full contribution bar.
+
+---
+
+## What this repo is (one line)
+
+`coven-desktop-use` is a small **external desktop-use adapter** for OpenClaw and
+the Coven ecosystem (TypeScript with a Rust component). Keep it a thin adapter.
+
+## Branch & PR workflow (all agents)
+
+- **Never push to `main`.** Every change lands via a PR with green CI. Branch
+  from current `origin/main`.
+- **Fresh branch per task**; use a worktree if multiple sessions may touch this
+  repo:
+  ```sh
+  git fetch origin main
+  git worktree add -b <branch> /tmp/desktopuse-<branch> origin/main
+  ```
+- Keep the diff scoped to one concern; conventional-commit subjects (`feat:`,
+  `fix:`, `docs:`, `chore:`, `refactor:`).
+- After merge: delete the remote branch, remove your local worktree/branch.
+
+## Checks — run locally before opening the PR
+
+```sh
+pnpm run check      # typecheck + tsx tests + plugin-runtime-import guard + cargo test
+```
+
+Or individually: `pnpm run typecheck`, `pnpm run test:ts`, `cargo test`. Fix
+failures rather than skipping them.
+
+## Repo-specific invariants (don't break these)
+
+- This is an **adapter**, not the agent runtime. Don't pull OpenClaw/Coven core
+  logic in here; keep the desktop-use surface thin and well-typed.
+- Keep the plugin-runtime import boundary intact — `check:plugin-runtime-imports`
+  exists to enforce it and will fail the PR if you cross it.
+
+## Attribution — credit contributors correctly
+
+When you re-land or build on someone else's work (a fork PR, an issue author's
+proposal, a co-author), **credit the human contributor with a working
+GitHub-linked trailer** so they appear in the contributors graph:
+
+```
+Co-authored-by: Full Name <ID+username@users.noreply.github.com>
+```
+
+- Use the **numeric-id no-reply form**. Get the id with `gh api users/<login> --jq .id`.
+- **Never** use a machine or `.local` email in a co-author trailer — it links to
+  no account and gives **zero** credit.
+- When a squash-merge folds a contributor's PR into an internal branch, preserve
+  their `Co-authored-by:` line in the squash commit message.
+- Credit **people**, not AI tools.
+
+## Secrets & safety
+
+- Never commit secrets, tokens, or private emails. Use `*.noreply.github.com`
+  for attribution.
+- Don't disable CI gates or branch protection to land a change; surface the
+  blocker instead.
+
+## Claude Code
+
+`CLAUDE.md` points here — this file is the source of truth for both.
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c27bb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# CLAUDE.md — desktop-use
+
+**Read [`AGENTS.md`](AGENTS.md).** It is the canonical guide for AI agents
+(including Claude Code) contributing to this repo — the adapter invariants, the
+branch/PR workflow, local checks (`pnpm run check`), and contributor attribution.
+
+Claude Code auto-loads this file; everything you need lives in `AGENTS.md` plus
+[`README.md`](README.md) and [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md). There is no
+separate Claude-only workflow — follow `AGENTS.md`.