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Add agents.txt v1.0 at repo root#4154

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barneywohl:add-agents-txt
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Add agents.txt v1.0 at repo root#4154
barneywohl wants to merge 1 commit into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
barneywohl:add-agents-txt

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Add agents.txt (v1.0) at repo root

Hey — first off, thanks for the work on this repo. We shipped @agent_press/mcp-server yesterday on top of the MCP TypeScript SDK, and a lot of what makes that possible is the clarity these reference implementations provide. This PR is meant in that spirit: a small, peer contribution from a project that builds on MCP.

What this PR adds

A single file: agents.txt at the repository root.

agents.txt is a new open standard (v1.0, shipped this week) that lets a repository declare, in a machine-readable INI format, what autonomous AI agents are permitted to do when interacting with the project. It sits in the same lineage as robots.txt, sitemap.xml, and llms.txt — advisory, static, no runtime component. Spec: https://github.com/barneywohl/agentpress/blob/main/docs/AGENTSTXT_SPEC.md

The version proposed here is intentionally conservative for a monorepo of reference implementations:

  • allowed_actions covers reading, running tests in CI, opening PRs, and commenting on issues
  • prohibited_actions covers merging, publishing packages, modifying SECURITY.md / LICENSE / CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, adding new reference servers, and any protocol-spec changes
  • requires_human_approval flags anything under src/**, .github/workflows/**, dependency changes, and behavior changes to documented tool schemas
  • entry_points points to existing README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and CLAUDE.md
  • scope mirrors CONTRIBUTING.md's existing preference for small, focused PRs and explicitly marks new servers and protocol changes as out of scope

What this PR does not do

  • No CI changes, no workflow changes, no new dependencies
  • No changes to CONTRIBUTING.md, SECURITY.md, or any existing file
  • No protocol-spec implications — agents.txt is purely a repo-level declaration
  • Does not attempt to enumerate per-server rules; the file is monorepo-root scope only

Caveats I want to flag

agents.txt at the root of a monorepo has real subtleties — different subdirectories have different test commands, different maintainers, and different risk profiles. The version here errs on the side of being restrictive (broad requires_human_approval patterns, conservative scope limits) rather than precise. Per-server agents.txt files could be added later if useful, but that's out of scope for this PR.

Happy to iterate on wording, tighten the prohibited_actions list, or close this if it's not a fit for the repo's direction.

barneywohl pushed a commit to barneywohl/agentpress that referenced this pull request May 13, 2026
…ypescript}, claude-code

- modelcontextprotocol/servers#4154
- anthropics/anthropic-sdk-python#1539
- anthropics/anthropic-sdk-typescript#1043
- anthropics/claude-code#58801

All 5 friendly-seed PRs (per LAUNCH/TARGET_REPOS.md tier 1) now filed.
Holding off on the 15 secondary targets per maintainer guidance:
filing more in one day from the same account would look bot-shaped.
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