AGENTS.md · CopilotKit/CopilotKit

Sections

1. Essentials
2. Private Agent Instructions
3. Internal Skills
4. Documentation Editing
5. Reference (read when relevant to your task)

First lines (shown under the repo's MIT license)

<!-- nx configuration start-->
<!-- Leave the start & end comments to automatically receive updates. -->

# General Guidelines for working with Nx

- When running tasks (for example build, lint, test, e2e, etc.), always prefer running the task through `nx` (i.e. `nx run`, `nx run-many`, `nx affected`) instead of using the underlying tooling directly
- You have access to the Nx MCP server and its tools, use them to help the user
- When answering questions about the repository, use the `nx_workspace` tool first to gain an understanding of the workspace architecture where applicable.
- When working in individual projects, use the `nx_project_details` mcp tool to analyze and understand the specific project structure and dependencies
- For questions around nx configuration, best practices or if you're unsure, use the `nx_docs` tool to get relevant, up-to-date docs. Always use this instead of assuming things about nx configuration
- If the user needs help with an Nx configuration or project graph error, use the `nx_workspace` tool to get any errors
- For Nx plugin best practices, check `node_modules/@nx/<plugin>/PLUGIN.md`. Not all plugins have this file - proceed without it if unavailable.

<!-- nx configuration end-->

> Working under `showcase/`? Read `showcase/AGENTS.md` FIRST — it defines the non-negotiable iron rules for showcase cells.

# CopilotKit

AI agent framework with three layers: **Frontend** (React/Angular/Vanilla) → **Runtime** (Express/Hono) → **Agent** (LangGraph/CrewAI/BuiltIn/Custom), communicating via the AG-UI protocol (event-based SSE).

## Essentials

- **Nx monorepo** — run workspace tasks through `nx` (`nx run`, `nx run-many`, `nx affected`). **Dashboard exception:** `showcase/shell-dashboard` is deliberately outside the workspace and has no Nx targets. Use its [standalone verification instructions](showcase/shell-dashboard/README.md#verification) instead of the general Nx rule. Do not add it to the workspace or change its lockfile to make an Nx command work.
- **Flat package structure** — All packages live under `packages/` with the `@copilotkit/` scope. Dual-version packages keep deprecated implementation code under `src/v1-deprecated/`, route the package root through `src/v1-deprecated-compatibility.ts`, and keep current code under `src/v2/`. These remain one published package; the deprecated source directory is not a public subpath.
- **Simplicity** — prefer the simplest correct solution. For non-trivial changes, consider if there's a cleaner approach before committing.
- **No changesets** — releases are conventional-commit-driven (`scripts/release/` reads commit subjects). This repo migrated off Changesets; never create `.changeset/*` files — nothing consumes them and CI fails on them. Describe the change in the commit subject instead, and leave `package.json` versions and `CHANGELOG.md` files to the release tooling.
- **Worktrees** — always work in a git worktree for isolation. See [Git & PRs](.claude/docs/git.md) for the full workflow.
- **Always start from fresh remote main** — at the start of every new task, before creating any branch or worktree, and before running `nx affected` or any base-sensitive comparison, run `git fetch origin main`. Create new work from `origin/main`, never from the local `main` ref. Local `main` may be arbitrarily stale and must not be used as an affected base. For an existing branch, compare against the fetched merge base explicitly (for example, `BASE=$(git merge-base HEAD origin/main)` followed by `nx affected --base="$BASE" --head=HEAD`).
- **Commit as you go** — every meaningful unit of work gets its own commit, pushed immediately. Don't let untracked files accumulate across a session. Tests belong in the commit that introduces the code being tested. Full rules in [Git & PRs](.claude/docs/git.md#commit-early-and-often-in-logical-chunks).
- **Documentation lives in shell-docs** — author CopilotKit docs in `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/`. The top-level `docs/` path is only a symlink to `showcase/shell-docs/`; never recreate the old `docs/content/docs/` tree for live documentation. AG-UI protocol docs are authored upstream in `ag-ui-protocol/ag-ui`, not directly in this repo. See [Documentation](.claude/docs/documentation.md).
- **Inspector UI work** — follow `skills/inspector-workbench/SKILL.md`. Start the standalone workbench and take screenshots after each visual change. Pane add/rename/remove also uses `skills/inspector-docs/SKILL.md`.

## Private Agent Instructions

Individual developers may optionally create a `private-agents.md` file at the repo root. This file is gitignored and not shared with the team -- it contains personal agent instructions, workflow overrides, or context that applies only to that developer's work. If `private-agents.md` exists, read it and follow its instructions (they take precedence over the defaults in this file where they conflict).

## Internal Skills

The team maintains shared AI agent skills at [CopilotKit/internal-skills](https://github.com/CopilotKit/internal-skills). If installed as a Claude Code plugin, these skills are available automatically. Key skills relevant to this repo:

- **copilotkit-ui-theme** — CopilotCloud visual design system (colors, typography, glass effects, blur circles). Use when building any UI that should look like an official CopilotKit product.
- **copilotkit-branding** — Brand rules, logos, and visual identity guidelines.
- **copilotkit-dev-workflow** — Internal dev workflow conventions for this monorepo.
- **cr-loop** — Automated code review and fix loop.

If you need a skill and don't have the plugin installed, clone the repo and read the relevant `skills/<name>/SKILL.md` directly.

## Documentation Editing

Before editing anything that looks like product docs, read [Documentation](.claude/docs/documentation.md) and the local README for the docs area you are touching. The live docs source is **`showcase/shell-docs/`**; top-level `docs/` is only a symlink there.

- **CopilotKit product docs** live under `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/`:
  - Guides, how-tos, and concepts: `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/docs/`
  - API reference: `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/reference/`
  - Shared MDX snippets: `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/snippets/`
  - Framework overview pages: `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/framework-overviews/`
- When adding or moving a guide page under `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/docs/`, update that section's `meta.json` so the page appears in navigation.
- The v2 API reference under `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/reference/{components,hooks,sdk}/` does **not** use `meta.json`; navigation is generated from page frontmatter. Only `reference/v1/` uses `meta.json`.
- For framework docs, check the framework's `docs_mode` in `showcase/integrations/<slug>/manifest.yaml` and confirm the docs folder with `getDocsFolder()` in `showcase/shell-docs/src/lib/registry.ts`.
- For showcase-driven frameworks (`docs_mode: generated`), update the showcase source of truth: manifests, demos, feature coverage, source regions, registry inputs, shared/root MDX, and sparse framework overrides. Do not hand-edit generated files under `showcase/shell-docs/src/data/frameworks/`.
- For authored frameworks (`docs_mode: authored`), edit `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/docs/integrations/<docsFolder>/` and its `meta.json`.
- For snippets, edit `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/snippets/`; snippets can feed root docs, authored framework pages, and showcase-driven framework pages.
- When the task changes Inspector UI, chrome, panes, or overlay behavior, follow `skills/inspector-workbench/SKILL.md`. Start the standalone workbench and take screenshots after each visual change.
- When adding, renaming, or removing an Inspector pane, follow `skills/inspector-docs/SKILL.md` so the matching docs Callout stays in sync.
- When an Intelligence feature ships or Intelligence docs are added, renamed, or removed, follow `skills/intelligence-docs/SKILL.md` so `/intelligence/overview` stays in sync.
- When writing or editing customer-facing Intelligence docs, follow `skills/intelligence-vocabulary/SKILL.md`. Use one approved name per concept. Do not rename code identifiers, route slugs, env vars, or API fields to match that list.
- **AG-UI protocol docs** are canonical upstream in `ag-ui-protocol/ag-ui`. The `showcase/shell-docs/src/content/ag-ui/` tree is a downstream mirror; change AG-UI upstream first, then sync the mirror back.
- **Do not recreate `docs/content/docs/`**. Top-level `docs/` is only a symlink to shell-docs. The retired Next app no longer publishes to `docs.copilotkit.ai`. Historical content is available from the archive branch/tag, not from `main`.
- Production docs (`docs.copilotkit.ai`) ship when the `release/docs/prod` pin PR merges. Do not dispatch `showcase_promote.yml` for docs-only updates. Staging is `docs.staging.copilotkit.ai`.
- To run shell-docs locally, follow `showcase/shell-docs/README.md` and use the shell-docs npm commands.

## Reference (read when relevant to your task)

- [Architecture & Packages](.claude/docs/architecture.md) — V2/V1 package roles, request lifecycle, core concepts (AG-UI, ProxiedAgent, AgentRunner, tools, context, multi-agent)
- [Hook Development](.claude/docs/hooks.md) — checklist for creating new hooks (docs, tests, JSDoc)
- [Workflow & Process](.claude/docs/workflow.md) — when to plan, when to fix autonomously, verification, self-improvement loop, this should be your default mindset when working on any task
- [Git & PRs](.claude/docs/git.md) — worktree workflow, branching, creating PRs
- [Documentation](.claude/docs/documentation.md) — where to author docs (CopilotKit → shell-docs; AG-UI → upstream); `docs/` is retired