The authors collected 621 distinct versions of agent context files (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, copilot-instructions.md) from 268 public GitHub repositories and linked each version to the commits an agent made while it was in force: 6,541 commits…
In the News: November 12, 2026 (Extra)
A study of 6,541 agent commits finds context-file rules are followed every time or never, so spot checks miss the ignored ones.
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Study of 6,541 agent commits finds context-file rules are followed every time or never
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Vaccari proposes keeping the tests an agent must pass in data files, apart from test code
Vaccari starts from interviews he ran in early 2026 with 26 Thoughtworks developers at an organization that was heavily invested in coding agents. He asked whether they trusted their tests.