{
  "id": "ao-rules-context-files",
  "title": "Context / rules files hierarchy",
  "topic": "ao-rules",
  "columns": [
    "File / convention",
    "Role",
    "Loader note",
    "Related slug"
  ],
  "rows": [
    [
      "AGENTS.md",
      "Open format guidance for coding agents",
      "Simple README-for-agents",
      "ao-rules-gemini-md-hierarchy"
    ],
    [
      "GEMINI.md hierarchy",
      "Gemini CLI context load order",
      "Nested project files; order matters",
      "ao-rules-gemini-md-hierarchy"
    ],
    [
      "Evidence on effectiveness",
      "Mixed empirical results",
      "May raise cost without success gains",
      "ao-rules-agents-md-evidence"
    ]
  ],
  "related_slugs": [
    "ao-rules",
    "ao-rules-gemini-md-hierarchy",
    "ao-rules-agents-md-evidence",
    "ao-rules-instruction-adherence",
    "ao-rules-context-files-in-practice"
  ],
  "provenance": [
    {
      "title": "iinventedlight Library notes",
      "url": "https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/",
      "license": "per-note",
      "accessed": "2026-11-09"
    }
  ],
  "as_of": "2026-11-09",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0 summaries; see related notes for source licenses",
  "markdown": "/library/artifacts/ao-rules-context-files.table.md"
}