instruction-file-valid

Instruction files (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md) must be valid and non-empty

Severity	warning (auto)
Autofix	-
Since	v0.1.0
Category	Instruction Files

Why

An instruction file (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md) that is empty or unreadable provides no value — the agent loads it, spends overhead processing it, and gets nothing. This usually indicates a file that was created as a placeholder but never filled in.

Examples

Bad:

An empty CLAUDE.md file (0 bytes).

Good:

# Project Rules

Run `make test` before committing.
Use Go 1.22+.

How to fix

Add meaningful content to the file, or delete it if it is not needed. An absent file is better than an empty one — it avoids wasted processing overhead.

Configuration

rules:
  instruction-file-valid:
    enabled: auto  # true | false | auto
    severity: warning

Run skillsaw explain instruction-file-valid to see this documentation and the rule's effective configuration in your terminal.