# Agent Project Scaffold: a project tree that carries its own rules

> Stop re-explaining your project to every new agent session. One command lays down a project tree with a short AGENTS.md (purpose, scope, the approval rule, where things live, what done means), one-concern rule files, one-job agent files, a pre-done hook and a project-only .mcp.json. A read-only check runs 23 tests on any project, new or old, and fails on a missing approval rule, an agent with no limits or a secret sitting in a file.

- URL: https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/agent-project-scaffold-a-project-tree-that-carries-its-own-rules/
- Type: Prompt pack
- Category: Vibe coding
- By: PaperChaseWebb
- Works with: Claude Code, Codex, Grok Bot, Hermes (named in the listing); Plain Markdown files, a small Python checker, and rules for AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md, Claude Code and Codex notes, Hermes notes and a Grok Bot standing order. The agent files were checked by the checker on Linux; they were not loaded inside each agent for this release
- Price: $19 USD
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Setup time: 5 min
- Time to result: A checked project tree in about 5 minutes
- Format: Markdown (.md) file, agent-project-scaffold-a-project-tree-that-carries-its-own-rules.md
- Version: 1.0, updated 2026-11-01
- License: Use for yourself, your team or your clients. Do not resell or republish the kit itself.

## What you end up with

Every agent that opens the project reads the same short rules, and a check tells you the moment they go missing.

## What you get

- scaffold.py init: the whole tree in an empty folder, refuses to overwrite
- scaffold.py check: 23 read-only checks with codes S01 to S23, exit 1 on any high finding
- A short AGENTS.md template and a one-line CLAUDE.md import so the rules never drift
- Starter rules, a review command, builder and reviewer agents, a pre-done hook and a Grok Bot standing order
- A secret scan and .mcp.json checks for literal keys and whole-disk grants
- 29 tests, with a planted fault for every check

## Who it is for

Anyone who wants one set of project rules every agent reads, and a check that keeps them honest.

## Tools needed

- Python 3.8 or newer: runs every script; standard library only, no network
- Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex or Hermes: reads AGENTS.md (Claude Code through CLAUDE.md, Grok Bot through a standing order) and runs the check; never weakens the approval rule
- You need: Python 3.8 or newer
- You need: A project folder, new or existing

Cost to run: The kit is the only purchase. Runs locally with Python.

## How it works

1. **Create the tree.** Run python3 desk/scaffold.py init with your folder, name, owner and purpose. Expected: 14 files created.
2. **Check it.** Run python3 desk/scaffold.py check on the folder. Expected: scaffold OK: 0 findings.
3. **Open it in your agent.** Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md, Codex and Hermes read AGENTS.md, and Grok Bot takes the standing order. Expected: The agent quotes your approval rule back when asked.
4. **Check an old project.** Run check on a project you already have and fix the high findings first. Expected: A list of gaps by code, highest risk first.

## Sample prompt: Audit my project (Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex, Hermes)

```
Run python3 desk/scaffold.py check on this folder. Group the findings by HIGH, MED and LOW, explain each in one line and propose fixes. Do not edit the Approval rule or any secret; tell me what to change instead.
```

Prompt 1 of 3.

## Sample prompt: Split a long rules file (Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex, Hermes)

```
AGENTS.md is too long. Move detail into rules/ files with one concern each, keep the five core sections in AGENTS.md, and show me the diff before writing.
```

Prompt 2 of 3.

## Free preview of agent-project-scaffold-a-project-tree-that-carries-its-own-rules.md

````markdown
# Agent Project Scaffold

**Stop re-explaining your project to every new agent session. Put the rules in the folder, and check that they are still there.**

Version 1.0, 2026-11-01. By PaperChaseWebb Inc. Works with Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex and Hermes.

## The problem

Most agent projects keep their rules in someone's head or in last week's chat. A new session, a new teammate or a different agent starts from zero, and the rule that mattered most (do not send, do not deploy, ask first) is the one that gets lost. A single giant rules file is not the fix either: nobody reads 600 lines, agents included.

## The idea

The project tree itself carries the rules. One short `AGENTS.md` with purpose, scope, the approval rule and what done means. Detail lives in small files, one concern each. Each agent file names one job and what it may not do. A hook checks the tree before work is called done. Every major coding agent reads `AGENTS.md` (Claude Code through a one-line `CLAUDE.md` import), so one set of rules covers all of them.

## The tree

```
your-project/
  AGENTS.md            purpose, scope, approval rule, where things live, done means (under 120 lines)
  CLAUDE.md            one line: @AGENTS.md
  settings.json        config, kept apart from instructions
  .mcp.json            tool connections for this project only, secrets as ${VAR}
  rules/               one concern per file (style, testing, data)
  commands/            repeat jobs, one file each
  skills/              one
````

## Test record

- Date: Nov 1, 2026
- What was run: tests/test_scaffold.py (27) and tests/test_mini.py (2) on Linux with Python 3.8, 3.9, 3.11, 3.12 and 3.13; the generated pre-done hook run on a fresh tree.
- Result: 29 passed, 0 failed on all five versions; every one of 23 planted faults caught by its own code; clean tree and ${VAR} references not flagged.
- Not run: A live Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex or Hermes session. macOS or Windows.

Copied from this item's dated test notes. What was not run stays in.

## Worth knowing

- A rules file guides an agent; it is not a lock. Pair it with your agent's own permission settings.
- The secret scan catches common key shapes, not every secret.
- The files were checked by the script, not loaded inside a live session of each agent for this release. Tested on Linux only.
- On 2026-11-01: 29 tests passed on Python 3.8, 3.9, 3.11, 3.12 and 3.13, including one planted fault for each of the 23 checks.

## Questions

**How is this different from the AGENTS.md starter files?** The starter files give you rule text to paste. This kit lays down the whole project tree and adds a check that runs 23 tests on any project, so you find out when an approval rule, an agent limit or a hook goes missing.

**Will it overwrite my project?** No. init writes only into an empty folder, and check only reads.

**Why one short AGENTS.md instead of one big file?** Long rule files get skimmed by people and agents alike. The core five sections stay short; detail lives in small files, one concern each.

**Does it work with my existing CLAUDE.md?** Yes. The check flags a long CLAUDE.md that does not import AGENTS.md, so you can merge them into one set of rules.

## How to buy

$19 one time at https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/agent-project-scaffold-a-project-tree-that-carries-its-own-rules/. Stripe checkout, then an instant download page; the download link is also in your emailed receipt.

Seller: PaperChaseWebb Inc., mgmt@paperchasewebb.com