Instruction file sprawl

Instruction file sprawl is the accumulation of instruction-file copies across a machine or a team. Nobody decides to keep dozens of copies; each agent tool reads its own path, and every repository, worktree, and home directory adds one more.

Where the copies come from

Using four tools means keeping four parallel copies per project — before counting clones and branches.

Measured

A scan of one developer laptop found 111 copies of AGENTS.md (19 distinct contents) and 3,073 SKILL.md files (887 distinct). Sprawl is the precondition for instruction drift: the more copies exist, the sooner they disagree.

Related

• Agent instruction drift
• AGENTS.md
• Agent asset inventory

This entry is part of the untactit glossary. Definitions draw on measured write-ups published on the blog.