How to sync CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md without maintaining duplicate rules
Developers using both Claude Code and OpenAI Codex in a single project face a silent drift problem, as each tool reads a different instruction file — CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md respectively. When rules are updated in only one file, AI agents may act on outdated instructions, causing hard-to-diagnose errors. A practical fix is to designate one file as the single source of truth and have the other simply reference it with a short pointer, eliminating duplication. Symlinks offer an even leaner solution on Unix systems, though they carry risks on Windows where Git symlink support requires extra configuration. For cases where tool-specific instructions genuinely differ, experts recommend keeping shared project rules in one file and appending only tool-specific additions separately.
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