What Does an AI Agent Config Generator Produce and Which File Should You Use?

An AI agent config generator turns your project rules, design tokens, and tool connections into a config file that a coding agent reads before it writes code. The file you need depends on which agent you use: AGENTS.md for a single shared config across many agents, CLAUDE.md for Claude Code, .cursor/rules/*.mdc for Cursor, copilot-instructions.md for GitHub Copilot, SKILL.md for reusable skills, DESIGN.md for design tokens and rules, and mcp.json to connect an agent to external tools and data. If you use one agent, generate its native file; if you use several, generate AGENTS.md and keep agent-specific files only where behavior differs.

What an AI agent config generator actually solves

Coding agents start each session with no memory of your project. Without a config file, they guess at conventions, invent design values, and repeat mistakes you already corrected. A config generator produces a persistent instruction file the agent loads automatically, so your rules apply to every task instead of every prompt.

The generator's output is a plain text or structured file you commit to the repo. It typically contains three kinds of content:

• Project context — what the codebase is, its stack, and how it's organized.
• Rules — coding conventions, file scoping, and constraints the agent must follow.
• Design tokens — colors, spacing, and typography values so the agent stops inventing its own.

The main config file types and what each is for

AGENTS.md is the broadest option: one file for every coding agent. The agent-specific files exist because some tools read their own path first, and because you may want rules scoped differently — Cursor's .mdc format, for example, supports per-directory scoping that a single root file can't express.

How to choose between a shared config and agent-specific files

Start with the number of agents your team actually runs.

• One agent — generate that agent's native file (CLAUDE.md, copilot-instructions.md, or Cursor rules). No need for a shared layer.
• Two or more agents — generate AGENTS.md as the source of truth, then add an agent-specific file only for rules that agent handles differently.
• Path-scoped rules — use Cursor's .cursor/rules/*.mdc when different parts of the repo need different conventions.
• Reusable capabilities — use SKILL.md when the same skill should work across many agents.
• External tools and data — use mcp.json when the agent needs to call tools or read data beyond the repo.

A practical default: AGENTS.md for shared rules, DESIGN.md for design tokens, and mcp.json only if the agent needs tool access.

What to put in a generated config

The generator's value comes from what you feed it. Include:

• Design tokens — brand or Figma values converted to CSS and Tailwind tokens, so the agent applies your palette instead of default grays.
• Coding rules — naming, file structure, and constraints, scoped to the paths they apply to.
• Project context — stack, entry points, and what the agent should not touch.

Keep rules specific and checkable. "Use the tokens in tokens.css" is enforceable; "write clean code" is not.

Verify what the agent actually shipped

A config file directs the agent, but it doesn't guarantee the output. After the agent runs, check the result:

• Color contrast — catch the low-contrast grays agents ship by default.
• Browser feature detection — confirm the CSS and JS the agent used actually ships in target browsers.
• Image output — compress and convert agent-generated images before they ship.

These checks close the loop: the config sets the rules, and verification confirms the agent followed them.

Where to generate these files

Design.dev hosts free generators for each file type above — DESIGN.md, CLAUDE.md, Cursor rules, Copilot instructions, SKILL.md, AGENTS.md, and mcp.json — alongside a prompt library, style packs, and verification tools like a color contrast checker and browser feature detection. The site also offers a free 300-icon pack on subscribe; pricing for other resources isn't specified in the available material, so check the site directly before assuming access terms.