Evaluate how well a codebase supports autonomous AI-assisted development. Analyzes repositories across five pillars (Agent Instructions, Feedback Loops, Workflows & Automation, Policy & Governance, Build & Dev Environment) covering 74 features. Use when users want to assess how agent-ready a repository is.
Evaluate how well a repository supports autonomous AI-assisted development.
Assess a codebase across five pillars that determine whether an AI agent can work effectively in a repository. The output is a structured report identifying what's present and what's missing.
| Pillar | Question | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Instructions | Does the agent know what to do? | 18 |
| Feedback Loops | Does the agent know if it's right? | 16 |
| Workflows & Automation | Does the process support agent work? | 15 |
| Policy & Governance | Does the agent know the rules? | 13 |
| Build & Dev Environment | Can the agent build and run the project? | 12 |
74 features total. See for the full list with descriptions and evidence examples.
references/criteria.mdFive shell scripts gather filesystem signals — file existence, config patterns,
directory structures. They surface what's present so you don't have to run
dozens of find commands manually.
bash scripts/scan_agent_instructions.sh /path/to/repo
bash scripts/scan_feedback_loops.sh /path/to/repo
bash scripts/scan_workflows.sh /path/to/repo
bash scripts/scan_policy.sh /path/to/repo
bash scripts/scan_build_env.sh /path/to/repo
Or scan all five at once:
for s in scripts/scan_*.sh; do bash "$s" /path/to/repo; echo; done
Important: The scripts are helpers, not scorers. They find files and patterns but do not evaluate quality. Many features require judgment that only reading the actual files can provide — for example, whether a README includes real build commands or just badges, whether inline documentation is systematic or scattered, whether an AI usage policy has meaningful boundaries.
Walk through references/criteria.md pillar by pillar. For each feature:
Features that require judgment (not fully covered by scanners):
Structure the output as:
# Agent Readiness Report: {repo name}
## Summary
- Features present: X / 74
- Strongest pillar: {pillar}
- Weakest pillar: {pillar}
## Pillar 1 · Agent Instructions (X / 18)
✓ Agent instruction file — AGENTS.md at root
✓ AI IDE configuration — .cursor/rules/ with 3 rule files
✗ Multi-model support — only Cursor configured
...
## Pillar 2 · Feedback Loops (X / 16)
...
## Pillar 3 · Workflows & Automation (X / 15)
...
## Pillar 4 · Policy & Governance (X / 13)
...
## Pillar 5 · Build & Dev Environment (X / 12)
...
For each passing feature, briefly note what evidence you found. For each failing feature, note what's missing.
Every feature answers: if this is missing, what goes wrong for the AI agent? Features like "agent instruction file" and "tool server configuration" exist because agents need them. Features like "linter" and "CI pipeline" exist because agents need fast, clear feedback on whether their changes are correct — not because they're general best practices.
The criteria were derived from analysis of 123 real repositories across five AI-readiness categories, then filtered for features that actually affect agent effectiveness.