Why Default Workflows Belong in AGENTS.md, Not in a Skill

The question sounds like a documentation placement issue: should a complex default workflow live in AGENTS.md, or should it become a dedicated skill?

In practice, it is a question about system boundaries.

The short answer

A default workflow belongs in AGENTS.md because it is routing logic. It decides how the agent should classify a request, which knowledge source to read first, when to ask a question, and when to execute.

A skill is different. A skill is an execution module for a specific domain once the task has already been routed.

In other words:

• AGENTS.md decides which path to take.
• A skill explains how to walk a specific path.

Why this cannot live inside one skill

The default workflow runs before any skill is selected.

If the rule says “first decide whether a skill applies,” putting that rule inside a skill creates a loop: the agent would need to invoke a skill before it knows whether to invoke a skill.

That is the wrong layer.

The default workflow should sit above all skills because it governs intake, routing, escalation, and execution discipline across every task type.

AGENTS.md as the routing layer

AGENTS.md is useful for rules that apply broadly:

• how to inspect the repo before editing
• how to choose between implementation, review, and research
• when to ask a clarifying question
• how to handle multi-step work
• how to respect local project constraints
• how to coordinate with specialized skills

Those rules are not tied to one domain. They shape the agent’s behavior before the domain is known.

Skills as execution modules

Skills are best used for specialized workflows:

• reviewing a draft article
• generating a logo asset matrix
• building a spreadsheet
• drawing a technical architecture diagram
• installing or publishing a skill

Each skill should assume the task has already been classified. Then it can provide detailed steps, scripts, templates, and checks for that domain.

The useful split

A healthy agent system keeps the layers separate:

• Global behavior and routing live in AGENTS.md.
• Domain-specific procedures live in skills.
• Project-specific facts live in docs, decisions, learn notes, and local AGENTS.md files.

This separation keeps the agent predictable. It also makes skills easier to reuse because they do not need to carry global operating rules.

Practical rule

If a rule answers “how should the agent decide what to do next?”, put it in AGENTS.md.

If a rule answers “how should the agent complete this specific class of task?”, put it in a skill.