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+# AGENTS.md — how changes are made in this repo
+
+This file is read by AI agents (via opencode) **and** by human developers. Follow it.
+
+## What this repo is
+A **best-practices reference application** — the canonical example the team builds and points to. It
+is a small but realistic multi-container app, built and run with **docker-compose**:
+
+- **api** — the HTTP service (the app's public surface).
+- **worker** — background/async job processor.
+- **db** — PostgreSQL, the shared datastore.
+
+Everything is wired so the whole stack comes up with a single `docker compose up`. The point of this
+repo is that every part demonstrates how we like things done: clear structure, tests, and CI.
+
+## Golden rules
+- You may edit **any file** in this repo (app code, `docker-compose.yml`, `.gitea/`, tests, CI).
+- **NEVER push to `main`, and NEVER merge a pull request.** All work goes on a branch and becomes a
+  PR that a human (or `@pm` under the `autopilot` label) merges. You do not have merge authority.
+- **Never print, exfiltrate, or invent secret values.** Reference secrets via env vars / compose
+  `environment:`; never paste real secret values into comments, PRs, logs, or code. Config that
+  *references* a secret is fine; the value is not.
+- Keep changes **minimal** and match the conventions already in the file you're editing.
+- Do the work on a **branch** — never paste code or diffs into the issue thread.
+- Because this is a reference repo, favor **clarity over cleverness**: small services, obvious names,
+  comments where a newcomer would need them.
+
+## Project layout (target — grows as features land via issues)
+```
+docker-compose.yml        # the whole stack: api + worker + db
+api/                      # the HTTP service (its own Dockerfile)
+worker/                   # the background worker (its own Dockerfile)
+db/                       # schema / migrations / init SQL
+tests/                    # automated tests (unit + integration)
+.gitea/workflows/         # CI (build, test) + the ai-agent caller
+```
+Add a service by giving it its own top-level directory and a service entry in `docker-compose.yml`.
+
+## Local run & tests
+- **Run the stack:** `docker compose up --build` — api, worker, and db should all come up healthy.
+- **Tests:** every change must keep the test suite green. Run tests the way CI does (e.g. via a
+  `docker compose run` test service or the documented test command) before you consider work done.
+- Prefer **integration tests through compose** for cross-service behavior (api ↔ db, worker ↔ db)
+  over mocking the whole world.
+- Give each service a **healthcheck** in compose and depend on it (`depends_on: condition:
+  service_healthy`) so startup is deterministic.
+
+## CI
+CI lives under `.gitea/workflows/`. It must, at minimum, **build the images and run the tests** on
+every PR. Keep CI green — a PR that breaks the build or tests is not ready for review. When adding a
+new service, extend CI to build and test it too.
+
+## Branches & pull requests
+You start on branch `ai/issue-<N>` (N = the issue number).
+
+**Split independent changes into separate PRs** so each is small and reviewable:
+```
+git checkout main
+git checkout -b ai/issue-<N>-<short-slug>      # e.g. ai/issue-7-api-healthcheck
+# make just that one change
+git add -A && git commit -m "<what changed>" && git push -u origin HEAD
+```
+- Only keep changes together on one branch if they genuinely must ship as a unit.
+- Commit and **push incrementally** so progress is visible on the branch.
+- **Do not open pull requests yourself** — the automation opens one PR per branch you push.
+
+## PR description
+End your reply with a clean pull-request description wrapped EXACTLY between these markers.
+Everything before `BEGIN_PR_DESCRIPTION` is treated as working notes and discarded:
+
+```
+BEGIN_PR_DESCRIPTION
+## Summary
+<1-2 sentences: what changed and why>
+## Changes
+<short bullet list of the changes>
+END_PR_DESCRIPTION
+```
+Do not paste full files or large diffs — the review happens in the PR diff.
+
+## Database changes & migrations
+The datastore is Postgres, and `docker compose up` does **not** magically evolve a schema. For schema
+changes:
+- Put schema/migrations under `db/` (e.g. `db/migrations/NNNN-description.sql`, applied in order).
+- Make migrations **idempotent / forward-only** and safe to re-run.
+- Never require a manual, undocumented step — a fresh `docker compose up` on an empty volume must
+  produce a working schema.
+
+## When unsure
+If the task is genuinely unclear or missing details you cannot reasonably assume, make **no** changes
+and reply with specific questions instead.
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