first stab at an AGENTS.md file

Author: drbenvincent

AGENTS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# AGENTS
+
+## Testing preferences
+
+- Write all Python tests as `pytest` style functions, not unittest classes
+- Use descriptive function names starting with `test_`
+- Prefer fixtures over setup/teardown methods
+- Use assert statements directly, not self.assertEqual
+
+## Testing approach
+
+- Never create throwaway test scripts or ad hoc verification files
+- If you need to test functionality, write a proper test in the test suite
+- All tests go in the `causalpy/tests/` directory following the project structure
+- Tests should be runnable with the rest of the suite (`python -m pytest`)
+- Even for quick verification, write it as a real test that provides ongoing value
+- Preference should be given to integration tests, but unit tests are acceptable for core functionality to maintain high code coverage.
+- Tests should remain quick to run. Tests involving MCMC sampling with PyMC should use custom `sample_kwargs` to minimize the computational load.
+
+## Documentation
+
+- **Structure**: Notebooks (how-to examples) go in `docs/source/notebooks/`, knowledgebase (educational content) goes in `docs/source/knowledgebase/`
+- **Notebook naming**: Use pattern `{method}_{model}.ipynb` (e.g., `did_pymc.ipynb`, `rd_skl.ipynb`), organized by causal method
+- **MyST directives**: Use `:::{note}` and other MyST features for callouts and formatting
+- **Glossary linking**: Use Sphinx `:term:` directives to link to glossary terms (defined in `glossary.rst`), typically on first mention in a file
+- **Citations**: Use `references.bib` for citations, cite sources in example notebooks where possible. Include reference section at bottom of notebooks using `:::{bibliography}` directive with `:filter: docname in docnames`
+- **API documentation**: Auto-generated from docstrings via Sphinx autodoc, no manual API docs needed
+- **Build**: Use `make html` to build documentation
+- **Doctest**: Use `make doctest` to test that Python examples in doctests work

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ We appreciate being notified of problems with the existing CausalPy code. We pre
 
 Please verify that your issue is not being currently addressed by other issues or pull requests by using the GitHub search tool to look for key words in the project issue tracker.
 
+## Use of agents
+PR's with agent-generated code are fine. But don't spam us with code you don't understand. See [AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md) for how we use LLMs in this repo.
+
 ## Contributing code via pull requests
 
 While issue reporting is valuable, we strongly encourage users who are inclined to do so to submit patches for new or existing issues via pull requests. This is particularly the case for simple fixes, such as typos or tweaks to documentation, which do not require a heavy investment of time and attention.