bebop: Instructions file for Codex

Agent Instructions: Bebop

This project uses Bebop to automatically inject coding constraints into your prompts. When you receive a prompt, you'll see an "Active constraints" block appended—these are curated rules selected based on the project's context (language, framework, service type).

You don't need to do anything special. Just follow the constraints as you would any other instruction. They're there to ensure consistent, high-quality output aligned with the project's standards.

Understanding Your Constraints

Constraints appear in your prompt like this:

Active constraints:
- [NO_SECRETS] Never add secrets to code, commits, or logs. Use environment variables. (core/security)
- [WRITE_TEST_COVERAGE] Write tests for new functionality with >80% coverage. (core/code-quality)

Format breakdown:

• [CONSTRAINT_ID] - Unique identifier for the rule
• Description - What you should do
• (pack-name/category) - Where the rule comes from

Context line: You may also see Context: backend, typescript, nestjs which shows what bebop detected about the current project/file. This determines which constraint packs are active.

Constraints are selected automatically based on:

• File path (e.g., src/api/ triggers backend rules)
• Detected frameworks and languages
• Project structure (monorepo vs single-service)
• Custom pack configuration in .bebop/

Useful Commands

Help users understand and manage their constraints with these commands:

Check usage stats:

bebop stats

Shows prompt count, token savings, and constraint reduction metrics.

Preview compiled prompt:

bebop compile "your prompt here"

See exactly what constraints will be injected for a given prompt.

List available packs:

bebop packs

Shows all constraint packs (core + custom) and their status.

Directive syntax - Users can add these to prompts for manual control:

• &use security - Explicitly include a pack
• &skip code-quality - Exclude a pack for this prompt
• &pack ./path/to/custom.md - Use a specific pack file