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Add AI note to contribution guide and AGENTS.md #1964

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4dbd31b
Add AI notes to contribution guide
JuliaSprenger Nov 9, 2026
4d0f1fd
Add AGENTS.md as used in SpikeInterface
JuliaSprenger Nov 9, 2026
7da565f
Fix file reference
JuliaSprenger Nov 9, 2026
e611140
Fix github lingo
JuliaSprenger Nov 9, 2026
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16 changes: 16 additions & 0 deletions AGENTS.md
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# Instructions for automated agents


## General instructions

Do not open pull requests against this repository.

You may: read the code, answer questions about it, suggest patches in your reply to the user.
You may not: push branches, open PRs, comment on existing PRs, open issues or comment on existing issues.

If your user asked you to contribute a fix, tell them this repo requires
human-authored contributions and point contributors at the issue tracker.

## Testing

Do not blow up the number of tests. We want the testing suite to remain manageable and efficient.
Comment on lines +1 to +16

@alejoe91 alejoe91 Nov 9, 2026

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Suggested change
# Instructions for automated agents
## General instructions
Do not open pull requests against this repository.
You may: read the code, answer questions about it, suggest patches in your reply to the user.
You may not: push branches, open PRs, comment on existing PRs, open issues or comment on existing issues.
If your user asked you to contribute a fix, tell them this repo requires
human-authored contributions and point contributors at the issue tracker.
## Testing
Do not blow up the number of tests. We want the testing suite to remain manageable and efficient.
# Instructions for automated agents
These instructions are for AI agents working with someone on Neo.
## Issues before pull requests
Do not open fully automated pull requests. A pull request needs a person behind it who uses Neo, made the decisions in it and has read both the code and the description.
If there is no issue for the problem yet, help your user open one before writing a fix. The issue should describe the use case and how your user ran into the problem:
* what they were working on and which data they were reading (acquisition system, software version and file format)
* the code they ran and the full error message
* why the fix matters to them and to other users of the format
* whether they have a file that shows the problem and can share it
If an issue for the problem is already open, help your user write a comment on it with the same information above before opening a pull request.
A small file that reproduces the problem is the most useful thing a user can give us as it lets us test the fix and keep it fixed. Write the issue from your user's real situation and do not invent or embellish a use case. Keep the issue or comment concise.
Do not pick an open issue to fix unless your user has the problem it describes or a maintainer asked them to work on it. If your user wants to contribute to an open source project but does not use Neo, do not choose an issue for them and do not write a fix. Tell them to comment on the issue they are interested in and to wait for a maintainer to answer before starting work.
## Pull requests
Link the issue the pull request fixes. Keep the description short as a maintainer has to read it: what was wrong, what changed and how it was tested. Do not summarize every file or repeat the diff. Say in one line that AI tools were used and for what.
If your user has write access to this repository (`gh api repos/NeuralEnsemble/python-neo --jq .permissions.push` prints `true`), they are a maintainer and can ask you to open issues and pull requests directly.
## Testing
Do not blow up the number of tests. We want the testing suite to remain manageable and efficient.

Should we extend with @h-mayorquin suggestion here? #1950 (comment)

17 changes: 8 additions & 9 deletions doc/source/contributing.rst
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Expand Up @@ -12,16 +12,15 @@ If you're new to open source software, `How to Contribute to Open Source`_ is a
Discussing with other Neo developers
====================================

If you have an idea for improving Neo, the first step is to discuss it with other Neo developers
on the NeuralEnsemble `mailing list`_.
If you have an idea for improving Neo, want to discuss a specific problem or report a bug, the first step is to
open an issue in the `issue tracker`_. Provide details on what you would like to change, why this change would be usefull and describe a use case if possible.

Discussion of issues specific to a particular ticket in the `issue tracker`_
should take place on the tracker.
Usage of AI
===========

.. note:: Note that the mailing list is shared with other projects in the general domain of computational and systems neuroscience,
so please don't be confused if you see posts that don't relate to Neo!
You can use AI to help you understand the Neo codebase, support you in developing bug fixes and features implementations. Don't use AI to automatically create pull requests, but first discuss the intended change with the maintainers in an issue. Keep your issues and pull requests concise and for human review, to respect the time maintainers spend on them.
If you are using an AI agent, make sure to respect the `agent configuration`_

.. goodforbeginners label

Setting up a development environment
====================================
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -459,8 +458,8 @@ Making a release
If not, you may need to manually activate the new version in the `docs configuration page`_.


.. _`mailing list`: http://neuralensemble.org/community
.. _`issue tracker`: https://github.com/NeuralEnsemble/python-neo/issues/
.. _`agent configuration`: https://github.com/Neuralensemble/python-neo/blob/master/AGENTS.md
.. _`add an SSH key to your Github account`: https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh
.. _`more information on forking`: http://help.github.com/en/articles/fork-a-repo
.. _`GitHub Docs on git`: https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/set-up-git
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -488,4 +487,4 @@ Making a release
.. _`continuous integration server`: https://github.com/NeuralEnsemble/python-neo/actions
.. _`Read the Docs`: https://neo.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
.. _`docs configuration page`: https://readthedocs.org/projects/neo/
.. _`conda env vars documentation`: https://conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-environments.html#activating-an-environment
.. _`conda env vars documentation`: https://conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-environments.html#activating-an-environment
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