diff --git a/docs/AGENTS.md b/docs/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69abf0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Documentation rules for this repository
+
+This repository lives inside the Orisys workspace at `D:\orisys_ws`. The workspace's writing
+standard is authoritative for every document here:
+
+**`D:\orisys_ws\docs\AUTHORING.md`** — one home per fact, current state only, link instead of
+restating, the slop checklist, and the word budgets (standard 1,200 / general 1,500 / reference
+3,000).
+
+This file exists because the standard is not auto-discovered from inside a repository: the
+workspace skill root is `D:\orisys_ws\.agents\skills\`, and an agent whose working directory is
+this repository resolves its project root to this repository's `.git`. Read the standard at the
+path above, or load the `orisys-doc-standard` skill when working from the workspace root.
+
+## Check your docs before finishing
+
+```powershell
+python D:\orisys_ws\scripts\doc_lint.py          # changed Markdown — must pass
+python D:\orisys_ws\scripts\doc_lint.py --all    # audit the whole corpus
+```
+
+`tools/lint_gate.py` runs this automatically alongside Ruff, so a change that adds an oversized
+document fails the same gate as a change that breaks a lint rule. Pass `--no-docs` to skip it.
+
+Pre-existing oversized documents in this repository are listed in `D:\orisys_ws\docs\inventory.json`
+as `budget-exempt` with a written reason, and pre-existing findings are baselined there, so the
+gate is red only for new regression. Fix one when you touch it and remove its entry.