Add AGENTS.md to a Local Project with a Screen Reader

Before you start

This walkthrough uses NVDA on Windows and the Codex view in ChatGPT desktop, recorded September 24, 2026. Have a local project and a dedicated folder ready. My example is Keeping up with AWS. Start with my earlier video, Create a Local Project in ChatGPT Desktop with a Screen Reader, if you need the setup steps.

AGENTS.md is a local instruction file for Codex. It is different from the instructions field in a cloud ChatGPT Project, and it only affects this one project.

For keyboard setup, see NVDA Settings for Coding.

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Watch ChatGPT Desktop App: Add AGENTS.md to a Local Project with a Screen Reader on YouTube

Choose and confirm the project folder

Find Keeping up with AWS in the project sidebar.
Use NVDA+Space to switch between browse and focus mode when needed.
Move to Project actions for Keeping up with AWS.
Open the menu with Space.
Use the arrow keys to select Edit, then press Enter.
Remove the broad Documents source folder if you are replacing it.
Activate Add folder or Choose source folders.
Select the dedicated keeping-up-with-aws folder in the folder picker.
Activate Select Folder.
Activate Save in Edit project.
Read the folder trust message and continue only if you trust that folder.
Confirm that the main prompt names Keeping up with AWS.

I then ask, “What folder do you have access to in this project?” Listen for the working directory in the answer. That tells you which folder the project is using. It does not lock Codex out of other folders, so pick a folder you are comfortable working in.

One correction: in the recording I sometimes say forms mode when I mean focus mode. NVDA+Space switches between browse and focus mode. Single-letter keys like B for buttons work in browse mode, and in the open project menu you use the arrow keys.

Add the instructions to AGENTS.md

Add the following guidance to AGENTS.md in this project's primary/root folder. If that file does not exist, create it. Preserve existing instructions and avoid duplicate guidance. If an existing instruction conflicts with this request, explain the conflict before editing. Change only this project's AGENTS.md; do not change global personal instructions or other files. Show me the exact path and text you changed.

Guidance to add:
In this project, explain procedures for a learner using NVDA on Windows with the keyboard. Prefer keyboard instructions and name controls clearly. Use short numbered steps with one action per step. If a shortcut or control name is uncertain, say so rather than guessing. Keep explanations friendly and encouraging.

Paste this prompt into your project chat and send it, changing the guidance to fit your own project. Before moving on, listen to the path and the text it reports changing. My file asks for keyboard instructions, clear control names, short numbered steps, and an honest answer when a shortcut is uncertain.

In the video I say I want copy blocks, but this prompt does not ask for them. If you want that, add this line to the guidance: “Put text I need to copy in a clearly labeled code block.”

Review the file and test the response

Read the response confirming the AGENTS.md path.
Confirm that only the intended file changed.
Activate Review beside the edited file.
If focus stays in the chat, use NVDA browse-mode landmark navigation with D to reach the review pane.
Find AGENTS.md and read the added text.
Return to the prompt and ask a small question whose answer should use the new format.

My example asks for instructions for installing AWS CLI, and I check that the answer uses numbered keyboard steps. I do not actually install AWS CLI in this lesson.

The video tests the next response in the same chat. For a stronger persistence check, start a fresh task in this project and ask it to summarize the instructions it loaded. Confirm that it names AGENTS.md and your accessibility preferences.

Be careful with Escape, because depending on focus it can stop an active task. In the review pane, Jump to file opens a file chooser rather than reading the file, so close it before moving on.

Keep project instructions focused

Start with a few instructions you can verify. Add details when you find a repeated need, and remove guidance that is no longer useful. Keep this file in the intended project root and preserve existing project rules when editing it.

Codex reads its instructions when a task starts, and global or folder-level instructions can apply too. If an answer seems off, start a fresh task in the right project and ask which instruction files it loaded.

Reference: OpenAI guidance on custom instructions with AGENTS.md, checked September 24, 2026.