diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
index 3744d6f435..c00ef406b2 100644
--- a/.github/copilot-instructions.md
+++ b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
@@ -19,3 +19,15 @@ When reviewing pull requests, follow these rules to avoid noise and redundancy:
 - First-time contributors: For users new to this repository,
   explicitly instruct them to "Please check and address all review
   comments in this PR."
+
+Also flag these, once per PR with the locations:
+
+- Comment churn: Code comments or docs that restate the code, narrate
+  history, or justify review decisions.
+- Unrelated edits: Renames, reformatting, or reordering of code the
+  change does not otherwise need.
+- Duplication: New helpers, types, or tests that duplicate existing ones.
+- API growth: New public API the change does not need. Check new entries
+  in `public-api.txt`.
+- PR description: Descriptions that restate the diff or pad the
+  template. Mention it in the review summary.
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 22ddb2bbd6..5a1106e0b0 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -22,6 +22,44 @@
 This file provides repository-specific guidance for automated agents working
 in this repository.
 
+## Comments, docs, and diff scope
+
+Default to no comment. Leave existing comments as they are unless you change
+the code they describe or they are wrong.
+
+- Comment only what the code cannot say: invariants, non-obvious
+  constraints, links to external behavior. Do not restate the code.
+- Do not describe how the code changed or explain review history
+  ("previously", "instead of", "unlike X"). Put that in the commit message
+  or PR description.
+- Public items get a one-line doc summary of what they do for the caller,
+  not how. Expand only for contract the caller must know, such as the
+  errors it returns (`# Errors`) or when it panics (`# Panics`).
+- Test names say what they check. Do not narrate asserts.
+- Cover the edge cases and error paths the change adds, not only the
+  happy path.
+- Build the expected value and assert equality with it, rather than
+  checking fields one at a time.
+- Do not add tests that duplicate existing coverage.
+- Do not rename, reformat, refactor, or reorder code unrelated to the
+  change. A bug fix does not carry an API redesign.
+- Reuse existing helpers, types, and test fixtures (such as
+  `TableTestFixture`) before adding new ones. Use arrow-rs kernels
+  instead of reimplementing them.
+- Use the narrowest visibility that works. Make items `pub` only when they
+  are part of the API the change intends to expose. Run
+  `make generate-public-api` to update each crate's `public-api.txt`, and
+  check its diff for API growth.
+
+## Pull requests
+
+- Follow the PR template. Keep each section short: the problem, the
+  approach, and anything a reviewer would not guess from the diff. In
+  AI Disclosure, name the areas of uncertainty or assumptions a reviewer
+  should focus on.
+- Do not restate the diff: no file-by-file walkthroughs, per-function
+  summaries, or "changes made" checklists.
+
 ## Security Model
 
 When assessing potential vulnerabilities or calibrating automated security