Report · marked 10 Oct 2026

microsoft/qlib

An agent can work here, but it will waste turns finding its footing.

Python · 49,255 stars · 643 files · branch main

69 /100 B

Instructions 3/27Whether the repo tells an agent how to behave before it starts guessing. Losing marks on agent instruction file and instruction quality.Setup 16/20Whether an agent can install the project and get it running without a human. Losing marks on environment config.Verification loop 21/25Whether an agent can check its own work. This is the category that most decides whether agent output is trustworthy. Losing marks on lint and format rules and static type checking.Context economy 20/20Whether the repo fits in a context window, or fights it. Full marks.Navigability 10/10How quickly anything new can orient itself. Full marks.

Higher is better. Accent marks what is costing you most.

Fix these first

Agent instruction file

Add an AGENTS.md at the root: what the project is, how to install, how to run, how to test, and the two or three conventions a newcomer always gets wrong.

Instruction quality

Instructions earn their keep by naming exact commands. 'Run the tests with `pnpm test`' beats three paragraphs of philosophy.

Environment config

Add a .env.example listing every variable with a safe placeholder value. It's the cheapest possible fix and it unblocks the whole first run.

The full marking

Every deduction below names the file or setting it came from.

Instructions 3/27 F

Whether the repo tells an agent how to behave before it starts guessing.

✗Agent instruction file 0/12

None found. Every agent that opens this repo starts from zero.

Add an AGENTS.md at the root: what the project is, how to install, how to run, how to test, and the two or three conventions a newcomer always gets wrong.

Looked for AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, .cursorrules

✗Instruction quality 0/12

Nothing to judge, since there are no instructions.

Instructions earn their keep by naming exact commands. 'Run the tests with `pnpm test`' beats three paragraphs of philosophy.

✓README as an entry point 3/3

README has a clear getting-started section.

Setup 16/20 A-

Whether an agent can install the project and get it running without a human.

✓Deterministic install 6/6

package-lock.json pins the dependency tree.

Found package-lock.json

✓Discoverable commands 6/6

Commands are declared where an agent will look for them.

Makefile

pyproject.toml scripts

scripts/ directory

✗Environment config 0/4

Nothing documents the environment this needs. An agent will get a runtime error it can't diagnose.

Add a .env.example listing every variable with a safe placeholder value. It's the cheapest possible fix and it unblocks the whole first run.

✓Pinned runtime version 2/2

The language runtime version is pinned.

package.json engines.node >=22.12.0

✓Reproducible environment 2/2

dockerfile gives a known-good environment.

Verification loop 21/25 A-

Whether an agent can check its own work. This is the category that most decides whether agent output is trustworthy.

✓Tests exist 8/8

59 test files against 354 source files.

e.g. qlib/tests/__init__.py, qlib/tests/config.py, qlib/tests/data.py

✓Test command is discoverable 7/7

An agent can find and run `make test`.

✓Continuous integration 4/4

6 GitHub Actions workflows define what "passing" means.

✗Lint and format rules 0/3

No linter or formatter config. Style is tribal knowledge, so agent output will drift from yours.

A formatter config is the cheapest way to stop reviewing whitespace in agent diffs. It moves style from opinion to a command.

✗Static type checking 2/3

Type checking is configured, but not in strict mode.

A type checker gives an agent an error message instead of a runtime surprise. It's the second-fastest feedback loop after the compiler.

Context economy 20/20 A+

Whether the repo fits in a context window, or fights it.

✓No committed build output 6/6

No generated directories committed.

✓.gitignore hygiene 3/3

.gitignore covers 40 patterns.

✓File sizes fit in context 6/6

No source file is large enough to crowd out a context window.

✓Repository weight 5/5

About 18.5MB checked out, which is comfortable.

Here is your AGENTS.md

Drafted from what is actually in this repository: the install command from your lockfile, the commands you already declare, your real directory layout. Anything marked TODO needs a person. Save it at the root as AGENTS.md.

AGENTS.md — drafted for microsoft/qlib

# AGENTS.md

Qlib is an AI-oriented Quant investment platform that aims to use AI tech to empower Quant Research, from exploring ideas to implementing productions. Qlib supports diverse ML modeling paradigms, including supervised learning, market dynamics modeling, and RL, and is now equipped with https://github.com/microsoft/RD-Agent to automate R&D process.

## Setup

```
npm ci
```

## Commands

```
make clean
make deepclean
make prerequisite
make dependencies
make lightgbm
make rl
```

## Layout

- `qlib/`     233 source files
- `tests/`    51 source files
- `examples/` 44 source files
- `scripts/`  20 source files
- `docs/`     2 source files

## Conventions

- Tests live alongside the code they cover, following `qlib/tests/__init__.py`.
- CI defines what passing means. See `.github/workflows/lint_title.yml`, and keep it green.
- TODO: add the two or three conventions a newcomer always gets wrong here.

---

Drafted by agentreadme.com from what is in this repository. Everything marked TODO
needs a human. Check it in as AGENTS.md at the root.

Open the raw markdown or curl -o AGENTS.md agentreadme.com/draft/microsoft/qlib.md

A draft gets the commands right and stops at the things only a maintainer knows. What a good Python AGENTS.md looks like covers what to add by hand, and what AGENTS.md is explains the format itself.

Show the mark

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[![agent ready](https://agentreadme.com/badge/microsoft/qlib.svg)](https://agentreadme.com/microsoft/qlib)

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