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ROBOT.md Format Specification

ROBOT.md is a single file that declares what a robot is and what it can do, in a form that both machines (JSON Schema + RCAN validators) and LLM planners can consume directly.

The file is markdown with a leading YAML frontmatter block:

  • The frontmatter is the machine-readable declaration: identity, physics, drivers, safety, capabilities, compliance. Validated against schema/v1/robot.schema.json.
  • The body is human/LLM prose: identity narrative, capabilities explained, safety gates described, task-routing guidance. Read by the planner at session start.

This parallels CLAUDE.md's role for codebases: a single file, read at session start, that orients the planner.

Spec versions

Version Status Document
v1 Current v1.md
v0.2 design Historical v0.2-design.md
v0.1 MCP design Historical v0.1-mcp-design.md

JSON Schema

The machine-readable schema is served at:

https://robotmd.dev/schema/v1/robot.schema.json

Validate a local file:

robot-md validate ROBOT.md