diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
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 # Apache Spark
 
-This file provides context and guidelines for AI coding assistants working with the Apache Spark codebase.
+## Pre-flight Checks
+
+Before the first code read, edit, or test in a session, ensure a clean working environment. DO NOT skip these checks:
+
+1. Run `git remote -v` to identify the personal fork and upstream (`apache/spark`). If unclear, ask the user to configure their remotes following the standard convention (`origin` for the fork, `upstream` for `apache/spark`).
+2. If the latest commit on `<upstream>/master` is more than a day old (check with `git log -1 --format="%ci" <upstream>/master`), run `git fetch <upstream> master`.
+3. If there are uncommitted changes (check with `git status`), ask the user to stash them before proceeding.
+4. Switch to the appropriate branch:
+   - **Existing PR**: look for a local branch matching the PR branch name. If found, switch to it and inform the user. If not found, ask whether to fetch it or if there is a local branch under a different name.
+   - **New edits**: ask the user to choose: create a new git worktree from `<upstream>/master` and work from there (recommended), or create and switch to a new branch from `<upstream>/master`.
+   - **Reading code or running tests**: use `<upstream>/master`.
+
+## Development Notes
+
+SQL golden file tests are managed by `SQLQueryTestSuite` and its variants. Read the class documentation before running or updating these tests. DO NOT edit the generated golden files (`.sql.out`) directly. Always regenerate them when needed, and carefully review the diff to make sure it's expected.
+
+Spark Connect protocol is defined in proto files under `sql/connect/common/src/main/protobuf/`. Read the README there before modifying proto definitions.
 
 ## Build and Test
 
-Prefer building in sbt over maven:
+Build and tests can take a long time. Before running tests, ask the user if they have more changes to make.
+
+Prefer SBT over Maven for faster incremental compilation. Module names are defined in `project/SparkBuild.scala`.
+
+Compile a single module:
+
+    build/sbt <module>/compile
+
+Compile test code for a single module:
+
+    build/sbt <module>/Test/compile
+
+Run test suites by wildcard or full class name:
+
+    build/sbt '<module>/testOnly *MySuite'
+    build/sbt '<module>/testOnly org.apache.spark.sql.MySuite'
+
+Run test cases matching a substring:
+
+    build/sbt '<module>/testOnly *MySuite -- -z "test name"'
+
+For faster iteration, keep SBT open in interactive mode:
+
+    build/sbt
+    > project <module>
+    > testOnly *MySuite
+
+### PySpark Tests
+
+PySpark tests require building Spark with Hive support first:
+
+    build/sbt -Phive package
+
+Activate the virtual environment specified by the user, or default to `.venv`:
+
+    source <venv>/bin/activate
+
+If the default venv does not exist, create it:
+
+    python3 -m venv .venv
+    source .venv/bin/activate
+    pip install -r dev/requirements.txt
+
+Run a single test suite:
+
+    python/run-tests --testnames pyspark.sql.tests.arrow.test_arrow
+
+Run a single test case:
+
+    python/run-tests --testnames "pyspark.sql.tests.test_catalog CatalogTests.test_current_database"
+
+## Pull Request Workflow
+
+PR title requires a JIRA ticket ID (e.g., `[SPARK-xxxx][SQL] Title`). Ask the user to create a new ticket or provide an existing one if not given. Follow the template in `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE` for the PR description.
+
+DO NOT push to the upstream repo. Always push to the personal fork. Open PRs against `master` on the upstream repo.
 
-- **Building Spark**: [docs/building-spark.md](docs/building-spark.md)
-  - SBT build instructions: See the ["Building with SBT"](docs/building-spark.md#building-with-sbt) section
-  - SBT testing: See the ["Testing with SBT"](docs/building-spark.md#testing-with-sbt) section
-  - Running individual tests: See the ["Running Individual Tests"](docs/building-spark.md#running-individual-tests) section
+DO NOT force push or use `--amend` on pushed commits unless the user explicitly asks. If the remote branch has new commits, fetch and rebase before pushing.
 
-- **PySpark Testing**: [python/docs/source/development/testing.rst](python/docs/source/development/testing.rst)
+Always get user approval before external operations such as pushing commits, creating PRs, or posting comments. Use `gh pr create` to open PRs. If `gh` is not installed, generate the GitHub PR URL for the user and recommend installing the GitHub CLI.
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
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+AGENTS.md
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