Codex ignores contents of agents file, even after explicitly asking it to read it

What version of Codex is running?

codex-cli 0.30.0

Which model were you using?

gpt-5

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.19045.0 x64

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Create an AGENTS.md file that contains the following instructions, among others:

Comment style (keep only high-signal comments)
- Do not add comments that merely restate what the code already conveys (e.g., “now inferred from POC team”, “no team_id accepted by design”, “form no longer has team context”).
- Do not leave migration notes, historical rationale, or references to removed code (“used to…”, “now…”, “by design…”). Prefer clear code and tests.
- Keep comments only for non-obvious constraints, invariants, or external requirements (protocol quirks, upstream bugs, security caveats) that are not evident from the code.
- Prefer expressive names and tests over explanatory comments.

Code hygiene
- Do not leave leftover comments referencing removed code or temporary notes. Remove obsolete blocks entirely to avoid confusion.

Explicitly ask codex to read the file on startup. Ask it to perform a task.

What is the expected behavior?

Not to leave comments referencing removed code.

What do you see instead?

Comments referencing removed code.

Example:

# foo (legacy upper code removed)

Additional information

_No response_