diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
index 238dab59fa..528a432564 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@
 
   - Each pull request should address only one issue, not mix up code from multiple issues.
 
+  - **Generative AI disclosure:** Indicate whether generative AI tools were used in authoring this PR. If yes, specify the tool below.
+    - [ ] No generative AI tools used
+    - [ ] Yes (please specify the tool below)
+
+<!--
+Generated-by: [Tool Name and Version] following [the guidelines](https://github.com/apache/fluss/blob/main/AGENTS.md)
+-->
 
 **(The sections below can be removed for hotfixes or typos)**
 -->
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0a1ada9133
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,553 @@
+<!--
+ Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ distributed with this work for additional information
+ regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+ Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ limitations under the License.
+-->
+
+# Apache Fluss - AI Agent Coding Guide
+
+AI coding guide for Apache Fluss with critical rules, patterns, and standards derived from codebase analysis and Checkstyle enforcement.
+
+**Purpose:** This guide helps AI coding agents contribute to Apache Fluss by providing project-specific conventions, architectural patterns, and quality standards. It covers both code contribution (Sections 1-10) and deployment/setup guidance (Section 11).
+
+**Sections:** 1. Critical Rules | 2. API Patterns | 3. Code Organization | 4. Error Handling | 5. Concurrency | 6. Testing | 7. Dependencies | 8. Configuration | 9. Serialization/RPC | 10. Module Boundaries | 11. Build & CI | 12. Git & Pull Requests | 13. AI Agent Boundaries
+
+---
+
+## 1. Critical Rules (MUST/NEVER)
+
+**Enforced by Checkstyle** - violations will fail CI.
+
+### Dependencies & Utilities
+
+**FORBIDDEN imports** (use shaded versions - see Section 7):
+```java
+import com.google.common.*                              // → org.apache.fluss.shaded.guava.*
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.*, org.codehaus.jackson.*  // → org.apache.fluss.shaded.jackson2.*
+import io.netty.*                                       // → org.apache.fluss.shaded.netty4.*
+import org.apache.arrow.*                               // → org.apache.fluss.shaded.arrow.*
+import org.apache.zookeeper.*                           // → org.apache.fluss.shaded.zookeeper38.*
+```
+
+**MANDATORY utility substitutions:**
+```java
+// ❌ new ConcurrentHashMap<>()  → ✅ MapUtils.newConcurrentMap()  (see https://github.com/apache/fluss/issues/375)
+// ❌ com.google.common.base.Preconditions  → ✅ org.apache.fluss.utils.Preconditions (import statically)
+// ❌ com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting  → ✅ org.apache.fluss.annotation.VisibleForTesting
+// ❌ org.apache.commons.lang3.SerializationUtils  → ✅ org.apache.fluss.utils.InstantiationUtil
+// ❌ Boolean.getBoolean("prop")  → ✅ Boolean.parseBoolean(System.getProperty("prop"))
+```
+
+### Java Version Compatibility
+
+**Source level: Java 8** — All code MUST compile with JDK 8. CI enforces this via `compile-on-jdk8`.
+
+**Build requirement:** Java 11 is required to build the project, but all source code must remain Java 8 compatible.
+
+**FORBIDDEN Java 9+ features:**
+```java
+// ❌ var keyword (Java 10)
+var list = new ArrayList<>();  // → ✅ ArrayList<String> list = new ArrayList<>();
+
+// ❌ List.of(), Map.of(), Set.of() (Java 9)
+List.of("a", "b")              // → ✅ Arrays.asList("a", "b")
+Map.of("k", "v")               // → ✅ Collections.singletonMap("k", "v")
+Set.of("a", "b")               // → ✅ new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList("a", "b"))
+
+// ❌ Optional.isEmpty() (Java 11)
+optional.isEmpty()             // → ✅ !optional.isPresent()
+
+// ❌ String.strip(), String.isBlank() (Java 11)
+string.strip()                 // → ✅ string.trim()
+string.isBlank()               // → ✅ string.trim().isEmpty()
+
+// ❌ Stream.toList() (Java 16)
+stream.toList()                // → ✅ stream.collect(Collectors.toList())
+
+// ❌ Map.entry() (Java 9)
+Map.entry("k", "v")            // → ✅ new AbstractMap.SimpleEntry<>("k", "v")
+
+// ❌ InputStream.transferTo() (Java 9)
+inputStream.transferTo(out)    // → ✅ IOUtils.copyBytes(inputStream, out)
+
+// ❌ Switch expressions, text blocks, records, sealed classes, pattern matching
+```
+
+**FORBIDDEN language features:** Switch expressions (Java 12), text blocks (Java 13), records (Java 14), sealed classes (Java 17), pattern matching (Java 16+)
+
+### Testing
+
+**MANDATORY: Use AssertJ, NOT JUnit assertions:**
+```java
+// ❌ Assertions.assertEquals(expected, actual)
+// ✅ assertThat(actual).isEqualTo(expected)
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+assertThat(list).hasSize(3).contains("a", "b");
+assertThatThrownBy(() -> doSomething()).isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+```
+
+**NEVER use @Timeout on tests** - rely on global timeout
+
+### Code Style
+
+- **NEVER use star imports** (`import java.util.*;`) - set IDE threshold to 9999
+- **NEVER have trailing whitespace** - run `./mvnw spotless:apply`
+- **ALWAYS use Java-style arrays:** `String[] args` NOT `String args[]`
+- **ALWAYS require braces:** `if (x) { doIt(); }` NOT `if (x) doIt();`
+- **NEVER use TODO(username)** - use `TODO:` without username
+- **NEVER use FIXME, XXX, or @author tags** - use git history
+
+### Documentation
+
+- **File size limit:** 3000 lines max
+- **Javadoc REQUIRED:** All protected/public classes, interfaces, enums, methods
+
+---
+
+## 2. API Design Patterns
+
+### API Stability Annotations
+
+```java
+@PublicStable    // Stable - breaking changes only in major versions
+@PublicEvolving  // May change in minor versions
+@Internal        // Not public API - can change anytime
+```
+
+**Usage:** `@PublicStable` for core APIs (`Connection`, `Admin`); `@PublicEvolving` for new features; `@Internal` for RPC/internals
+**Reference:** `fluss-common/src/main/java/org/apache/fluss/annotation/`
+
+### Builder Pattern
+
+```java
+ConfigOption<Duration> timeout = ConfigBuilder
+    .key("client.timeout")
+    .durationType()
+    .defaultValue(Duration.ofSeconds(30));
+```
+
+**Pattern:** Static inner `Builder` class, method chaining, private constructor, `build()` method
+**Reference:** `fluss-common/src/main/java/org/apache/fluss/config/ConfigBuilder.java`
+
+### Factory Pattern
+
+```java
+public class ConnectionFactory {
+    private ConnectionFactory() {}  // Private constructor
+
+    public static Connection createConnection(Configuration conf) {
+        return new FlussConnection(conf);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+**Rules:** Private constructor, static factory methods, return interface types
+**Reference:** `fluss-client/src/main/java/org/apache/fluss/client/ConnectionFactory.java`
+
+### Additional Patterns
+
+- **Interface Segregation:** Provide generic (`Lookuper`) and typed (`TypedLookuper<T>`) variants
+- **Result Objects:** Immutable `final` classes with `private final` fields, no setters, implement `equals()`/`hashCode()`/`toString()`
+- **Thread Safety:** Document with `@ThreadSafe` or `@NotThreadSafe` annotations
+
+---
+
+## 3. Code Organization
+
+### Repository Structure
+
+Apache Fluss follows a layered Maven module architecture: `fluss-common` (foundation) → `fluss-rpc` → `fluss-client`/`fluss-server` (peers, cannot cross-depend) → connectors → lake tiering.
+
+#### Core Modules
+
+**`fluss-common`** - Foundation: data types, config, metadata, utilities, exceptions
+- Key packages: `annotation`, `config`, `types`, `row`, `record`, `metadata`, `utils`, `exception`, `fs`
+
+**`fluss-metrics`** - Metrics system (reporters, metric groups)
+
+**`fluss-rpc`** - RPC framework, Protocol Buffer messages (proto2)
+- Regenerate: `./mvnw clean install -DskipTests -pl fluss-protogen,fluss-rpc`
+
+**`fluss-client`** - Client library for table operations
+- APIs: `Connection`, `Admin`, `Table`, `LogScanner`, `LookupClient`, `UpsertWriter`, `AppendWriter`
+- Packages: `admin`, `table`, `write`, `lookup`, `scanner`, `metadata`
+
+**`fluss-server`** - CoordinatorServer (metadata, coordination) + TabletServer (data storage)
+- Packages: `coordinator`, `tablet`, `log`, `kv`, `replica`, `zk`, `metadata`, `authorizer`
+
+#### Connectors
+
+**`fluss-flink/`** - Flink connectors: `fluss-flink-common`, `fluss-flink-{1.18,1.19,1.20,2.2}`, `fluss-flink-tiering`
+
+**`fluss-spark/`** - Spark connectors: `fluss-spark-common`, `fluss-spark-{3.4,3.5}`, `fluss-spark-ut`
+
+**`fluss-kafka/`** - Kafka-compatible producer/consumer APIs
+
+#### Lake Tiering
+
+**`fluss-lake/`** - Lake format integrations: `fluss-lake-{iceberg,paimon,lance}`
+
+#### Filesystems
+
+**`fluss-filesystems/`** - Pluggable filesystem implementations: `fluss-fs-{hadoop,hdfs,s3,oss,obs,azure,gs}`
+
+#### Support
+
+**`fluss-test-utils`** - JUnit 5 extensions (`FlussClusterExtension`, `ZooKeeperExtension`), test base classes
+
+**`fluss-dist`** - Binary distribution with `bin/` scripts and `conf/` templates
+
+**`fluss-protogen`** - Protocol Buffer code generation
+
+**`fluss-test-coverage`** - Aggregated JaCoCo test coverage
+
+**`fluss-jmh`** - Performance microbenchmarks
+
+**`fluss-docgen`** - Configuration documentation generation
+
+#### Key Directories
+
+```
+fluss/
+├── fluss-common/          # Foundation module
+├── fluss-rpc/             # RPC framework
+├── fluss-client/          # Client APIs
+├── fluss-server/          # Server components
+├── fluss-flink/           # Flink connectors
+├── fluss-spark/           # Spark connectors
+├── fluss-lake/            # Lake tiering
+├── fluss-filesystems/     # Filesystem plugins
+├── fluss-dist/            # Binary distribution
+│   └── src/main/resources/
+│       ├── bin/           # coordinator-server.sh, tablet-server.sh, local-cluster.sh
+│       └── conf/          # server.yaml, log4j.properties
+├── .github/workflows/     # CI pipeline (ci.yaml)
+└── pom.xml                # Root Maven POM
+```
+
+#### Package Conventions
+
+- **`org.apache.fluss.<module>`** - Module root package
+- **`org.apache.fluss.shaded.*`** - Shaded dependencies (Guava, Jackson, Netty, Arrow, ZooKeeper)
+- **Test packages** - Mirror main structure in `src/test/java`
+
+---
+
+### Naming Conventions
+
+| Type | Convention | Example |
+|------|-----------|---------|
+| **Interface** | Plain descriptive name | `Connection`, `Admin`, `LogScanner` |
+| **Implementation** | Suffix `Impl` or descriptive name | `AdminImpl`, `NettyClient`, `RocksDBKvStore` |
+| **Abstract class** | Prefix `Abstract` | `AbstractIterator`, `AbstractGoal` |
+| **Utility class** | Suffix `Utils` (private constructor, static methods) | `MapUtils`, `StringUtils`, `IOUtils` |
+| **Test class** | Suffix `Test` (unit) or `ITCase` (integration) | `ConfigBuilderTest`, `ServerITCaseBase` |
+| **Test utility** | Prefix `Testing` | `TestingRemoteLogStorage` |
+| **Exception** | Suffix `Exception` | `TableNotExistException` |
+
+### Package Structure
+
+See CLAUDE.md for full module/package organization. Key modules: `fluss-common`, `fluss-rpc`, `fluss-client`, `fluss-server`.
+
+### Class Member Order
+
+**Fields:** Static constants → static fields → instance fields
+**Methods:** Constructors → static factories → public → package-private → protected → private → static utilities
+**Modifier order:** `public protected private abstract static final transient volatile synchronized native strictfp` (Checkstyle enforced)
+
+### Imports
+
+**Order:** `org.apache.fluss.*` → blank line → other imports → blank line → static imports
+**Enforcement:** `./mvnw spotless:apply`
+
+---
+
+## 4. Error Handling
+
+**Exception hierarchy:** `FlussException` (checked) → `ApiException` (user errors), `RetriableException` (transient), `FlussRuntimeException` (unchecked)
+
+**Input validation:** Use `Preconditions.checkNotNull()`, `checkArgument()`, `checkState()` (see Section 1) at API boundaries with `%s` placeholders
+
+**Error propagation:** Async operations use `ExceptionUtils.wrapAsUnchecked()` to wrap checked exceptions; use `.exceptionally()` for CompletableFuture error handling
+
+---
+
+## 5. Concurrency & Thread Safety
+
+**Thread safety annotations:** `@ThreadSafe`, `@NotThreadSafe`, `@GuardedBy("lockName")` for documentation
+
+**Locking:** Explicit lock objects (`private final Object lock`), use `synchronized(lock)`, `volatile` for fields accessed outside locks
+
+**ConcurrentHashMap:** NEVER instantiate directly - use `MapUtils.newConcurrentMap()` (Checkstyle enforced - see Section 1)
+
+**CompletableFuture:** Use `.thenCompose()`, `.thenCombine()`, `.thenApply()` for composition; `FutureUtils.completeAll()` for multiple futures
+
+**Resources:** Use try-with-resources for `AutoCloseable`; implement with idempotent `close()` method
+
+---
+
+## 6. Testing Standards
+
+**Framework:** JUnit 5 with AssertJ assertions (MANDATORY - see Section 1.4)
+
+**Test naming:** Descriptive method names (`testAppendWithValidData`); classes: `*Test.java` (unit), `*ITCase.java` (integration)
+
+### Assertions
+
+```java
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+assertThat(result).isNotNull().isEqualTo(expected);
+assertThat(list).hasSize(3).contains("a", "b");
+assertThatThrownBy(() -> service.lookup(null))
+    .isInstanceOf(NullPointerException.class)
+    .hasMessageContaining("cannot be null");
+```
+
+### Test Base Classes
+
+Common base classes for setup:
+- `FlinkTestBase`: Flink + Fluss cluster (see `fluss-flink/fluss-flink-common/src/test/java/org/apache/fluss/flink/utils/FlinkTestBase.java`)
+- `ServerTestBase`: Coordinator/TabletServer setup
+- `FlinkTieringTestBase`: Lake tiering infrastructure
+- `LogTestBase`, `KvTestBase`: Record format testing
+
+### Extensions
+
+```java
+@RegisterExtension
+public static final FlussClusterExtension FLUSS_CLUSTER_EXTENSION =
+    FlussClusterExtension.builder().setNumOfTabletServers(3).build();
+```
+
+**Available:** `FlussClusterExtension`, `ZooKeeperExtension`
+
+---
+
+## 7. Dependencies & Shading
+
+**Shaded dependencies:** See Section 1 for forbidden imports. Always use `org.apache.fluss.shaded.*` versions (guava, jackson, netty, arrow, zookeeper)
+
+**Fluss utilities:** `Preconditions`, `MapUtils`, `ArrayUtils`, `CollectionUtils`, `BytesUtils`, `ExceptionUtils`, `FutureUtils`, `TimeUtils`, `IOUtils`, `FileUtils`
+
+**Module dependency rules:**
+- `fluss-common` (foundation) → `fluss-rpc` → `fluss-client`/`fluss-server` (peers) → connectors → lake
+- `fluss-client` CANNOT depend on `fluss-server`; define interfaces in lower modules
+
+---
+
+## 8. Configuration Patterns
+
+**ConfigOption definition:** Use `ConfigBuilder.key("name").{type}Type().defaultValue(x).withDescription("...")`
+**Types:** `stringType()`, `intType()`, `durationType()`, `memoryType()`, `passwordType()`, `asList()`, `noDefaultValue()`, `withDeprecatedKeys()`
+**Reference:** `fluss-common/src/main/java/org/apache/fluss/config/ConfigBuilder.java`
+
+**Usage:** `conf.setString()`, `conf.getInteger()`, `conf.get()`, `conf.getOptional()`
+
+**Naming:** Hierarchical dot-separated keys with hyphens: `{category}.{subcategory}.{option-name}` (e.g., `client.request.timeout.ms`)
+
+---
+
+## 9. Serialization & RPC
+
+**Protocol Buffers:** proto2 (migrating to proto3); DO NOT use `default` keyword or `enum` type; use `required`/`optional`/`repeated`
+**Regenerate:** `./mvnw clean install -DskipTests -pl fluss-protogen,fluss-rpc`
+**RPC messages:** Mark `@Internal`, immutable (final fields, no setters), use `@Nullable` for optional fields
+
+---
+
+## 10. Module Boundaries
+
+**Module structure:** See CLAUDE.md for full module organization
+
+**Core:** `fluss-common` (foundation) → `fluss-rpc` → `fluss-client`/`fluss-server` (peers, cannot cross-depend)
+**Connectors:** `fluss-flink` (1.18/1.19/1.20/2.2), `fluss-spark` (3.4/3.5), `fluss-kafka` - depend on `fluss-client`
+**Lake:** `fluss-lake-iceberg`, `fluss-lake-paimon`, `fluss-lake-lance`
+
+**Rules:** Define interfaces in lower modules, implementations in higher modules; no circular dependencies
+
+---
+
+## 11. Build, CI & Deployment
+
+### Quick Start (Deployment)
+
+**Prerequisites:** Java 11, Maven 3.8.6+, Unix-like environment
+
+**Build from source:**
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/apache/fluss.git
+cd fluss
+./mvnw clean install -DskipTests -T 1C
+```
+
+**Binary location:** `fluss-dist/target/fluss-*-bin.tgz`
+
+**Start cluster (local development):**
+```bash
+# 1. Start ZooKeeper (separate process)
+# 2. Start CoordinatorServer
+./bin/coordinator-server.sh start
+# 3. Start TabletServer(s)
+./bin/tablet-server.sh start
+```
+
+**Configuration:** Edit `conf/server.yaml` for `zookeeper.address`, `bind.listeners`, `tablet-server.id`
+
+### Build Commands
+
+**Build:** `./mvnw clean install -DskipTests` (parallel: `-T 1C`); test: `./mvnw clean verify`
+**Test specific:** `./mvnw verify -pl fluss-server`; single test: `./mvnw test -Dtest=ConfigBuilderTest -pl fluss-common`
+**Format code:** `./mvnw spotless:apply` (google-java-format AOSP style; IntelliJ plugin v1.7.0.6 - DO NOT update)
+
+### CI Pipeline
+
+**CI stages:** compile-on-jdk8 → core (excludes Flink/Spark/Lake) → flink → spark3 → lake (`.github/workflows/ci.yaml`)
+**Java:** Build on Java 11 (required); runtime Java 8 compatible
+
+**Test coverage:** `./mvnw verify -Ptest-coverage` → view `fluss-test-coverage/target/site/jacoco-aggregate/index.html`
+**License headers:** Apache 2.0 required (enforced by RAT); check with `./mvnw validate`
+
+---
+
+## 12. Git & Pull Request Workflow
+
+### Fork Management
+
+**ALWAYS push to your fork, NEVER to apache/fluss upstream.**
+
+Verify fork remote exists:
+```bash
+git remote -v
+# Should show: fork https://github.com/<your-username>/fluss.git
+```
+
+If fork remote doesn't exist:
+```bash
+# Via GitHub CLI (recommended)
+gh repo fork apache/fluss --remote --remote-name fork
+
+# Or manually
+git remote add fork https://github.com/<your-username>/fluss.git
+```
+
+### Commit Guidelines
+
+**Commit message format:**
+```
+[component] Brief description (under 70 chars)
+
+Detailed explanation of changes and motivation.
+```
+
+**Component tags:** `[client]`, `[server]`, `[rpc]`, `[flink]`, `[spark]`, `[docs]`, `[build]`, `[test]`
+
+### Pre-Push Self-Review
+
+Before pushing, conduct thorough self-review:
+
+1. **Review full diff:** `git diff main...HEAD` - verify only intentional changes
+2. **Check code style:** `./mvnw spotless:check`
+3. **Run tests:** `./mvnw verify -pl <affected-modules>`
+4. **Verify Checkstyle:** Check no forbidden imports, AssertJ usage, MapUtils, etc.
+5. **Audit security:** No secrets, credentials, or sensitive data committed
+
+### Creating Pull Request
+
+**Rebase onto main:**
+```bash
+git fetch upstream main
+git rebase upstream/main
+```
+
+**Push to fork:**
+```bash
+git push -u fork <branch-name>
+```
+
+**Create PR:**
+```bash
+gh pr create --web --title "[component] Brief title (under 70 chars)"
+```
+
+The `--web` flag opens browser for final review before submission.
+
+**PR description template:**
+```markdown
+## Summary
+- Bullet point summary of changes
+- Fixes issue #XXX (if applicable)
+
+## Test Plan
+- How changes were tested
+- Affected modules/tests run
+
+🤖 AI-assisted changes - reviewed by human developer
+```
+
+---
+
+## 13. AI Agent Boundaries
+
+### Ask Before Acting
+
+**Large-scale changes requiring approval:**
+- Cross-module refactoring affecting 5+ files
+- New dependencies with broad impact
+- Database schema or migration changes
+- Changes to build system or CI pipeline
+- Destructive operations (delete branches, force-push, reset --hard)
+
+### Never Do (Without Explicit Permission)
+
+**Prohibited actions:**
+- ❌ Commit secrets, credentials, API keys, or tokens
+- ❌ Push directly to `apache/fluss` upstream (always use fork)
+- ❌ Force-push to shared branches (main, release branches)
+- ❌ Execute destructive git operations (`reset --hard`, `clean -fdx`, `branch -D`)
+- ❌ Modify generated files when code generation workflows exist
+- ❌ Skip pre-commit hooks (`--no-verify`) without explicit request
+- ❌ Add dependencies without discussing compatibility/licensing
+- ❌ Disable Checkstyle/Spotless rules to make code pass
+
+### Safe to Do (Within Scope)
+
+**Encouraged autonomous actions:**
+- ✅ Read any file in the repository
+- ✅ Run tests and build commands
+- ✅ Format code with `./mvnw spotless:apply`
+- ✅ Fix Checkstyle violations following Section 1 rules
+- ✅ Create feature branches in your fork
+- ✅ Commit changes with proper attribution
+- ✅ Push to your fork and create PRs
+
+### Verification Requirements
+
+**Before committing code:**
+1. All tests pass: `./mvnw verify`
+2. Code formatted: `./mvnw spotless:check`
+3. No Checkstyle violations
+4. License headers present: `./mvnw validate`
+5. Self-review completed (Section 12)
+
+**When in doubt:** Ask the user before proceeding with potentially destructive or far-reaching changes.
+
+---
+
+**Version:** 0.10-SNAPSHOT | **License:** Apache License 2.0
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000..47dc3e3d86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+AGENTS.md
\ No newline at end of file