README.md, agent instructions such as AGENTS.md, a sitemap.xml, or an OpenAPI document. Each describes a different part of the system. Sightmap adds structured context for the running app: the active view, named components, API requests, source paths, and runtime notes.
What each format records
Use each format for its job
Project docs explain why the project exists, how to run it, and how the code is organized. They can describe UI behavior, but an agent still has to connect that prose to the current URL and DOM.sitemap.xml helps crawlers discover pages. It does not describe the components on those pages or connect them to source files and API requests.
OpenAPI defines an API contract. A sightmap can name requests and scope them to a view, but it does not replace the full endpoint and schema detail in an OpenAPI document.
Agent instructions tell coding agents how to work in the repository: which commands to run, which conventions to follow, and where to look for source. They can tell an agent to consult .sightmap/, but they do not define a structured model of the running UI.
Where Sightmap fits
Sightmap connects repository context to the page an agent is currently using. A Sightmap-enabled client matches the URL to aview, applies component names to matching DOM nodes, identifies relevant requests, and surfaces applicable memory.
Use it alongside project docs, agent instructions, sitemap.xml, and OpenAPI when an agent needs semantic context from the running app. Read What is Sightmap? for an overview or go to the Schema reference for the exact format.