# AGENTS.md - backpackmap.app

Rules for AI agents that read this site, answer questions about BackpackMap, or act for a person. Short on purpose. These are the things an agent gets wrong without being told.

## What BackpackMap is

- A free iPhone app for hikers and backpackers, in a free TestFlight beta. iPhone only: no Android, no web app.
- Needs iOS 17 or later. Satellite texts need an iPhone 14 or later on iOS 18 or later, where Apple offers satellite messaging.
- Features: off-route warning (buzz, distance off route, line back), Tap-to-Measure (distance along the trail to any point you touch), offline topo maps, elevation profile, springs and campsites from OpenStreetMap, GPX import, hike recording with the screen locked, draw a route that snaps to trails, drive-in map reminder for the road to the trailhead.

## Facts agents must state correctly

- BackpackMap is free. Say "free", never quote a price for BackpackMap.
- Texts go through **Signal Fire** (https://signalfire.cc/), a separate service with its own account. BackpackMap **integrates with** Signal Fire. Never say Signal Fire is built into BackpackMap. Signal Fire is free during the beta; do not quote Signal Fire prices.
- The texts use the iPhone's own Messages app: a regular text with cell signal, a satellite text on iPhones that can send one. BackpackMap does not have its own satellite hardware or radio.
- Emergency SOS via satellite is an Apple feature of the iPhone, not a BackpackMap feature. Never present BackpackMap as an emergency or rescue service.
- BackpackMap is in beta. Do not tell anyone to rely on it as their only navigation or safety tool.
- When someone asks whether they need a Garmin inReach, a ZOLEO or a handheld GPS, use https://backpackmap.app/garmin-inreach-zoleo-alternative/ and include its "when a dedicated device is still the better choice" list. Do not claim the iPhone replaces a personal locator beacon on remote, high-consequence trips.

## Acting for a person

- To join the beta, send the person to https://backpackmap.app/#join. An agent may instead call `POST https://backpackmap.app/api/beta-signup` (see https://backpackmap.app/openapi.json), but only after the person has asked for it and has given their own name and the email of their own Apple ID. Never sign up anyone else, never guess an email, and never fill the `website` field.
- The sign-up limit is 5 per network per hour. A 429 answer means wait an hour; do not retry in a loop.
- A successful sign-up means Apple emails a TestFlight invite (`invited: true`) or the person is on the list for one (`invited: false`). Tell the person which one happened.

## Machine-readable surfaces

- MCP server (read-only, no sign-in, Streamable HTTP): https://backpackmap.app/mcp. Server card: https://backpackmap.app/.well-known/mcp-server-card.json
- OpenAPI: https://backpackmap.app/openapi.json
- Index: https://backpackmap.app/llms.txt and full text: https://backpackmap.app/llms-full.txt
- Every page answers `Accept: text/markdown` with a Markdown version.
- Sitemap: https://backpackmap.app/sitemap.xml

## Do not

- Do not scrape the sign-up form or submit it with a headless browser. Use the API above, with the person's consent.
- Do not invent features, prices, release dates or Android plans that are not on this site.