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+# Loki Operator Development Guide
+
+This file provides an developer overview for humans or AI agents working on the Loki Operator.
+
+See also the [contributer guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md)
+
+## Overview
+
+The Loki Operator is a Kubernetes controller that manages Loki deployments using Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs).
+
+## Directory Structure
+
+**`operator/`**: the operator sub-project
+
+- **`api/`**: Custom Resource Definitions and API types
+  - `loki/v1/`: Stable API version with core resource types
+    - `lokistack_types.go`: Defines LokiStack custom resource for complete Loki deployments
+    - `alertingrule_types.go`: Manages LogQL-based alerting rules
+    - `recordingrule_types.go`: Defines recording rules for pre-computed metrics
+    - `rulerconfig_types.go`: Configures the ruler component behavior
+  - `loki/v1beta1/`: Beta API version for experimental features
+
+- **`cmd/`**: Operator executables and utilities
+  - `loki-operator/`: Main operator controller binary
+  - `loki-broker/`: CLI tool for operator management and debugging
+  - `size-calculator/`: Storage size calculation utility for capacity planning
+
+- **`internal/`**: Core operator implementation (not part of public API)
+  - `controller/`: Kubernetes controller reconciliation logic
+  - `config/`: Configuration management and validation
+  - `manifests/`: Kubernetes manifest generation and templating
+  - `operator/`: Core operator business logic and resource management
+  - `validation/`: Resource validation and admission control
+  - `sizes/`: Storage sizing algorithms and calculations
+
+- **`config/`**: Kubernetes deployment configurations
+  - `crd/`: Custom Resource Definition bases
+  - `rbac/`: Role-Based Access Control configurations
+  - `manager/`: Operator deployment manifests
+  - `samples/`: Example Custom Resource configurations
+  - `kustomize/`: Kustomize overlays for different environments
+
+- **`bundle/`**: Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) packaging
+  - Supports multiple deployment variants:
+    - `community`: Standard Grafana distribution
+    - `community-openshift`: OpenShift-compatible community version
+    - `openshift`: Red Hat certified OpenShift distribution
+  - Contains ClusterServiceVersion, package manifests, and bundle metadata
+
+## Key Features
+
+- **Multi-tenant Support**: Isolates log streams by tenant with configurable authentication
+- **Flexible Storage**: Supports object storage (S3, GCS, Azure), local storage, and hybrid configurations
+- **Auto-scaling**: Horizontal Pod Autoscaler integration for dynamic scaling
+- **Security**: Integration with OpenShift authentication, RBAC, and network policies
+- **Monitoring**: Built-in Prometheus metrics and Grafana dashboard integration
+- **Gateway Component**: Optional log routing and tenant isolation layer
+
+## Deployment Variants
+
+1. **Community** (`VARIANT=community`):
+   - Registry: `docker.io/grafana`
+   - Standard Kubernetes deployment
+   - Flexible configuration options
+   - Community support channels
+
+2. **Community-OpenShift** (`VARIANT=community-openshift`):
+   - Optimized for OpenShift but community-supported
+   - Enhanced security contexts
+   - OpenShift-specific networking configurations
+
+3. **OpenShift** (`VARIANT=openshift`):
+   - Registry: `quay.io/openshift-logging`
+   - Namespace: `openshift-operators-redhat`
+   - Full Red Hat support and certification
+   - Tight integration with OpenShift Logging stack
+
+## Build and Development Commands
+
+```bash
+# Core Development Workflow
+make generate                   # Generate controller and CRD code
+make manifests                  # Generate CRDs, RBAC, and deployment manifests
+make fmt                        # Format Go source code
+make vet                        # Run Go vet static analysis
+make test                       # Execute unit tests
+make lint                       # Run comprehensive linting
+
+# Local Development and Testing
+make quickstart                 # Set up local development environment
+make run                        # Run operator locally against configured cluster
+make deploy                     # Deploy operator to cluster via kubectl
+make undeploy                   # Remove operator from cluster
+make install                    # Install CRDs to cluster
+make uninstall                  # Remove CRDs from cluster
+
+# Container and Bundle Management
+make docker-build               # Build operator container image
+make docker-push                # Push operator image to registry
+make bundle VARIANT=...         # Generate OLM bundle for specified variant
+make bundle-push                # Push bundle to registry
+make catalog-build              # Build catalog image for OLM
+make catalog-push               # Push catalog image
+```
+
+## Common Development Tasks
+
+- **Adding New CRD Field**: Modify `*_types.go`, run `make generate manifests`
+- **Updating Controller Logic**: Edit `internal/controller/`, ensure proper reconciliation
+- **Adding Storage Backend**: Extend `internal/manifests/storage.go`
+- **Enhancing Validation**: Update `internal/validation/` with new rules
+- **Supporting New Loki Version**: Update manifests and test compatibility
+
+## Troubleshooting Development Issues
+
+```bash
+# Debug operator logs
+kubectl logs -f deployment/loki-operator-controller-manager -n loki-operator-system
+
+# Check CRD status
+kubectl describe lokistack my-stack -n my-namespace
+
+# Validate generated manifests
+kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f config/samples/
+
+# Test bundle locally
+operator-sdk run bundle-upgrade docker.io/grafana/loki-operator-bundle:latest
+```
diff --git a/operator/README.md b/operator/README.md
index 5fdd7f5bf6abb..dc0522b0561e6 100644
--- a/operator/README.md
+++ b/operator/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ provided by the Grafana Loki SIG operator.
 
 ### Hacking on Loki Operator on kind or OpenShift
 
+* See the developer overview in [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md)
 * If you want to contribute to this repository, you might need a step-by-step guide on how to start [hacking on Loki-operator with kind](https://github.com/grafana/loki/blob/main/operator/docs/operator/hack_loki_operator.md#hacking-using-kind).
 * Also, there is a step-by-step guide on how to test Loki-operator on [OpenShift](https://github.com/grafana/loki/blob/main/operator/docs/operator/hack_loki_operator.md#hacking-on-openshift).
 * There is also a [basic troubleshooting guide](https://github.com/grafana/loki/blob/main/operator/docs/operator/hack_loki_operator.md#basic-troubleshooting) if you run into some common problems.