claude/CLAUDE.md

Global coding preferences

Apply unless repo-specific instructions override.

Code style

• Simple, readable, maintainable > clever or compact.
• One responsibility per function/method.
• Preserve existing behavior unless asked.
• Scope changes to task — no unrelated edits.

Limits (adapt to language)

• Max 25 logic lines/function, 80 chars/line, 5 params, 5 local vars. Logic lines = executable statements; comments + error-handling boilerplate don't count toward 25.
• Too many params → struct/object. Too many vars → split/extract.
• No global state. Explicit data flow.

Comments & readability

• Document intent, not mechanics. Use project doc style (docstring, JSDoc…).
• Explicit, consistent, meaningful names. Straight control flow, no hidden side effects.

Refactoring

• Priority: safety → readability → consistency.
• Remove dead code, stale comments, obsolete flags after changes.
• Non-trivial change: ask "more elegant solution exists?" Hacky fix → rebuild clean, no over-engineering.

Session start

1. Read .claude/memory/ — 5 registries (decisions, learnings, blockers, journal, evals). Apply before touching anything.
2. Read .claude/tasks/TODO.md — current state.
3. Either missing → create before starting (templates: ~/.claude/templates/memory/).

Workflow

• Confirm before implementing only when real trade-offs exist (multiple valid approaches, breaking change, destructive action) — else proceed.
• Minimal changes unless broader refactor requested. State trade-offs.
• Sub-agents keep main context clean — one task per sub-agent. More compute on hard problems. Task fans out across independent items (many files, parallel searches, multi-point checks) → delegate to sub-agents, don't iterate serially. Default to delegation for multi-file exploration. Counters Opus 4.8 tendency to under-delegate.
• One question upfront if needed — don't interrupt mid-task. Exception: skill-mandated gates and checkpoints (orchestrator validation gates, approval gates, darwin checkpoints) always fire.
• Bug received → fix directly: check logs, find root cause, resolve autonomously.
• Something goes wrong → STOP, re-plan. Never push through.
• Deviations: minor or clearly justified → do, explain after. Significant or shaky justification → ask before deviating.
• Root causes only. No temp fixes. Never assume — verify paths, APIs, variables before use.

Planning & TODO (.claude/tasks/TODO.md)

• When to plan: task touches logic (new behavior, control flow, state, API, dependencies) → write it in .claude/tasks/TODO.md first, decomposed into subtasks. One complex task still needs a plan. Borderline case (single file, small obvious logic change) → skip plan, stay pragmatic.
• Exempt (skip TODO.md): pure reads, explanations, questions, typos, cosmetic CSS, single config-value change. Same scope as /hotfix (≤2 files, obvious fix).
• How to track, once a task qualifies:
  1. Plan → task written before code.
  2. Decompose → one subtask = one coherent change.
  3. Track → check off as you go.
  4. Summarize → high-level note at each milestone.

After code changes

1. Run tests, lint, build, type-check if available.
2. Report what verified, what not.
3. List remaining risks, surviving deviations.
4. Don't mark complete without proof it works. Bar: "would staff engineer approve?"
5. Correction or notable event → capitalize to right registry (see "Memory registries").

Memory registries (.claude/memory/)

Five registries persist across sessions. Read all at session start. Capitalize during/after work. Append-only by default — never rewrite past entries; curation (merge, mark superseded, compress) ONLY via /prune-memory.

File	ID format	Purpose
decisions.md	BDR-XXX	Design/architecture choices + rationale + alternatives + status
learnings.md	LRN-XXX	Reusable patterns + context + future application
blockers.md	BLK-XXX	Friction + real cause + solution + status (open/resolved/upstream)
journal.md	date heading	3-5 lines/session — done, decided, blocked
evals.md	EVAL-XXX	Quality check of Claude's output + method + anomalies + action

Language — registries always English. Rationale: consistent vocab, lower token cost, cross-project reuse. User-facing CAPITALIZE prompts may mirror user's language; final written entry English.

Format — registries always caveman. Drop articles + filler, fragments OK, short synonyms. Technical terms exact, code blocks unchanged, errors quoted exact, IDs (BDR/LRN/BLK/EVAL-XXX) + dates unchanged. Pattern: [thing] [action] [reason]. [next step]. Rationale: registries load every session — caveman cuts ~40% input tokens, zero substance loss. Applies to direct writes AND skill CAPITALIZE steps (close, ship-feature, feat, bugfix, hotfix, commit-change). Legacy entries (pre-format-rule): compress manually or via claude.ai on demand.

Routing — what goes where:

• Choice with tradeoffs you'd defend → decisions.md.
• Pattern worth reusing → learnings.md.
• Dead end with root cause identified → blockers.md.
• One-line log of session → journal.md.
• Did Claude's output actually work? → evals.md.

Proactive capitalization (Claude's responsibility): After substantive milestone (bug fix with real root cause, feature shipped, non-trivial commit, design choice, surprising discovery, dead end with lesson) → offer to capitalize inline, do not wait for user. Pre-fill entry from context; user approves/edits before write. Completion skills (/ship-feature, /feat, /bugfix, /hotfix, /commit-change) automate this via CAPITALIZE step.

Session-close ritual (/close = /capitalize --ritual, or inline when asked):

1. What decided? → decisions.md (if non-trivial).
2. What learned? → learnings.md (if reusable).
3. What blocked? → blockers.md.

Architecture decisions

Override default framework/tooling choices. Apply at project creation, scaffolding, brainstorming.

Public websites — never SPA

When project is public-facing website meant to be indexed (landing page, portfolio, blog, e-commerce, docs):

• FORBIDDEN: pure SPA (CRA, Vite React SPA, Vue SPA) for public pages. SPA sends empty HTML shell — search engines and AI engines (GEO) can't see content without executing JS. SEO and AI visibility destroyed.
• Astro = default for informational sites (portfolio, docs, blog, landing). Static HTML at build, zero JS by default, React/Vue/Svelte islands for interactive parts.
• Next.js = when dynamic SSR needed (personalized content, server-side auth, API routes, hybrid app).
• React SPA = valid only for: admin panels, dashboards, auth-gated apps, internal tools — anything that does not need indexing.
• Mixed project (public + admin): Astro/Next for public, React island (client:only) for admin.
• At brainstorming (/init-project STEP 1, /ship-feature STEP 1): if project is public website and user hasn't specified framework, propose Astro and explain why not SPA. Never silently pick React CRA.

Web APIs — always versioned

All web API endpoints must be versioned from day one: /api/v1/....

• New project → start at /api/v1/, no bare /api/ routes.
• Breaking changes → new version (v2). Old version stays functional — clients migrate at own pace.
• Non-breaking additions (new fields, new endpoints) → current version.
• Each version is self-contained contract. Don't modify existing version behavior to match newer one.
• Router structure reflects versioning explicitly (e.g. api/v1/routes/).

Version control — gitflow (universal)

Every git action follows gitflow — inside a skill AND for ad-hoc commits made outside one on direct request. The model is universal across all projects.

Branch model

main (prod) · develop (integration, off main) · feature/* + bugfix/* + chore/* (off develop → develop; chore/* = memory/doc maintenance, e.g. standalone /capitalize /prune-memory /reconcile) · release/* (off develop → main + back-merge develop) · hotfix/* (off main → main + develop [+ any open release/*]). master→main everywhere.

Rules for every git action

• Never commit code directly on main or develop. Branch first from the correct base, named <type>/<name>. (.claude/** memory/config commits are hook-exempt — they follow the work; but standalone memory/doc skills branch to chore/* via the aiguillage rather than lean on that exemption.)
• Branch + merge via the lib, never by hand — the directed-merge + hotfix fan-out logic lives there once: bash ~/.claude/lib/gitflow.sh start <type> <name> · … finish.
• gitflow finish (merge) only on an explicit human signal ("merge it", "feature OK") — never because tests pass, a plan step says "merge", or a verb ("ship") implied it.
• Assistance flows (/feat /bugfix /hotfix) AND standalone memory/doc skills (/capitalize /close /prune-memory /reconcile, type chore) auto-branch on a protected base (the aiguillage); on a working branch they commit in place, never finish.
• New/onboarded projects get the model + the versioned pre-commit hook via gitflow init (init-project STEP 5f, onboard STEP 2.6).

Enforcement layers

Advisory — it can be forgotten on a long conversation (no reliable oracle). The deterministic backstops are the per-repo pre-commit hook (gitflow init installs it: blocks code commits on main/develop, exempts .claude/** + merges + the root commit) and Gitea branch protection on main/develop (set up by the migration). Don't lean on --no-verify to bypass them.

Security — non-negotiable defaults

Apply at every dev step: design, scaffolding, implementation, review.

Input & data

• Never trust user input. Validate type, length, format, range before use.
• Sanitize before rendering (XSS), before SQL (injection), before shell (command injection).
• Use parameterized queries / prepared statements. String concatenation into SQL = immediate blocker.

Secrets

• Never hardcode credentials, tokens, keys, or URLs containing auth info — not even in comments.
• Always use env vars. Provide .env.example with placeholder values only.
• If secret appears in code during review, flag and stop — do not proceed.

Authentication & authorization

• AuthN (who you are) and AuthZ (what you can do) separate. Never assume AuthN implies AuthZ.
• Check authorization on every sensitive endpoint/function — not just at entry point.
• Default to deny. Explicit allowlist > implicit denylist.

Dependencies

• No dependency without stating what it does and why needed.
• Prefer well-maintained, widely-used packages. Flag abandoned or single-maintainer packages.
• Never npm install or pip install a package found in a random code snippet without naming it explicitly.

Error handling & logging

• Never expose stack traces, internal paths, or DB errors to end users. Log internally, return generic message.
• Never log secrets, passwords, tokens, or PII — even at DEBUG level.
• Fail closed: on unexpected error, deny access rather than grant.

Minimal privilege

• Functions, processes, services request only permissions actually needed.
• Temporary elevated permissions must be scoped and reverted explicitly.

Communication mode: radical honesty

• TRUTH OVER COMFORT — Point out flaws immediately. No sugarcoating, no "not bad but…".
• ZERO COMPLACENCY — Never validate idea just because I proposed it. Evaluate arguments on merit.
• BLIND SPOT DETECTION — Actively look for what I'm missing: confirmation bias, hidden assumptions, ignored alternatives. Flag without waiting for permission.
• ACTIVE RESISTANCE — When I make weak point, push back until I correct it or solidly justify keeping it.
• UNCERTAINTY TRANSPARENCY — If you don't know, say so. No invention, no vague answers to save face.

Tooling & skills

Skill routing

Request matches a skill → invoke via Skill tool first, before any direct answer or other tool. Most skills route by name — match the request to the skill whose description fits (full list is in context). Rules below cover only the non-obvious cases: gstack fallbacks, disambiguation, cryptic names.

• Product idea, "worth building?" → office-hours
• Bug / error / 500 → investigate (bugfix if gstack off)
• feat / hotfix / bugfix distinguished by file count → see descriptions
• Ship / deploy / PR → ship (ship-feature if gstack off)
• Cut a release / tag a version (develop ahead of main) → release-candidate
• Docs post-ship → document-release (doc if gstack off); stale-doc audit → doc
• Audit of changes since last run → audit-delta
• Open-work inventory / "queue empty?" / stale TODO vs real git → reconcile
• Design / UI (build, system, audit, polish) → see "Design work" below
• Architecture review → plan-eng-review
• Before /clear or /compact → capitalize; end-of-session ritual → close
• SEO+GEO → seo (GEO only → geo)
• W3C + WCAG a11y (HTML/CSS validity, axe, pa11y) → web-validate
• Security audit (secrets, CVE, OWASP) → cso
• New project → init-project; onboard existing repo → onboard

gstack OFF → its skills (investigate, ship, qa, review, health, retro, office-hours, context-save…) are gone: use the fallback above, else say so.

Design work — full toolchain (tiered by scope)

Trigger = UI work: editing a component/style file (.tsx/.vue/.svelte/.css…) OR a design/UI request — not the keyword "design" alone in a prompt. Single source for design routing; the design-toolchain hook reinforces it.

• Trivial (≤2 files, one cosmetic value) → /hotfix, no toolchain.
• Build UI (component, page, redesign) → ui-ux-pro-max + frontend-design (anti-slop) + Magic MCP /ui + emil-design-eng (polish) + design-motion-principles (if motion) + design-html (if static).
• Design system / brand → design-consultation first, then the build tools.
• Review / audit → design-review + emil-design-eng + design-motion-principles. Scope doubt → don't silently skip: ask, or default to Build tier. Gate: lightweight skills run ~/.claude/lib/design-gate.md; orchestrators via plugin-check. Magic MCP costs API calls — generation, not micro-tweaks.

graphify

ALL rules apply only if graphify-out/graph.json exists — else read files directly.

• Codebase-wide question → graphify query; relationships → path A B; concept → explain. Scoped subgraph beats raw grep.
• Known file / small task → read directly, no graphify.
• wiki/index.md → broad-nav entry; GRAPH_REPORT.md → whole-architecture.
• After editing code → graphify update . (AST-only, free).

This repo only (claude-config)

Apply when working directory = the claude-config repo itself.

Health Stack

• shell: shellcheck *.sh hooks/*.sh lib/*.sh