Folder CLAUDE.md Creation

CLAUDE.md

AGENTS.md

CLAUDE.md

library/claude-code/claude-and-agents-md.md

Process

Step 1: Confirm the target folder + sanity-check it deserves a file

Step 2: Read every file in the folder IN FULL

• Use

  ls -la

  first to enumerate files and subfolders.
• Read every markdown, config, and key source file.
• For large tldraw/Vite subprojects: read

  package.json

  ,

  src/App.tsx

  , one representative module file, and the folder's own

  module-details.md

  -style files.
• Do NOT skim. Do NOT skip. The user's later edits depend on you having full context.

Step 3: Draft a bullet list of candidate content

• Product / Purpose — what this folder/project is, current state, key metrics
• Avatar / Audience — who it's for (if applicable)
• Essential Files — one-line role for each important file, including cross-folder references (use

  @path/file.md

  import syntax)
• Constraints (MUST NOT) — explicit hard negatives. Highest-ROI content in the file.
• Conventions — the user's lingo, status emojis (✅ 🟡), naming patterns, "usually do" patterns
• Locked Decisions — things agreed + dated, must not re-litigate
• Context — history, authority, credibility that frames the work
• How to work with the user — collaboration style for this specific folder
• Marketing Angles / Positioning — if public-facing
• Top Insights — 3-5 most glaring signals from research (if research exists)

Step 4: Iterate with the user

• Keep answers short. The user will edit directly in the IDE.
• When the user edits the file, RE-READ it and flag: contradictions, typos, missing rules, wrong categorization.
• Do not revert the user's edits unless asked.

Step 5: Write the file

• Path:

  <folder>/CLAUDE.md

• Start with a one-line header explaining the file's purpose.
• Subdir file marker: if this is a subdirectory file (parent folder already has its own CLAUDE.md), open with

  Apply root CLAUDE.md first, then this file.

• Use

  ##

  section headers matching the sections the user approved.
• Bullets over prose. Short bullets.
• Cross-folder references: use

  @relative/path/file.md

  import syntax, not prose mentions.
• Heavy reference docs: annotate with

  **Read when:**

  triggers (e.g. "Read when: writing offer copy"). Prevents loading every session.

Step 6: Create the AGENTS.md symlink

cd <folder> && ln -s CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md

ls -la CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md

Step 7: Commit only when asked

git add -A

Day N:

Rules

• Never invent content. Every bullet must trace back to something you read in the folder or something the user said. No generic boilerplate.
• Brevity wins. The user edits aggressively to make things shorter. Start tight.
• Folder-scoped only. Don't duplicate the global

  CLAUDE.md

  (personality, dates, ports, etc.). Only include what's specific to this folder.
• No file trees, no directory dumps, no stack details the code already shows. Anything an agent can derive from

  ls

  or

  grep

  rots fast and wastes tokens. Pin decisions, rules, and context — not structure.
• Constraints vs Conventions. Hard "MUST NOT" rules go in Constraints (explicit negatives). "Usually do X" patterns go in Conventions. Splitting these improves adherence.
• No absolute ALWAYS/NEVER without explicit exceptions. Edge cases make absolute rules get ignored. "Never commit secrets EXCEPT

  .env.example

  " beats "never commit secrets."
• Never summarize or auto-shorten the file. Context collapse degrades it. Grow deliberately, prune manually. If the user asks to trim, do it by hand.
• Maintenance loop. When the user corrects the agent on something this file should have prevented, add the rule to the file immediately. Don't wait.
• No emojis unless the user uses them (status markers ✅ 🟡 are the exception — they're already conventions).
• Symlink, not copy.

  AGENTS.md

  must be a symlink so edits stay in sync.
• Flag gaps honestly. If the user's edits introduce contradictions (e.g. "sell X" in one section and "never sell X" in another), call it out before they ask.