CLAUDE.md Template

CLAUDE.md is the highest-leverage file in any repo: it shapes how every agent behaves, on every task, for every person who opens the project. A good one prevents mistakes across hundreds of sessions. A bloated one gets ignored under context pressure, which is worse than none because it creates false confidence.

This skill produces a short file that carries only what an agent cannot infer, plus the verification habits that protect someone who cannot evaluate an agent's output themselves.

When to use

• Starting a new project
• A repo has no CLAUDE.md
• An existing one has drifted past ~60 lines of actionable content, or has gone stale
• Setting up a project for someone who is not a professional developer

The one principle