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docs: Add claude-md skill for CLAUDE.md file management

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Add new skill example for creating and updating CLAUDE.md files
following best practices for AI agent onboarding.
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Luong NGUYEN
2026-01-27 14:11:25 +01:00
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**Important**: Claude reads additional files only when needed, using progressive disclosure to manage context efficiently. Reference files with relative links in your SKILL.md. **Important**: Claude reads additional files only when needed, using progressive disclosure to manage context efficiently. Reference files with relative links in your SKILL.md.
### Example 5: Code Refactoring Skill ### Example 5: CLAUDE.md Generator Skill
A skill for creating and maintaining optimal CLAUDE.md files following best practices.
**Directory Structure:**
```
claude-md/
└── SKILL.md
```
**File:** `~/.claude/skills/claude-md/SKILL.md`
```yaml
---
description: Create or update CLAUDE.md files following best practices for optimal AI agent onboarding
---
## Core Principles
**LLMs are stateless**: CLAUDE.md is the only file automatically included in every conversation. It serves as the primary onboarding document for AI agents into your codebase.
### The Golden Rules
1. **Less is More**: Frontier LLMs can follow ~150-200 instructions. Keep your CLAUDE.md focused and concise.
2. **Universal Applicability**: Only include information relevant to EVERY session.
3. **Don't Use Claude as a Linter**: Use deterministic tools (prettier, eslint) instead.
4. **Never Auto-Generate**: Craft it manually with careful consideration.
## Essential Sections
A well-structured CLAUDE.md should include:
- **Project Name**: Brief one-line description
- **Tech Stack**: Primary language, frameworks, database
- **Project Structure**: Only for monorepos or complex structures
- **Development Commands**: Install, test, build commands
- **Critical Conventions**: Only non-obvious, high-impact conventions
- **Known Issues / Gotchas**: Things that consistently trip up developers
## Quality Constraints
- Target under 300 lines (ideally under 100)
- No style rules (use linters)
- No code snippets (use file references)
- No task-specific instructions
```
**Key Features:**
- Three operation modes: `create`, `update`, `audit`
- Follows WHAT/WHY/HOW content strategy
- Progressive disclosure for larger projects via `agent_docs/` folder
- Validation checklist for quality assurance
- Anti-pattern detection and removal
**Usage Examples:**
```
User: /claude-md create
Claude: [Analyzes project, creates optimized CLAUDE.md]
User: /claude-md audit
Claude: [Reports on current CLAUDE.md quality without modifications]
User: /claude-md update
Claude: [Improves existing CLAUDE.md following best practices]
```
### Example 6: Code Refactoring Skill
A systematic refactoring skill based on Martin Fowler's methodology. A systematic refactoring skill based on Martin Fowler's methodology.

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---
description: Create or update CLAUDE.md files following best practices for optimal AI agent onboarding
---
## User Input
```text
$ARGUMENTS
```
You **MUST** consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty). User may specify:
- `create` - Create new CLAUDE.md from scratch
- `update` - Improve existing CLAUDE.md
- `audit` - Analyze and report on current CLAUDE.md quality
- A specific path to create/update (e.g., `src/api/CLAUDE.md` for directory-specific instructions)
## Core Principles
**LLMs are stateless**: CLAUDE.md is the only file automatically included in every conversation. It serves as the primary onboarding document for AI agents into your codebase.
### The Golden Rules
1. **Less is More**: Frontier LLMs can follow ~150-200 instructions. Claude Code's system prompt already uses ~50. Keep your CLAUDE.md focused and concise.
2. **Universal Applicability**: Only include information relevant to EVERY session. Task-specific instructions belong in separate files.
3. **Don't Use Claude as a Linter**: Style guidelines bloat context and degrade instruction-following. Use deterministic tools (prettier, eslint, etc.) instead.
4. **Never Auto-Generate**: CLAUDE.md is the highest leverage point of the AI harness. Craft it manually with careful consideration.
## Execution Flow
### 1. Project Analysis
First, analyze the current project state:
1. Check for existing CLAUDE.md files:
- Root level: `./CLAUDE.md` or `.claude/CLAUDE.md`
- Directory-specific: `**/CLAUDE.md`
- Global user config: `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`
2. Identify the project structure:
- Technology stack (languages, frameworks)
- Project type (monorepo, single app, library)
- Development tools (package manager, build system, test runner)
3. Review existing documentation:
- README.md
- CONTRIBUTING.md
- package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, etc.
### 2. Content Strategy (WHAT, WHY, HOW)
Structure CLAUDE.md around three dimensions:
#### WHAT - Technology & Structure
- Technology stack overview
- Project organization (especially important for monorepos)
- Key directories and their purposes
#### WHY - Purpose & Context
- What the project does
- Why certain architectural decisions were made
- What each major component is responsible for
#### HOW - Workflow & Conventions
- Development workflow (bun vs node, pip vs uv, etc.)
- Testing procedures and commands
- Verification and build methods
- Critical "gotchas" or non-obvious requirements
### 3. Progressive Disclosure Strategy
For larger projects, recommend creating an `agent_docs/` folder:
```
agent_docs/
|- building_the_project.md
|- running_tests.md
|- code_conventions.md
|- architecture_decisions.md
```
In CLAUDE.md, reference these files with instructions like:
```markdown
For detailed build instructions, refer to `agent_docs/building_the_project.md`
```
**Important**: Use `file:line` references instead of code snippets to avoid outdated context.
### 4. Quality Constraints
When creating or updating CLAUDE.md:
1. **Target Length**: Under 300 lines (ideally under 100)
2. **No Style Rules**: Remove any linting/formatting instructions
3. **No Task-Specific Instructions**: Move to separate files
4. **No Code Snippets**: Use file references instead
5. **No Redundant Information**: Don't repeat what's in package.json or README
### 5. Essential Sections
A well-structured CLAUDE.md should include:
```markdown
# Project Name
Brief one-line description.
## Tech Stack
- Primary language and version
- Key frameworks/libraries
- Database/storage (if any)
## Project Structure
[Only for monorepos or complex structures]
- `apps/` - Application entry points
- `packages/` - Shared libraries
## Development Commands
- Install: `command`
- Test: `command`
- Build: `command`
## Critical Conventions
[Only non-obvious, high-impact conventions]
- Convention 1 with brief explanation
- Convention 2 with brief explanation
## Known Issues / Gotchas
[Things that consistently trip up developers]
- Issue 1
- Issue 2
```
### 6. Anti-Patterns to Avoid
**DO NOT include:**
- Code style guidelines (use linters)
- Documentation on how to use Claude
- Long explanations of obvious patterns
- Copy-pasted code examples
- Generic best practices ("write clean code")
- Instructions for specific tasks
- Auto-generated content
- Extensive TODO lists
### 7. Validation Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
- [ ] Under 300 lines (preferably under 100)
- [ ] Every line applies to ALL sessions
- [ ] No style/formatting rules
- [ ] No code snippets (use file references)
- [ ] Commands are verified to work
- [ ] Progressive disclosure used for complex projects
- [ ] Critical gotchas are documented
- [ ] No redundancy with README.md
## Output Format
### For `create` or default:
1. Analyze the project
2. Draft a CLAUDE.md following the structure above
3. Present the draft for review
4. Write to the appropriate location after approval
### For `update`:
1. Read existing CLAUDE.md
2. Audit against best practices
3. Identify:
- Content to remove (style rules, code snippets, task-specific)
- Content to condense
- Missing essential information
4. Present changes for review
5. Apply changes after approval
### For `audit`:
1. Read existing CLAUDE.md
2. Generate a report with:
- Current line count vs target
- Percentage of universally-applicable content
- List of anti-patterns found
- Recommendations for improvement
3. Do NOT modify the file, only report
## AGENTS.md Handling
If the user requests AGENTS.md creation/update:
AGENTS.md is used for defining specialized agent behaviors. Unlike CLAUDE.md (which is for project context), AGENTS.md defines:
- Custom agent roles and capabilities
- Agent-specific instructions and constraints
- Workflow definitions for multi-agent scenarios
Apply similar principles:
- Keep focused and concise
- Use progressive disclosure
- Reference external docs instead of embedding content
## Notes
- Always verify commands work before including them
- When in doubt, leave it out - less is more
- The system reminder tells Claude that CLAUDE.md "may or may not be relevant" - the more noise, the more it gets ignored
- Monorepos benefit most from clear WHAT/WHY/HOW structure
- Directory-specific CLAUDE.md files should be even more focused