A system of prompt files that generate and maintain project documentation for Claude Code. Drop these files into any project, run them sequentially, and get comprehensive, consistent documentation that helps Claude understand your codebase.
Current stable release: v2.2.
Repository metadata: CHANGELOG.md, RELEASE_MANIFEST.md, VERSION.
# 1. Copy latest release's .prompts/ folder to your project
cp -r Releases/latest/.prompts/ your-project/.prompts/
# 2. Add to .gitignore
echo ".prompts/" >> your-project/.gitignore
# 3. Run in Claude Code (sequential prompts)
"Read .prompts/PROJECT_SURVEY.md and follow its instructions"
"Read .prompts/CLAUDE_GENERATOR.md and create CLAUDE.md"
"Read .prompts/BOOTSTRAP_GENERATOR.md and create docs/BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md"
"Read .prompts/SESSION_GENERATOR.md and create docs/SESSION_HANDOFF.md"
"Read .prompts/EVOLUTION_GENERATOR.md and create docs/EVOLUTION.md"
# 4. Commit generated files, exit sessionReleases/latestis a symlink to the current release directory.- Each versioned release in
Releases/vX.Y/.prompts/is frozen as immutable content. - Verify prompt file checksums against
RELEASE_MANIFEST.mdwhen needed. - Each release contains a
.prompts/folder — copy it directly into your project and gitignore it.
| File | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CLAUDE.md | Project root | Rules, commands, boundaries (<200 lines) |
| BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md | docs/ | Architecture, modules, quirks (100-200 lines) |
| SESSION_HANDOFF.md | docs/ | Current state, next steps (50-100 lines) |
| EVOLUTION.md | docs/ | Decisions and changes log (grows over time) |
Releases/vX.X/
└── .prompts/
├── PROJECT_SURVEY.md # Run first — surveys codebase
├── CLAUDE_GENERATOR.md # Generates CLAUDE.md
├── BOOTSTRAP_GENERATOR.md # Generates BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md
├── SESSION_GENERATOR.md # Generates SESSION_HANDOFF.md
├── EVOLUTION_GENERATOR.md # Generates EVOLUTION.md
├── CLAUDE_MAINTENANCE.md # Updates CLAUDE.md
├── BOOTSTRAP_MAINTENANCE.md # Updates BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md
├── SESSION_MAINTENANCE.md # Updates SESSION_HANDOFF.md
└── EVOLUTION_MAINTENANCE.md # Updates EVOLUTION.md
1. Copy .prompts/ folder from latest release → your-project/.prompts/
2. Add .prompts/ to .gitignore
3. Run PROJECT_SURVEY.md (expensive, one-time)
4. Run each generator sequentially (same session)
5. Review and commit 4 generated files
6. Exit/clear session
1. Claude Code auto-reads CLAUDE.md
2. Paste docs/BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md
3. Paste docs/EVOLUTION.md
4. Paste docs/SESSION_HANDOFF.md
5. Work...
# Run whichever apply:
"Read .prompts/SESSION_MAINTENANCE.md and update docs/SESSION_HANDOFF.md"
"Read .prompts/CLAUDE_MAINTENANCE.md and update CLAUDE.md"
"Read .prompts/BOOTSTRAP_MAINTENANCE.md and update docs/BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md"
"Read .prompts/EVOLUTION_MAINTENANCE.md and update docs/EVOLUTION.md"
Complexity-scaled output and cross-document coordination. All 8 generator and maintenance prompt files rewritten with Content Allocation Guides (Simple/Medium/Complex tiers), Anti-Degradation Safeguards, Cross-Reference Guides, and richer examples. CLAUDE.md generation shifts from fixed 200-line cap to complexity-tiered budgets. SESSION and EVOLUTION files gain cross-document coordination for decision lifecycle management.
- CLAUDE_GENERATOR/MAINTENANCE: Content Allocation Guide, Env Var Reference section, Project Structure section, 10 detection areas, anti-degradation rules
- BOOTSTRAP_GENERATOR/MAINTENANCE: API-reference quality mandate for key file exports, quirk completeness requirement, module coverage gap audit, 9 anti-degradation safeguards
- SESSION_GENERATOR/MAINTENANCE: Test file mapping, per-file annotations, strategic-first next steps, resolved-issue tracking
- EVOLUTION_GENERATOR/MAINTENANCE: Companion docs header, operational workflow decisions, bidirectional cross-referencing, file reference verification, milestone completeness
- PROJECT_SURVEY.md unchanged (version header bumped)
Memory health assessment. PROJECT_SURVEY.md now evaluates per-module memory coverage and provides actionable recommendations: which memories to create (with suggested filenames), which are stale and need updating.
- New Section 5.7: Memory Health Assessment with per-module evaluation criteria
- New output section: Memory Health with coverage table and prioritized recommendations
- All other prompt files unchanged (version header bumped)
Robust memory cross-referencing. PROJECT_SURVEY.md Phase 5 gains 12 improvements: fallback discovery when YAML frontmatter is missing, conflict resolution for memory-vs-code contradictions, explicit merge plan format, state tracking throughout execution, conditional section checklist, memory coverage assessment criteria, and a complete processing trace example.
- Fallback filename-based categorization when frontmatter is missing
- Conflict resolution rules (code is ground truth for current state, memory for rationale)
- Explicit merge plan format with inline/dedicated/folded categories
- Phase 5 early exit check and state tracking template
- Conditional section checklist (6.0) replaces inline CONDITIONAL comments
- Memory coverage assessment: sparse/stale/comprehensive with defined criteria
- All other prompt files unchanged (version header bumped)
Memory-enriched project survey. PROJECT_SURVEY.md now cross-references Claude Code's project memory to capture architecture decisions, war stories, operational workflows, and other knowledge that code alone can't reveal.
- New Phase 5: Memory Cross-Reference (reads
~/.claude/projects/.../memory/) - 11 conditional memory-enriched sections in survey output
- Expanded from 5 to 6 phases (old Phase 5 → Phase 6: Output)
- All other prompt files unchanged (version header bumped)
Initial release. Complete documentation generation system.
Generators:
- PROJECT_SURVEY.md — 5-phase codebase survey with exclusion rules
- CLAUDE_GENERATOR.md — Lean rules file (<200 lines) with commands, boundaries, gotchas
- BOOTSTRAP_GENERATOR.md — Deep onboarding doc (100-200 lines) with module boundaries, quirks, reading list
- SESSION_GENERATOR.md — State snapshot (50-100 lines) with status, next steps, blockers
- EVOLUTION_GENERATOR.md — Decision/change log seeded from git history
Maintenance:
- CLAUDE_MAINTENANCE.md — Detects command, boundary, gotcha changes
- BOOTSTRAP_MAINTENANCE.md — Detects module, quirk, architecture changes
- SESSION_MAINTENANCE.md — Updates status, uncommitted changes, next steps
- EVOLUTION_MAINTENANCE.md — Appends decisions, features, bugfixes
Features:
- Reverse chronological EVOLUTION.md (LLM-friendly)
- File:line references for quirks
- ASCII infrastructure diagrams for multi-machine setups
_oldbackup convention before updates- Cross-file suggestions (maintenance prompts suggest related updates)
- Decision Index with IDs (D-001, D-002)
- Ready-to-commit vs WIP distinction in SESSION_HANDOFF
Examples included:
- Single-machine Python CLI
- Multi-machine Astro + LLM (Mac + RTX 3090)
- Browser automation with macOS A11y + Chrome extension
- Full-stack tax pipeline with Docker, PostgreSQL, local LLM
- Major (X.0): Breaking changes to file format or workflow
- Minor (X.Y): New features, improved examples, non-breaking enhancements
After running generators:
your-project/
├── CLAUDE.md # ✓ Committed
├── docs/
│ ├── BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md # ✓ Committed
│ ├── SESSION_HANDOFF.md # ✓ Committed
│ └── EVOLUTION.md # ✓ Committed
├── .prompts/ # ✗ Gitignored (copied from release)
│ ├── PROJECT_SURVEY.md
│ ├── PROJECT_SURVEY_OUTPUT.md # Generated by survey
│ ├── CLAUDE_GENERATOR.md
│ ├── BOOTSTRAP_GENERATOR.md
│ ├── SESSION_GENERATOR.md
│ ├── EVOLUTION_GENERATOR.md
│ ├── CLAUDE_MAINTENANCE.md
│ ├── BOOTSTRAP_MAINTENANCE.md
│ ├── SESSION_MAINTENANCE.md
│ └── EVOLUTION_MAINTENANCE.md
└── .gitignore # Contains: .prompts/
- Under 200 lines
- Commands, rules, gotchas only
- Deep explanations → BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md
# Good
3. **Qwen 3 thinks by default** (`src/llm/client.ts:47`) — use /no_think
# Bad
3. **LLM sometimes adds extra text** — be careful- End of every session
- Before every commit
- It's the "where are we now" snapshot
- SESSION_HANDOFF.md captures decisions temporarily
- Run EVOLUTION_MAINTENANCE to make them permanent
- Prevents decisions from being lost
- Infrastructure diagrams in BOOTSTRAP_PROMPT.md
- Machine context table in CLAUDE.md
- IP addresses, ports, roles
Potential future enhancements:
- Automated drift detection (docs vs code)
- Integration with Claude Code slash commands
- Project-type templates (Python, Node, Rust, Swift)
- CI/CD integration for doc validation
- Diff view for maintenance updates
Licensed under the Simple Public License 2.0 (SimPL-2.0).
Developed through iterative conversation, drawing patterns from:
- Browser Automation System (macOS A11y + Chrome MV3)
- Tax Pipeline (Astro + local LLM + PostgreSQL)
- Multiple Claude Code projects with varying complexity
Built for single-developer workflows with multi-machine setups, heavy Docker usage, and local LLM inference.