docs: refactor CLAUDE.md Key Rules into a tiered rules index#710
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…index Tiered approach (Option C): inline Workflow essentials + Rules Index table + tripwire headlines in CLAUDE.md, with rule bodies extracted to 10 referenced .claude/rules/*.md files loaded on demand. Includes the lossless 62-rule mapping and migration plan. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Replace the 60-rule / ~29.5 KB Key Rules wall with three lean parts:
- Workflow essentials (inline) — the rules that apply to every change
- a Rules Index table (mirrors the Spec Document Index) pointing to
10 on-demand docs/rules/*.md domain files
- one-line tripwire headlines for the most surprising/destructive gotchas
All 60 rules moved losslessly into docs/rules/{cricket,x01,game-engine,
statistics,database,auto-scorer,ui-design,testing,git-ci-release,e2e}.md.
Adds a maintenance convention so the section stays lean.
CLAUDE.md 42 KB -> 18 KB; Key Rules section 29.5 KB -> 5.4 KB inline,
back under the ~200-line always-loaded guidance.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
- Fix dangling "see Sentry note below" cross-reference in the Technology Decisions table (the Sentry rule moved to docs/rules/git-ci-release.md). - Restore the exact `git checkout pubspec.lock .flutter-plugins-dependencies` command + "regenerate on every pub get/run/build_runner" rationale that the inline condensation had dropped. - Add a GameConfig-dispatch tripwire (`maybeMap` not `maybeWhen`) and widen the game-engine index label so the rule is discoverable. - Correct the design-doc rule-count mapping (statistics.md 9, git-ci-release.md 7; clarify the 3 double-placed rules; 60 distinct rules, lossless). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Why
CLAUDE.md's## Key Rulessection had grown to 60 dense prose rules (~29.5 KB ≈ 70% of the file), all loaded into every session. That hurt on four axes: token cost (~7K tokens always-on), readability (60 unsorted paragraphs), reliability (past the ~150–200 instruction ceiling, adherence dilutes), and maintainability (no stated home/format for new rules).Design doc:
docs/plans/2026-06-25-claude-md-key-rules-refactor-design.md.What
Tiered structure ("map, not territory" — progressive disclosure):
docs/rules/*.mddomain files, with aAll 60 rules moved losslessly into
docs/rules/{cricket,x01,game-engine,statistics,database,auto-scorer,ui-design,testing,git-ci-release,e2e}.md(substance-verified per rule).Results
Notes
docs/rules/(tracked, alongside other spec docs) rather than.claude/rules/—.claude/is gitignored, so files there would never reach the repo/CI.🤖 Generated with Claude Code