Claude Setup Skill

Patterns and templates for creating optimized CLAUDE.md files that integrate project.md and brand.md context.

Workflow Integration

project.md (what) → brand.md (identity) → CLAUDE.md (how)

CLAUDE.md should:

• Reference project.md for project overview
• Reference brand.md for design guidelines
• Focus on TECHNICAL configuration for Claude

Core Principles

1. Context-Aware Generation

• Read project.md for project identity and goals
• Read brand.md for design and voice guidelines
• Focus CLAUDE.md on technical commands and patterns

2. Signal Over Noise

• Only document non-obvious information
• Avoid restating what's clear from code
• Focus on gotchas, patterns, and decisions

3. Token Budget Awareness

Project Size	Target Tokens	Max Lines
Small (<10k LOC)	500-1000	50-100
Medium (10-50k LOC)	1000-2000	100-200
Large (>50k LOC)	2000-4000	200-300

4. Structured Sections

Use XML-style tags for parseability:

• <ARCHITECTURE> - Technical architecture decisions
• <CONVENTIONS> - Project-specific code patterns
• <TOOLS> - MCP servers and preferences
• <TESTING> - Test framework and patterns
• <COMMANDS> - Quick reference table
• <BRAND> - Quick reference from brand.md
• <GOTCHAS> - Proven solutions to problems

CLAUDE.md Structure

# [Project Name]

[One-line description - from project.md or detected]

## Quick Reference

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `[cmd]` | [purpose]   |

For project overview, see [project.md](project.md).
For brand guidelines, see [brand.md](brand.md).

<ARCHITECTURE>
## Architecture

[Technical architecture - patterns, layers, data flow]
[Reference project.md for project goals and features]
</ARCHITECTURE>

<CONVENTIONS>
## Conventions

### Naming
- [File naming pattern]
- [Class/function naming]

### Code Organization
- [Feature vs layer structure]
- [Import ordering]
</CONVENTIONS>

<TESTING>
## Testing

- **Framework**: [PHPUnit/Jest/Pest/etc.]
- **Run**: `[command]`
- **Coverage**: `[command]`

### Patterns
- [Test organization]
- [Mocking approach]
</TESTING>

<TOOLS>
## Available Tools

### Research
- `WebSearch` - Documentation lookup
- `mcp__context7__query-docs` - Framework docs

### Development
- `mcp__github__*` - Issue/PR management
- `Bash` - Build and test commands

### Tool Preferences
- [When to use which tool]
</TOOLS>

<BRAND>
## Design Guidelines

Reference: See [brand.md](brand.md) for full guidelines.

**Quick Reference:**
- Archetype: [From brand.md]
- Primary: [HEX from brand.md]
- Font: [From brand.md]
- Voice: [Key attributes from brand.md]
</BRAND>

<GOTCHAS>
## Gotchas

### [Issue Name]
**Problem**: [Description]
**Solution**: [Fix with file reference]
</GOTCHAS>

Context Integration

From project.md

Extract and use:

• Project name: For CLAUDE.md header
• Description: For one-line summary
• Target audience: To calibrate technical detail level
• Core features: To prioritize what to document

From brand.md

Extract and reference:

• Archetype: For voice calibration in generated content
• Primary color: For quick design reference
• Font: For typography reference
• Voice attributes: For documentation tone

In CLAUDE.md

• Add references to project.md and brand.md
• Include quick reference <BRAND> section
• Don't duplicate full content from either file

Stack-Specific Patterns

See reference files for detailed templates:

• references/stack-patterns.md - Laravel, Flutter, Vue patterns
• references/claude-md-templates.md - Complete templates
• references/rules-templates.md - Path-specific rules
• references/mcp-catalog.md - MCP server and LSP recommendations

Smart Merge Strategy

When updating existing CLAUDE.md:

1. Check context files - Read project.md and brand.md first
2. Identify custom sections - Content not from templates
3. Preserve custom content - Never delete user additions
4. Add missing sections - Insert template sections that don't exist
5. Add references - Link to project.md and brand.md
6. Show diff - Always preview changes before applying

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing CLAUDE.md:

• References project.md (if exists)
• References brand.md (if exists)
• Commands are copy-paste ready and tested
• No obvious/redundant information
• Architecture section explains WHY not just WHAT
• Gotchas have concrete solutions
• Token count within budget
• All file paths verified
• MCP tools documented if available
• Uses XML section tags

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

1. Duplicating project.md - Reference it, don't copy
2. Duplicating brand.md - Reference it, don't copy
3. Generic advice - "Write clean code" adds no value
4. Obvious info - "This is a Laravel app" when composer.json exists
5. Verbose explanations - One line per concept when possible
6. Outdated commands - Verify all commands work
7. No structure - Always use XML sections