Maintaining Claude Code

Validate, organize, and improve Claude Code configurations.

Modes of Operation

Audit Mode

Use when: Checking config quality, validating skills work

Checklist:

• CLAUDE.md: Specific, structured, actionable
• Skills: Valid YAML, good descriptions (What + When formula)
• Commands: Clear purpose, not duplicating skills
• Hooks: Proper exit codes, reasonable timeouts

Organize Mode

Use when: .claude directory is messy, too many similar skills

Guidelines:

• Split CLAUDE.md into rules when >150 lines
• Consolidate similar skills (don't have 3 "code review" skills)
• Use subdirectories in rules/ for large projects

Advise Mode

Use when: Deciding what entity type to create

Decision tree:

• Needs to run automatically before/after actions? -> Hook
• User explicitly triggers with /command? -> Command
• Claude should auto-detect and use? -> Skill
• Always-on behavioral guidance? -> CLAUDE.md
• Path-specific rules? -> .claude/rules/

Quick Reference

Entity Type Decision Matrix

Need	Best Entity	Alternative
Global behavior guidelines	CLAUDE.md	Rules if >150 lines
Path-specific rules	.claude/rules/	CLAUDE.md if universal
User-invoked workflows	Commands	Skill if auto-detection wanted
Auto-detected capabilities	Skills	Command if user should control
Pre/post action validation	Hooks	Nothing else does this
External API integration	MCP Servers	Bash calls if simple
Task-specific personas	Agents	Skills for simpler cases

Skill Description Formula

<What it does>. Use when <trigger1>, <trigger2>, or <trigger3>.

Good: "Extract text and tables from PDF files. Use when working with PDFs, forms, or document extraction."

Bad: "Helps with documents"

YAML Validation

• --- on line 1 (required)
• name: max 64 chars
• description: max 1024 chars, must include triggers
• --- before content

Common Anti-Patterns

• Vague descriptions: "Helps with stuff"
• Nested references: SKILL.md -> REF.md -> DETAILS.md
• Overloaded skills: Does 5 unrelated things
• Missing triggers: No "Use when..." clause

Validation Steps

1. Check YAML syntax in all skills
2. Verify descriptions include trigger phrases
3. Ensure no duplicate capabilities across skills
4. Confirm CLAUDE.md content won't quickly grow stale
5. Check hooks have reasonable timeouts

Resources

See REFERENCE.md for detailed examples and troubleshooting.