Keep CLAUDE.md under about 200 lines and write only what Claude cannot learn from the repo.
Exact test and lint commands, misleading code areas, decisions made outside the repo, anything you corrected twice.
Memory
The habits that make the difference. Tick the ones you already keep and see what is left.
0 / 4 you keep
Write verifiable lines, not vague ones.
"Use 2-space indentation" can be checked; "format nicely" cannot.
If a line keeps being ignored, do not add emphasis; make it a hook.
Shouting rarely helps. Either the file is too long, or the rule has no exceptions and belongs in a hook.
Move multi-step procedures to skills and file-type rules to .claude/rules/.
They load only when needed, so CLAUDE.md stays short.