[IMPORTANT] Use

TaskCreate

to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

• Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal.
• Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing.
• Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain.
• Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path.
• When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site.
• Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code.
• Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks.
• Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis.
• Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly.
• Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.

Quick Summary

Goal: Help users install, configure, troubleshoot, and extend Claude Code CLI (hooks, MCP, skills, commands).

Workflow:

1. Categorize — Identify problem type (Setup, Hooks, MCP, Context, Extensibility, Config)
2. Diagnose — Follow category-specific diagnostic steps
3. Fix & Verify — Apply solution and confirm it resolves the issue

Key Rules:

• Not for writing application code -- use feature/fix/refactor skills instead
• Never modify settings without user approval
• For hooks: check event type, script executability, and JSON output format

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

Claude Code

Purpose

Help users install, configure, troubleshoot, and extend Claude Code CLI -- Anthropic's agentic coding tool with skills, hooks, MCP servers, and slash commands.

When to Use

• Setting up Claude Code for the first time (installation, authentication)
• Troubleshooting hooks that don't fire or produce errors
• Diagnosing MCP server connection failures
• Understanding or resolving context window limits
• Creating or modifying slash commands and agent skills
• Configuring settings (model, allowed tools, output style)

When NOT to Use

• Writing application code -- use

  feature-implementation

  ,

  fix

  , or

  refactoring

  skills
• Creating MCP servers from scratch -- use

  mcp-builder

  skill
• Managing existing MCP server connections -- use

  mcp-management

  skill
• AI prompt engineering -- use

  ai-artist

  skill

Prerequisites

• Access to

  .claude/

  directory in the project root
• For hooks: read

  .claude/hooks/

  directory structure
• For skills: read

  .claude/skills/

  directory structure

Workflow

Step 1: Identify the Problem Category

Step 2A: Setup

1. Check prerequisites: Node.js 18+, npm
2. Verify authentication:

   claude auth status

3. IF auth fails: guide through

   claude auth login

4. Verify project detection: check for

   CLAUDE.md

   in project root

Step 2B: Hook Issues

1. Read the hook file causing issues
2. Check hook event type matches expected trigger (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, SessionStart, Stop, SubagentStop)
3. Verify hook script is executable and has correct shebang
4. Check

   .claude/settings.json

   for hook registration
5. Test hook in isolation: run the script directly with mock input
6. Check for syntax errors in hook output (must be valid JSON for PreToolUse/PostToolUse)

Common fixes:

• Hook not firing: wrong event name or tool matcher pattern
• Hook errors: script not finding dependencies (check relative paths)
• Hook blocks unexpectedly: PreToolUse returning

  { "decision": "block" }

  incorrectly

Step 2C: MCP Issues

1. Check

   .claude/settings.json

   for MCP server configuration
2. Verify the MCP server process can start: run the command manually
3. Check environment variables (API keys, tokens) are set
4. Test connectivity:

   claude mcp list

   to see registered servers
5. IF timeout: increase timeout in config or check network

Common fixes:

• "Connection refused": MCP server not running or wrong port
• "Authentication failed": expired or missing API token
• "Tool not found": MCP server registered but tool name mismatch

Step 2D: Context Issues

1. Check current context usage (Claude will report when near limit)
2. IF approaching limit: suggest

   /compact

   command
3. Review if large files are being read unnecessarily
4. Check for recovery files in

   /tmp/ck/swap/

   after compaction
5. Verify

   post-compact-recovery

   hook is configured for session continuity

Step 2E: Extensibility

1. For skills: read

   references/agent-skills.md

   for structure
2. For custom slash commands: create skills in

   .claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md

3. Verify SKILL.md frontmatter has required fields (name, version, description)
4. Test: invoke the skill/command and verify it loads

Step 2F: Configuration

1. Read

   references/configuration.md

   for settings hierarchy
2. Settings locations:

   .claude/settings.json

   (project),

   ~/.claude/settings.json

   (user)
3. IMPORTANT: Never modify settings without user approval
4. Common settings: model selection, allowed tools, output verbosity

Step 3: Verification

• Confirm the fix resolves the user's issue
• Document any configuration changes made
• Warn if changes affect other team members (project-level settings)

Output Format

## Claude Code: [Issue/Task Summary]

### Problem

[What was wrong or what was requested]

### Solution

[Step-by-step fix or setup instructions]

### Files Changed

[List any config files modified, with before/after]

### Verification

[How to confirm the fix works]

Examples

Example 1: Hook Not Firing

User: "My PreToolUse hook for blocking large file reads isn't triggering"

Diagnosis:

1. Read

   .claude/settings.json

   -- hook registered under

   hooks.PreToolUse

2. Check tool matcher:

   "matcher": "Read"

   -- correct
3. Run script directly:

   node .claude/hooks/block-large-reads.cjs

   -- works
4. Found: Hook command uses

   %CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR%

   but runs from wrong CWD

Fix: Update hook command to use absolute path or verify

%CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR%

Example 2: Setting Up a New Slash Command

User: "I want a /deploy command that runs our staging deployment"

Steps:

1. Create

   .claude/skills/deploy/SKILL.md

   :

Deploy to staging environment.

Run the following steps:

1. Verify all tests pass: `npm test`
2. Build the project: `npm run build`
3. Deploy: `npm run deploy:staging`
4. Report deployment status

2. Test: type

   /deploy

   in Claude Code CLI
3. Verify: command appears in autocomplete and executes the workflow

Reference Files

Load these for detailed guidance on specific topics:

references/getting-started.md

references/slash-commands.md

references/agent-skills.md

references/mcp-integration.md

references/hooks-comprehensive.md

references/configuration.md

references/troubleshooting.md

references/enterprise-features.md

Related Skills

• mcp-builder

  -- for creating new MCP servers from scratch

• mcp-management

  -- for managing existing MCP server connections

• skill-creator

  -- for creating new agent skills with best practices

Closing Reminders

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using

  TaskCreate

  BEFORE starting
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite

  file:line

  evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality <!-- SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset:reminder -->
• MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact. <!-- /SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset:reminder --> <!-- SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention:reminder -->
• MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction. <!-- /SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention:reminder -->