Project Learnings

Capture project-specific patterns and anti-patterns into the project's CLAUDE.md. This creates a self-improving feedback loop where discoveries from debugging, development, and review make future sessions smarter.

Only project-specific knowledge qualifies. Generic programming advice does not belong in CLAUDE.md.

Step 1: Evaluate Discovery

Determine if the finding qualifies as project-specific. The finding must pass at least ONE of these criteria:

processOrder()

UserProfile

metadata

db.query()

timeout

If NO to all criteria, STOP. Do not add generic programming knowledge to CLAUDE.md. Return to the calling skill and report that no project-specific learning was found.

If YES to any, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Read Existing CLAUDE.md

1. Find the project's CLAUDE.md:

   • Check the repository root first
   • If not found, check if there's a project-level

     .agents/

     directory

2. Parse existing content:

   • Understand the existing structure, headings, and conventions
   • Look for sections where this learning would fit (e.g., "Known Gotchas", "Bug Patterns", "Conventions", "Known Challenges")
   • Check for duplicate or similar entries already present

3. If a similar entry already exists, STOP. Report to the calling skill that this knowledge is already captured. Do not create duplicates.

4. Identify placement:

   • If an appropriate section exists, plan to add the entry there
   • If no appropriate section exists, plan to propose a new section (e.g.,

     ## Known Gotchas

     or

     ## Project-Specific Patterns

     )
   • New sections should be placed after the main documentation sections but before appendices or settings

Step 3: Format the Learning

Write a concise, actionable instruction following these rules:

Format:

• Use imperative form: "Always validate X before calling Y"
• Include the WHY: "...because the API returns dates as strings, not Date objects"
• Keep it to 1-3 lines
• Follow the existing CLAUDE.md style and conventions

Templates:

For bug patterns:

- **[Area/Component]**: [What to do/avoid] -- [why, with specific details]

For API gotchas:

- `functionName()` in `path/to/file`: [What's surprising about it] -- [consequence if ignored]

For architectural constraints:

- [Constraint description] -- [why it exists and what breaks if violated]

Examples of well-formatted learnings:

• Order processing: Always multiply amounts by 100 before passing to

  processOrder()

  -- it expects cents, not dollars

• db.query()

  in

  src/database.ts

  : Always pass the

  timeout

  option -- the default is infinite and has caused production hangs (30 second timeout recommended)
• Never import from

  internal/

  directories in

  src/api/

  -- the build system treats these as separate compilation units and circular dependencies will silently break HMR

Step 4: Confirm with User

Prompt the user to choose:

Show:

1. The exact text to be added
2. Where it will be placed in CLAUDE.md (section name, after which line/entry)
3. Why this qualifies as project-specific

Options:

• "Add this" -- Write the entry as proposed
• "Edit before adding" -- User provides modified text, then write that instead
• "Skip" -- Do not add anything, return to calling skill

Step 5: Write Update

If the user confirmed (or provided edited text):

1. Modify CLAUDE.md to add the entry at the identified location
2. If a new section was needed, create the section heading first
3. Verify the edit was applied correctly by reading the modified area
4. Report success to the calling skill with a summary of what was added

If the user chose "Skip":

• Report to the calling skill that the learning was declined
• Do not modify any files