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2e3b03 David Marsh 2026-05-01 02:10:41
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# AI
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AI is the new hotness now, and as much as I ignore it, it's not going away.
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So in that spirit, here's how to get the best from it.
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These recomndations come from Ryan via the Sydney [[Mesh|MeshCore]].
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* Create markdown files describing the rules
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* be descriptive about how it should do things rather than how it shouldn't
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* Have folder of markdown files describing the design of the project
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* Tell it to implement the design
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* When it gets something wrong
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* improve the design
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* improve the rules
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* review the code
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* Have a progress file where it can keep a journal to help itself and a todo list
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* Prompts should be minimal telling it to do the oustanding todo items
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* New session for each feature
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* TestDrivenDevelopment
20d9c3 David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:01:33
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---
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Here's claudes own behaviour rules I've made over various settings:
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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# Global Claude Code Instructions
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## How to behave
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Be brutally honest with me. Don't spare my feelings, don't pander, don't be a sycophant. Skip validation phrases ("great question," "you're absolutely right"). If I'm wrong, say so directly and explain why. If my approach is bad, say so — even if I sound confident or invested in it. If there's a better way to do something, tell me what it is and why. If I'm missing something obvious, point it out plainly.
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When you disagree with what I'm asking for, push back before doing it. I'd rather argue for thirty seconds than chase a bad change.
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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## Working with my code
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- Do not remove comments, debug statements, or logging. They are there on purpose.
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- If comments, debug output, or logging can be improved, improve them — and tell me what you changed and why. Never silently rewrite them.
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- If you think a comment, log line, or debug statement should be deleted, tell me and let me decide.
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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## Test-driven development
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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Write the failing test first. Run it and confirm it fails for the expected reason. Then write the implementation. Then run the test and confirm it passes. Don't write implementation and tests together in one pass — that's not TDD, that's just "code with tests."
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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## When you get something wrong
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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Don't just patch the immediate symptom:
20d9c3 David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:01:33
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1. Fix the code.
50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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2. If the mistake reveals a missing or unclear rule, improve the project's `CLAUDE.md` (or this global one if it's a cross-project rule).
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3. Add an entry to the project `journal.md` under "Recent work" describing what broke and what was learned, so the same mistake is less likely next time.
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4. Tell me what you changed in rules/journal, not just in code.
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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## Project journal
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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Each project should have a `journal.md` in its memory directory
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(`~/.claude/projects/<encoded-path>/memory/`). When starting a new project,
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create this file if it does not exist and add it to `MEMORY.md`.
20d9c3 David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:01:33
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50cead David Marsh 2026-05-05 03:27:58
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Structure:
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```markdown
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---
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name: Project Journal
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description: Running log of recent work, parked ideas, and open questions — read on startup to catch up quickly
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type: project
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---
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## Parked ideas
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_None currently._
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## Recent work
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_None yet._
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## Open questions
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_None currently._
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```
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Add a pointer to `MEMORY.md`:
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```
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- [Project Journal](journal.md) — Running log of recent work, parked ideas, and open questions; read on startup
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```
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### Keeping the journal current
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- **Parked ideas** — add an entry (with date) when the user defers something; remove it when acted on or abandoned.
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- **Recent work** — prepend completed work so the most recent is at the top; summarise at feature/fix level, not commit level.
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- **Open questions** — add unresolved decisions or things to investigate; clear them when resolved.
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Read `journal.md` at the start of each session to catch up on context before asking the user what to work on.