Manage modular rules for the project. Rules are markdown files in .claude/rules/ that provide context-specific instructions to Claude.
When to Use This Skill
| Use this skill when... | Use alternative when... |
|---|---|
| Need to create/edit modular rules in.claude/rules/ | Use /blueprint:claude-md for single-file project instructions |
| Want to list all project and user-level rules | Use /blueprint:generate-rules to auto-generate from PRDs |
| Need to add path-specific rules for certain file types | Just need to view CLAUDE.md structure |
| Managing user-level rules (~/.claude/rules/) | Need to sync rules with existing CLAUDE.md |
Rules Hierarchy (precedence low → high)
| Level | Location | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| User-level | ~/.claude/rules/*.md | Personal rules across all projects |
| Project rules | .claude/rules/*.md (no paths) | All files in this project |
| Path-specific rules | .claude/rules/*.md (with paths) | Only matched files |
Project rules override user-level rules. Path-specific rules load conditionally when working on matching files.
Steps:
- Check blueprint status:
- Read docs/blueprint/manifest.json - Check if modular rules are enabled - If not enabled, offer to enable: Use AskUserQuestion: question: "Modular rules are not enabled. Would you like to enable them?" options: - "Yes, create.claude/rules/ structure" → enable and continue - "No, use single CLAUDE.md" → exit
- Determine action (use AskUserQuestion):
question: "What would you like to do with modular rules?" options: - "List existing rules" → show project and user-level rules - "Add a new rule" → create new rule file - "Edit existing rule" → modify rule - "Generate rules from PRDs" → auto-generate from requirements - "Manage user-level rules" → personal rules in ~/.claude/rules/ - "Sync rules with CLAUDE.md" → bidirectional sync - "Validate rules" → check for issues - List existing rules:
- Scan .claude/rules/ recursively for .md files - Scan ~/.claude/rules/ for user-level rules - Parse frontmatter for paths field (if scoped) - Display: 📜 Modular Rules User-Level Rules (~/.claude/rules/ — personal, all projects): - preferences.md - Personal coding style - workflow.md - Personal workflow habits Project Global Rules (apply to all files): - development.md - TDD workflow and conventions - testing.md - Test requirements Path-Specific Rules (apply to specific paths): - frontend/react.md - paths: ["src/components/**/*.{ts,tsx}"] - backend/api.md - paths: ["src/api/**/*.ts"] Total: 6 rules (2 user-level, 2 global, 2 path-specific)
- Add a new rule (use AskUserQuestion):
question: "What type of rule would you like to create?" options: - "Development workflow" → development.md template - "Testing requirements" → testing.md template - "Code style/conventions" → code-style.md template - "Architecture patterns" → architecture.md template - "Language-specific" → prompt for language - "Framework-specific" → prompt for framework - "Custom" → blank template with guidanceThen ask:question: "Should this rule apply to all files or specific paths?" options: - "All files (global)" → no paths frontmatter - "Specific file patterns" → prompt for glob patterns - Rule file templates: Global rule template:
# {Rule Name} ## Overview {Brief description of when this rule applies} ## Requirements - {Requirement 1} - {Requirement 2} ## Examples {Code examples if applicable}Scoped rule template (withpathsfrontmatter):--- paths: - "src/components/**/*.{ts,tsx}" --- # {Rule Name} ## Overview {Brief description - applies only to matched paths} ## Requirements - {Requirement 1} - {Requirement 2}Brace expansion is supported:*.{ts,tsx}matches both.tsand.tsxfiles. Glob patterns follow standard syntax:**for recursive,*for single level. - Generate rules from PRDs:
- Read all PRDs in docs/prds/ - Extract key requirements and constraints - Group by domain (testing, architecture, coding standards) - Generate rule files: - rules/from-prd-testing.md - Test requirements from PRDs - rules/from-prd-architecture.md - Architecture decisions - rules/from-prd-conventions.md - Coding conventions
- Sync rules with CLAUDE.md:
- Parse existing CLAUDE.md sections - Compare with rules in .claude/rules/ - Offer sync options: question: "How would you like to sync?" options: - "CLAUDE.md → rules (split into modular files)" - "Rules → CLAUDE.md (consolidate)" - "Merge both (combine unique content)"
- Validate rules:
- Check for syntax errors in frontmatter - Validate glob patterns in paths field - Check for conflicting rules - Warn about overly broad or narrow scopes - Report: ✅ Rule Validation Checked: 4 rules Valid: 4 Warnings: 1 - frontend/react.md: paths pattern may be too broad No errors found.
- Update manifest:
- Add created/modified rules to generated_artifacts.rules - Update updated_at timestamp
- Report: `
✅ Rule management complete! {Action summary} Current rules: {count} files - Global: {count} - Scoped: {count} Run/blueprint:statusto see full configuration.` - Prompt for next action (use AskUserQuestion):
question: "Rules updated. What would you like to do next?" options: - label: "Update CLAUDE.md (Recommended)" description: "Regenerate overview to reflect rule changes" - label: "Add another rule" description: "Create additional domain-specific rules" - label: "Check blueprint status" description: "Run /blueprint:status to see full configuration" - label: "I'm done for now" description: "Exit - rules are active immediately"Based on selection:
- "Update CLAUDE.md" → Run /blueprint:claude-md - "Add another rule" → Restart at step 4 (Add a new rule) - "Check blueprint status" → Run /blueprint:status - "I'm done" → Exit
Common Rule Patterns:
| Rule Type | Suggested Path | Scope Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| React components | rules/frontend/react.md | ["**/*.{tsx,jsx}"] |
| API handlers | rules/backend/api.md | ["src/{api,routes}/**/*"] |
| Database models | rules/backend/models.md | ["src/{models,db}/**/*"] |
| Test files | rules/testing.md | ["**/*.{test,spec}.*"] |
| Documentation | rules/docs.md | ["**/*.md", "docs/**/*"] |
| Config files | rules/config.md | ["*.config.{js,ts,mjs}", ".env*"] |