managing-claude-code-meta

<essential_principles> This skill manages projects that adopt the promode methodology.

The core idea: the repo is always ready for a fresh agent.

Any agent should be able to pick up the work with zero context from previous conversations. The human decides when to bring in a fresh agent; the methodology ensures that's always possible.

How handoff works:

1. TODO.md always answers "what's next?" — this is the primary handoff mechanism
2. Failing tests capture intended behaviour — the next agent knows what to implement
3. Plan docs in docs/ explain approach — the next agent continues where you left off

File responsibilities:

• CLAUDE.md — How the agent works (the promode methodology). Standardised, not project-specific.
• README.md — What the project is. Project-specific knowledge.
• TODO.md — What to do next. Always current.
• Tests — What behaviour is expected. The authoritative documentation.

CLAUDE.md is standardised: Copy standard/MAIN_AGENT_CLAUDE.md exactly into projects. It works universally. All project-specific content belongs in README.md files. </essential_principles>

<never_do>

• NEVER modify standard/MAIN_AGENT_CLAUDE.md content — it must be copied exactly into projects
• NEVER add project-specific content to CLAUDE.md (use README.md files instead)
• NEVER duplicate content between CLAUDE.md and README.md — single source of truth
• NEVER skip verifying CLAUDE.md matches the standard after installation or migration </never_do>

<escalation> Stop and ask the user when: - Project is not under git version control or has uncommited changes - Content doesn't fit KEEP/MOVE/DELETE categories during migration - Existing README.md files conflict with the suggested structure - You've attempted the same step 3+ times without success - Changes would affect more than 10 files </escalation> <intake> What would you like to do?

1. Install — Set up the standard CLAUDE.md in a new project
2. Migrate — Refactor an existing CLAUDE.md, moving content to READMEs
3. Audit — Check if a project follows progressive disclosure principles

Wait for response before proceeding. </intake>

<routing> | Response | Next Action | Workflow | |----------|-------------|----------| | 1, "install", "setup", "new", "create" | Confirm project path | workflows/install.md | | 2, "migrate", "refactor", "move", "convert" | Analyze existing CLAUDE.md | workflows/migrate.md | | 3, "audit", "check", "review", "assess" | Scan project structure | workflows/audit.md |

Intent-based routing:

• "set up CLAUDE.md", "add agent config" → workflows/install.md
• "CLAUDE.md is too big", "slim down", "refactor" → workflows/migrate.md
• "is this right?", "check conformance" → workflows/audit.md

After reading the workflow, follow it exactly. </routing>

<quick_reference> CLAUDE.md: Copy standard/MAIN_AGENT_CLAUDE.md exactly. Do not modify. This configures the agent with promode methodology.

README.md distribution:

project/
├── CLAUDE.md           # Agent behaviour (promode methodology)
├── README.md           # Project overview, links to main components
└── docs/
    └── {feature}/      # Ephemeral planning docs and task specs

</quick_reference>

<reference_index>

• standard/MAIN_AGENT_CLAUDE.md — The canonical CLAUDE.md (copy exactly into projects)
• references/progressive-disclosure.md — Why and how to distribute content to READMEs
• references/claude-md-sections.md — Purpose of each CLAUDE.md section </reference_index>

<workflows_index> All in workflows/:

Workflow	Purpose
install.md	Install standard CLAUDE.md into new project
migrate.md	Migrate existing CLAUDE.md content to READMEs
audit.md	Audit project for progressive disclosure conformance
</workflows_index>

<success_criteria> A well-configured project:

• CLAUDE.md is an exact copy of standard/MAIN_AGENT_CLAUDE.md
• README.md at project root with overview and navigation
• Component README.md files throughout for domain-specific context
• Tests document system behaviour, not markdown files </success_criteria>