Create Rules

Develop effective Claude Code rules. Rules are markdown files in .claude/rules/ that provide persistent instructions Claude follows during a session.

What Rules Are For

• Coding standards and conventions
• Project-specific guidelines
• Language or framework patterns
• Prohibited practices
• Style preferences

Not for: one-time instructions (tell Claude directly), dynamic content (use commands/skills), or tool configurations (use hooks).

Rule Structure

# Rule Name

Brief description of what this rule enforces.

## Guidelines
Clear, actionable rules with examples.

## Checklist (optional)
- [ ] Quick verification items

Key principles: Be specific (vague rules get ignored), show examples (good vs bad), stay focused (one topic per file), be actionable (guide decisions).

Rule Types

Standards Rules

Define coding standards. Copy and customize templates/standards.md:

cp ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-rule/templates/standards.md .claude/rules/my-standards.md

Use for: naming conventions, preferred patterns, type inference rules.

Prohibited Rules

List things to avoid. Copy and customize templates/prohibited.md:

cp ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-rule/templates/prohibited.md .claude/rules/my-prohibited.md

Use for: banned patterns with good/bad examples, quick checklists.

Style Rules

Define formatting preferences. Copy and customize templates/style.md:

cp ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-rule/templates/style.md .claude/rules/my-style.md

Use for: import ordering, comment conventions, formatting preferences.

Architecture Rules

Define structural patterns for service layers, dependency direction, module organization.

Best Practices

Do: Use tables for quick reference, include code examples for every guideline, group related items, provide a checklist, keep rules under 200 lines.

Do not: Write walls of text, be vague ("write good code"), include too many topics in one file, repeat what other rules cover.

Templates

All templates are available at:

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-rule/templates/
├── standards.md   # Coding standards template
├── prohibited.md  # Prohibited patterns template
└── style.md       # Style guide template

Contributing Rules

To add a rule to rbw-claude-code:

1. Create the rule in templates/rules/ or a subdirectory
2. Follow the structure of existing rules
3. Test by symlinking to a project