chore(claude): standardize requirements

Author: CalvinAllen

.gitignore

@@ -154,4 +154,5 @@ $RECYCLE.BIN/
 .DS_Store
 
 # Claude Code local settings
-.claude/settings.local.json
+.claude/settings.local.json
+CLAUDE.local.md

.claude/CLAUDE.md CLAUDE.md.claude/CLAUDE.md renamed to CLAUDE.md

@@ -2,6 +2,43 @@
 
 This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with code in this repository.
 
+## Critical Rules
+
+**These rules override all other instructions:**
+
+1. **NEVER commit directly to main** - Always create a feature branch and submit a pull request
+2. **Conventional commits** - Format: `type(scope): description`
+3. **GitHub Issues for TODOs** - Use `gh` CLI to manage issues, no local TODO files. Use conventional commit format for issue titles
+4. **Pull Request titles** - Use conventional commit format (same as commits)
+5. **Branch naming** - Use format: `type/scope/short-description` (e.g., `feat/ui/settings-dialog`)
+6. **Working an issue** - Always create a new branch from an updated main branch
+7. **Check branch status before pushing** - Verify the remote tracking branch still exists. If a PR was merged/deleted, create a new branch from main instead
+8. **WPF for all UI** - All UI must be implemented using WPF (XAML/C#). No web-based technologies (HTML, JavaScript, WebView)
+
+---
+
+### GitHub CLI Commands
+
+```bash
+gh issue list                    # List open issues
+gh issue view <number>           # View details
+gh issue create --title "type(scope): description" --body "..."
+gh issue close <number>
+```
+
+### Conventional Commit Types
+
+| Type | Description |
+|------|-------------|
+| `feat` | New feature |
+| `fix` | Bug fix |
+| `docs` | Documentation only |
+| `refactor` | Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature |
+| `test` | Adding or updating tests |
+| `chore` | Maintenance tasks |
+
+---
+
 ## Project Overview
 
 This is a Visual Studio extension that adds a right-click context menu command to open solution files, project files, or individual files in Notepad++. It targets .NET Framework 4.8 and uses the VS SDK.