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QUICK-REFERENCE-PRINCIPLES.md

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The Big 3 Principles - Quick Reference

Purpose: One-page reference for Claude Code project setup and maintenance. Print and keep visible.

The Big 3: Non-Negotiable Principles

# Principle Target Rule
1 Keep CLAUDE.md Ruthlessly Minimal ~60 lines "Would removing this cause mistakes? If not, cut it."
2 Plan First, Always Non-trivial work Use /plan before implementing features, architectural changes, or multi-file work
3 Context Engineering > Prompt Engineering External artifacts Specs, ARCHITECTURE.md, git history = agent memory. One feature at a time.

Red Flags (You're Violating These Principles)

  • 🚩 CLAUDE.md is >100 lines → Ruthlessly cut
  • 🚩 Implementing without planning → Stop, use /plan
  • 🚩 Skills >500 lines → Split or use multi-workflow
  • 🚩 Custom slash commands list is long → Delete most, use natural language
  • 🚩 Context feels exhausted → One feature at a time
  • 🚩 No verification step → Add tests/linters
  • 🚩 Permission prompts interrupt constantly → Pre-approve patterns
  • 🚩 Exotic hooks/customization → Simplify to standard patterns

When to Apply

Situation Apply Principle
Starting new project All 3 (setup CLAUDE.md, plan architecture, create specs)
Adding feature >2-3 files Principle 2 (use /plan first)
CLAUDE.md exceeds 80 lines Principle 1 (ruthless minimalism audit)
Context feels exhausted Principle 3 (one feature at a time, external artifacts)
New team member joining Share this reference, audit compliance

Quick Audit Checklist

CLAUDE.md Audit:

  • Under 60 lines (80 max tolerable)?
  • Only includes project purpose, key commands, gotchas, current focus?
  • No examples, essays, or comprehensive command lists?

Planning Audit:

  • Used /plan for last 3 non-trivial features?
  • Plans approved before implementation started?

Context Engineering Audit:

  • ARCHITECTURE.md exists for system design?
  • Specs written before code (when applicable)?
  • Working on one feature at a time?

Key Quotes

"CLAUDE.md should be concise (~60 lines recommended)" - Anthropic Official Docs

"Great Planning is Great Prompting" - IndyDevDan

"Context engineering supersedes prompt engineering for agents" - Anthropic Engineering

"Verification = 2-3x Quality" - Boris Cherny

"Principles over tools... learn to endure change with principle" - IndyDevDan

Full Details: See FOUNDATIONAL-PRINCIPLES.md | Sources: SOURCES.md | Version: 1.3