pyclaudefig

Stop configuring Claude Code from scratch for every Python project. pyclaudefig is a heavily opinionated, ready-to-go configuration designed for teams that have embraced the Astral ecosystem — ruff, uv, and ty — as their standard toolchain.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

This configuration assumes you already have:

1. Claude Code installed and working
2. uv managing your project virtualenv
3. Dev tools installed and configured in your venv:
   • ruff (formatting + linting)
   • ty (type checking)
   • pytest + pytest-check + pytest-cov (testing + coverage)
   • pydoclint (docstring formatting)
   • All tools are runnable via uv run .claude/scripts/validate_code.py
4. Context7 free account for fetching up-to-date framework documentation via MCP

Initial setup

1. Download .claude/ into your project root

   cd /path/to/your/project
   
   # Download pyclaudefig
   curl -L https://api.github.com/repos/libertininick/pyclaudefig/tarball/HEAD | tar -xz
   
   # Move .claude directory to root of project and remove remaining items from download
   mv libertininick-pyclaudefig-*/.claude ./ && rm -rf libertininick-pyclaudefig-*
   
   # Allow scripts to be executed
   chmod +x .claude/scripts/*.py

2. Connect the Context7 MCP server to Claude Code

   # Generate an API key at https://context7.com after signing up
   claude mcp add context7 -- npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

   Verify it's connected by running /mcp inside a Claude session — you should see context7 · ✔ connected.

3. Start a Claude Code session in your project's root directory

   cd /path/to/your/project
   claude

4. Add approved frameworks i.e. the python libraries your project depends on (see Adding a New Framework)

   /add-framework <python library>

5. Run /sync inside your Claude session to generate context bundles for the subagents (they're gitignored):

   /sync

   Re-run /sync any time you make changes to .claude/, add a skill/command/agent, or update a setting.

Sync local config

After initial setup, you may want to sync your local config with changed pushed to pyclaudefig. Here's an approach using rsync:

cd /path/to/your/project

# Download pyclaudefig
curl -L https://api.github.com/repos/libertininick/pyclaudefig/tarball/HEAD | tar -xz

# Sync changes
# NOTE: use --dry-run to look before you leap ;)
rsync -av \
--delete \
--exclude='agent-outputs' \
--exclude='bundles' \
--exclude='**/__pycache__' \
libertininick-pyclaudefig-*/.claude/ \
.claude/ \
--dry-run

# Remove remaining items from download
rm -rf libertininick-pyclaudefig-*

Core Workflow

The core loop is: plan → implement → review → commit → update plan, one phase at a time.

Here's what a typical session looks like:

# 1. Create a plan — the planner agent explores the codebase, asks
#    clarifying questions, and writes a phased implementation plan.
/plan Add retry logic to the API client

#    Output: .claude/agent-outputs/plans/<timestamp>-api-client-plan.md
#    Review the plan and iterate until you're happy with it.

# 2. Implement Phase 1 — code-writer and test-writer agents execute
#    the first phase, then validate with ruff, ty, and pytest.
/implement Phase 1 from .claude/agent-outputs/plans/<timestamp>-api-client-plan.md

# 3. Review Phase 1 — style, substance, and test-quality reviewers
#    run in parallel and produce a unified review report.
/review --staged --plan .claude/agent-outputs/plans/<timestamp>-api-client-plan.md --phase 1

#    Address any findings, then stage your changes.

# 4. Commit — once the review is clean, commit the phase.
git add -p && git commit

# 5. Update the plan — syncs with main, marks Phase 1 complete,
#    and creates a new versioned plan file with adjustments.
#    (The original plan is never modified.)
/update-plan .claude/agent-outputs/plans/<timestamp>-api-client-plan.md --completed-phases 1

# 6. Repeat from step 2 for Phase 2, 3, etc.

Every command supports --help for usage and examples (e.g., /review --help).

Usage Guides

Deep dives into specific topics. Start here after you're comfortable with the Quick Start workflow.

Guide	What You'll Learn
Understanding LLM Coding Agents	Step-by-step guide to how AI coding agents actually work. Pattern matching, tool use, context windows, and agentic loops demystified.
Agentic Coding Workflow	Complete walkthrough of the plan → implement → review cycle. Commands, agents, validation, troubleshooting.
Context Window Management	Why AI performance degrades as context fills up, and how this configuration uses agents and bundles to keep sessions efficient.
Reviewer-Friendly PRs	Creating PRs that respect reviewers' time. Validation checklists, description templates, structuring large changes.
Thinking Tokens & Model Selection	How thinking tokens actually work, when extended thinking helps (and when it doesn't), and practical model selection guidance for code generation.

---

Architecture Overview

Design Philosophy

This configuration separates concerns into three distinct layers:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        COMMANDS                             │
│           Orchestration: workflows that use agents          │
│       /plan  /implement  /review  /pr-description           │
└─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                          │ invoke
                          ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         AGENTS                              │
│            Execution: specialists that do work              │
│ planner  code-writer  test-writer  test-reviewer  reviewers │
└─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                          │ load
                          ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         SKILLS                              │
│          Knowledge: conventions, templates, criteria        │
│  class-design  test-writing  frameworks  plan-template  ... │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Why this separation matters:

• Skills = Knowledge that multiple agents share (conventions, templates)
• Agents = Focused specialists with specific responsibilities
• Commands = User-facing workflows that compose agents

Single Source of Truth

manifest.json defines all relationships:

{
  "skills": [{ "name": "class-design", "category": "conventions", ... }],
  "agents": [{ "name": "planner", "depends_on_skills": ["plan-template", ...] }],
  "commands": [{ "name": "plan", "depends_on_agents": ["planner"] }]
}

Changes to relationships happen in one place. The manifest drives:

• Bundle generation (what skills each agent receives)
• CLAUDE.md generation (via /sync)
• Documentation of dependencies

Bundle Generation

Agents need skill knowledge, but loading skills individually at runtime is inefficient. Instead:

1. manifest.json declares which skills each agent depends on
2. generate_bundles.py pre-composes skills into bundles
3. Agents load a single bundle file with all their context

# Regenerate bundles after modifying skills
uv run .claude/scripts/generate_bundles.py

Two bundle variants are generated:

• Full bundle (planner.md): Complete skill content including examples
• Compact bundle (planner-compact.md): Quick Reference sections only

Layered Skills

Complex skills split content across files:

skills/class-design/
├── SKILL.md      # Main content + Quick Reference table
├── rules.md      # Decision flow and rules
└── examples.md   # Code examples

The frontmatter in SKILL.md declares layers:

---
name: class-design
layers:
  rules: rules.md
  examples: examples.md
---

Bundles include all layers. Compact bundles include only Quick Reference.

Git-Ignored Outputs

Two directories regenerate as needed:

.claude/
├── bundles/         # Generated by generate_bundles.py
└── agent-outputs/   # Written by agents at runtime
    ├── plans/
    ├── reviews/
    └── pr-descriptions/

Both are .gitignored. Regenerate bundles after skill changes. Agent outputs are timestamped for history.

---

Directory Structure

.claude/
├── CLAUDE.md              # Root agent instructions (auto-generated by /sync)
├── settings.json          # Project specific Claude settings
│
├── commands/              # User-invocable workflows
│   ├── plan.md
│   ├── implement.md
│   ├── review.md
│   └── ...
│
├── agents/                # Execution specialists
│   ├── planner.md
│   ├── python-code-writer.md
│   └── ...
│
├── manifest.json          # Single source of truth
│
├── skills/                # Knowledge & conventions
│   ├── class-design/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   ├── rules.md
│   │   └── examples.md
│   ├── test-writing/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   └── ...
│
├── bundles/               # Pre-composed context (generated, gitignored)
│   ├── planner.md
│   ├── planner-compact.md
│   └── ...
│
├── agent-outputs/         # Agent work products (generated, gitignored)
│   ├── plans/
│   ├── reviews/
│   └── pr-descriptions/
│
└── scripts/               # Automation
    ├── generate_bundles.py
    └── sync_context.py

---

Customization Guide

Adding a New Framework

Use the /add-framework command to register a new approved library:

/add-framework httpx

This will:

1. Resolve the doc ID (for documentation lookup)
2. Find the official documentation URL
3. Confirm the details with you
4. Update skills/frameworks/SKILL.md with the new entry
5. Regenerate bundles and validate the manifest

Run /add-framework --help for more examples.

Adding a New Skill

1. Create the skill directory and files:

   /create-skill
   # Follow prompts for name, category, description

2. Edit the generated SKILL.md with your conventions

3. Add to manifest.json (if not auto-added):

   {
     "name": "your-skill",
     "category": "conventions",
     "description": "What this skill provides"
   }

4. Add to agent dependencies in manifest.json:

   {
     "name": "python-code-writer",
     "depends_on_skills": ["your-skill", ...]
   }

5. Regenerate bundles:

   uv run .claude/scripts/generate_bundles.py

6. Update CLAUDE.md:

   /sync

Adding a New Agent

1. Create agent file in agents/:

   ---
   name: your-agent
   description: What this agent does
   model: sonnet  # or opus
   bundle: bundles/your-agent.md
   tools:
     - Read
     - Write
     - Edit
   ---
   
   Instructions for the agent...

2. Add to manifest.json:

   {
     "name": "your-agent",
     "description": "What this agent does",
     "depends_on_skills": ["skill1", "skill2"]
   }

3. Generate bundles with sync:

   /sync

Adding a New Command

1. Create command file in commands/:

   ---
   name: your-command
   description: What this command does
   depends_on_agents:
     - agent-it-uses
   ---
   
   # Command Title
   
   Instructions for what this command does...

2. Add to manifest.json:

   {
     "name": "your-command",
     "description": "What this command does",
     "depends_on_agents": ["agent-it-uses"]
   }

3. Sync context:

   /sync

Teaching Claude from Feedback

Use /learn to turn mistakes (or good patterns) into permanent configuration changes:

/learn You kept using Optional[str] instead of str | None. Enforce the modern union syntax.
/learn Always run tests before claiming a task is done. --no-session

The config-learner agent analyzes your feedback, proposes targeted changes to skills, CLAUDE.md, or agent instructions, and applies them after your approval. See Learning from Mistakes for the full guide.

Modifying Conventions

1. Edit the skill's SKILL.md (and rules.md/examples.md if layered)
2. Regenerate bundles so agents get updated context
3. Test by running a command that uses the affected agents

---

Skill Categories

Category	Purpose	Examples
conventions	How code should be written	class-design, naming-conventions, test-writing
assessment	Criteria for code review	maintainability, testability, test-quality
templates	Output format specifications	plan-template, review-template
utilities	Reusable operations	run-python-safely, write-markdown-output

---

Troubleshooting

Agent doesn't know about a skill

• Check manifest.json that the agent's depends_on_skills includes the skill
• Regenerate bundles: uv run .claude/scripts/generate_bundles.py

Command not appearing in /help

• Ensure the command file has correct frontmatter
• Run /sync to regenerate CLAUDE.md

Changes to skills not reflected

• Regenerate bundles after any skill modification
• Bundles are gitignored, so they won't auto-update

CLAUDE.md out of sync

• Run /sync to regenerate from current disk state