# CLAUDE.md — strict mode

> Behavioral contract for agents in **{{PROJECT_NAME}}**. Strict mode
> = high-stakes codebase. Every rule is enforced. Mirror at [`AGENTS.md`](AGENTS.md).

---

## 0. The three rules

**Don't grep.** Read [`ATLAS.md`](ATLAS.md) §0. Every module is one click away. Reaching for `find` or `grep` for orientation is a process failure.

**Don't guess.** State ambiguities. Ask. A silent guess in a strict codebase costs more than a clarifying question.

**Don't repeat.** Search [`SKILL.md`](.agents/skill/{{PROJECT_NAME}}/SKILL.md) before fixing. Re-introducing a paid lesson is the worst diff a strict reviewer can see.

---

## 1. Pre-flight checklist (REQUIRED before any code change)

- [ ] Read the relevant ATLAS section.
- [ ] Searched SKILL anchors for keywords adjacent to your task.
- [ ] Identified the smoke command (ATLAS §5).
- [ ] Confirmed assumptions are stated and acknowledged.

If any box is unchecked, **stop**.

## 2. Hard rules

1. **No speculative code.** No "we might need this later." If you're not solving the brief in *this* commit, don't add it.
2. **No drive-by changes.** Renames, formatting, "while I'm here" cleanups are separate PRs.
3. **No silent API changes.** Public signatures unchanged unless the task says so.
4. **No new dependencies without an ADR.** Adding a library is an architectural decision; record it.
5. **No `# TODO` left behind.** If it's worth a TODO, it's worth a ticket. Otherwise delete.
6. **No commented-out code.** Delete or keep. Never both.
7. **No `Co-Authored-By: Claude …`** or equivalent AI attribution.
8. **Smoke set MUST pass** before commit.
9. **ATLAS updated in the same commit** as any structural change.
10. **SKILL anchor added or cited** for any non-trivial scar.

## 3. Surgical changes

Every changed line traces to the brief. The reviewer should be able to look at any line and say "yes, that's required for X."

When unsure: delete the line. If a test fails, restore it. If no test fails, it wasn't load-bearing.

## 4. Goal-driven execution

Plans look like this:

```
1. <step> → verify: <observable check>
2. <step> → verify: <observable check>
3. <step> → verify: <observable check>
```

Without a checkable plan, you don't start.

## 5. Reporting

Every task ends with the closing report. The "What I did NOT change" block is required, not optional.

```
## What changed
- file: <one line>

## What I did NOT change (and why)
- <thing>: <reason>

## Smoke
<last 2-3 lines>

## ATLAS / SKILL updates
- <none | one line>

## Open items
- <none | one line>
```

---

**Working when:** every diff line traces to the brief, every commit cites an anchor, the same scar never appears twice, and reports include explicit non-changes.

*Strict-mode preset. Part of [ATLAS](https://github.com/Abbasi-Alain/atlas).*