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Introduction
Most people put every rule in one place: CLAUDE.md, or the chat. Claude reads it, follows it most of the time, and sometimes doesn't.
You saw the fix in the issue. Skills teach Claude a task. Hooks run something every time. Gates stop Claude from doing something.
This pack gives you all of it ready to paste: one skill, one hook, two gates, a one-paste install, and prompts to build your own.
Inside: 1 rule sorter, 1 skill, 1 hook, 2 gates, 1 one-paste install, 3 "build your own" prompts, and a test checklist.
Read time: 6 minutes. Time to set up: 15 minutes.
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Anthropic's own Claude Code docs say a rule written in CLAUDE.md or a skill is "a request, not a guarantee." That one line explains most of the "why did Claude do that?" moments.
The fix already exists inside Claude Code. Most people never set it up, because the docs are written for developers.
So I packed the setup I'd want on day one, in plain English, with nothing to write from scratch. You copy, you paste, you test.
One caveat I'll repeat inside: a gate only blocks what you tell it to block. Test every gate once by trying to break it.
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Before You Start - Quick Checklist
my-claude-setup%<aside>
1. The Rule Sorter: One prompt that sorts every rule you already have into skill, hook, gate, or keep.
2. The Skill: A ready review skill, plus a prompt to build your own.
3. The Hook: The alert hook for Mac and Windows, plus one variation.
4. The Two Gates: A hard gate that locks a folder, and a smart gate that checks Claude's work before it says "done."
5. The One-Paste Install: Everything above in one prompt, for Mac and Windows.
6. The Test Checklist: How to prove each layer works, and what to do if it doesn't.
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If you haven't read the issue yet, start there, then come back here.
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Step 1 - Duplicate this page: Hit the ••• menu top right → Duplicate. Now it's yours to edit.
Step 2 - Open Claude Code: In the terminal, type cd my-claude-setup, press Enter, then type claude and press Enter.
Step 3 - Fast way: Go to Section 5 and paste the One-Paste Install for your computer. Done.
Step 4 - Slow way: Go through Sections 2 to 4 one at a time, if you want to understand each layer.
Step 5 - Test it: Section 6. Test every layer once.
Step 6 - Sort your old rules: Section 1. Run the Rule Sorter on your CLAUDE.md.
Where to paste the prompts: Inside Claude Code, in Claude's typing box. Never in the plain terminal.
After any change to settings: Restart Claude Code. Type /exit and press Enter, then type claude and press Enter.
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What this does: Reads your CLAUDE.md and tells you where each rule really belongs. Run it once you have the three layers set up.
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Read my CLAUDE.md file. Sort every rule into one of four groups:
1. GATE: anything that must never happen. Write the matching permission deny rule for .claude/settings.json.
2. HOOK: anything that must happen every time at a set moment, with no judgment. Name the hook event it belongs to.
3. SKILL: anything that needs judgment or is a multi-step procedure. Suggest a skill name and a one-line description.
4. KEEP: facts about the project that Claude should always know.
Show the result as a table with columns: Rule, Group, What to write.
Do not change any files yet. Wait for my approval.
Variation: No CLAUDE.md yet
I don't have a CLAUDE.md file yet. Ask me 5 short questions about how I work and what Claude keeps getting wrong. Then sort my answers into GATE, HOOK, SKILL, and KEEP, using the same table.
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What this does: Saves a checklist Claude uses when you ask it to review your writing. Type /review-draft, or just say "review my post."
Check it worked: Type /skills and look for review-draft.
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